Hindu ritual, Islamic prayer held at Gangolli GP premises; BJP leaders allegedly object to ‘Dua’
Udupi: A row has erupted in Gangolli gram panchayat of Kundapura taluk following the conduct of religious prayers during an oath-taking ceremony. The ceremony saw both a Hindu ‘Homa’ ritual performed by the elected Hindu members and a religious prayer by a Muslim cleric.
Byndoor MLA Gururaj Gantihole, along with members of the Hindu Hitha Rakshana Samiti, staged a protest outside the Panchayat office on Friday, condemning the prayer offered by the Moulwi.
During the oath-taking ceremony on Thursday, the designated president and the vice-president allegedly held religious prayers -- “Homa” ritual and a Muslim prayer -- on the gram panchayat premises, as reported by Deccan Herald.
Gantihole, addressing the protest, accused the Congress of forming an alliance with the SDPI and demanded action against the party for conducting religious prayers within the Panchayat building. He criticised the Congress for what he called a lack of ideological commitment, alleging that the party facilitated “illegal activities in government buildings” for political gain.
“On one hand, the Congress calls for banning the SDPI. On the other hand, it has entered into an alliance with the SDPI for coming to power. By compromising their principles for power, the Congress has shown that their priority lies solely in authority,” DH quoted Gantihole as saying.
In the elections held in December for the 33 seats in the Gram Panchayat, the Congress-supported candidates secured 12 seats, BJP-supported candidates won 12, while SDPI-backed candidates won six seats. With the support of the SDPI, the Congress came to power, with Congress-supported candidate Jayanthi Kharvi elected as president and SDPI-supported member Mohammed Tabraz as vice-president.
Reacting to the protest, Mohammed Tabraz defended the prayers, stating, "While president Jayanthi Kharvi held a ‘Homa,’ our religious leader offered a ‘Dua’ for the welfare of the village. However, BJP leaders raised an objection to offering the ‘Dua.’
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Rajeev Chandrasekhar alleges ₹1 crore bribe offer for Padma award during UPA regime
New Delhi: Former Union Minister and BJP leader Rajeev Chandrasekhar has alleged that he was offered a bribe of ₹1 crore for a Padma award during the Congress-led UPA regime in 2010. Chandrasekhar claimed that the offer was made in recognition of his contributions to the telecom sector.
The BJP leader made this revelation on January 5 through a post on X (formerly Twitter), accusing the UPA government of corrupt practices in awarding civilian honours. The Padma Awards, which include Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan, and Padma Shri, are among India’s highest civilian awards, recognising excellence in various fields such as arts, education, literature, and science.
Chandrasekhar's allegations came shortly after US President Joe Biden conferred the Medal of Freedom on several dignitaries, including billionaire philanthropist George Soros, former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and football legend Lionel Messi.
There has been no immediate response or denial from any members of the former UPA government regarding the allegations.
Rajeev Chandrasekhar, a Rajya Sabha MP from 2006 to 2024, served as the Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology, and Skill Development and Entrepreneurship from 2021 to 2024.
