Idukki: Congress leader quits in protest against party's stance on Waqf Bill
Idukki (Kerala), Apr 4 (PTI): A local Congress leader in this hill district on Friday resigned from the grand old party in protest against its stance on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill.
Benny Peruvanthanam, general secretary of the Idukki District Congress Committee (DCC), resigned from the party, accusing it of neglecting the Christian minority and taking a pro-Muslim stance on the Munambam issue.
"Congress has neglected the Christian minority community for years, while only appeasing Muslims. In protest of this approach, I am resigning from the Congress party," Benny told reporters.
He stated that he had raised the issue within party forums and urged for changes, but no action was taken.
"The situation has reached a point where it’s impossible to move forward, so I have resigned from the post of DCC secretary and from the party as well," he added.
Peruvanthanam also criticised the Congress leadership for its negative stance regarding the concerns raised by the KCBC and Catholic Church organisations. However, he stated that he has not aligned with any other political party now.
The Congress leadership has yet to comment on the matter.
The Munambam residents, strongly supported by the Catholic Church, have been protesting for the past 174 days for revenue rights over their properties, allegedly claimed by the Waqf Board.
The Christian community has significant influence in the Idukki district.
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Stalin claims DMK secured 1.54 crore votes
Chennai (PTI): DMK president M K Stalin on Tuesday, in a veiled reference to the TVK, claimed that the party that won additional constituencies has gained only 17.43 lakh more votes than the DMK.
He was referring to the April 23 Assembly polls where the DMK and its allies secured 74 seats, with the Dravidian party netting 59 constituencies.
In a statement, Stalin said, "the percentage difference in votes between us and them is just 3.52 per cent," in an apparent reference to the Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kahzagam emerged victorious in the polls, the results of which were announced on Monday.
Claiming that the DMK alliance has secured 1.54 crore votes, Stalin said, "I consider each and every one of your votes as an invaluable token of trust".
Stating that DMK has been in power several times, he said "there is no victory we have not seen and there is no defeat we have not faced".
"Whether in victory or defeat, those who regard them equally and continue their journey toward their ideals are the comrades of the party", he said adding "you are the lifeblood and roots of the movement".
"The harvest of 1.54 crore votes is the fruit of your commitment", he said.
"What return can I offer for your hard work? With the feeling of being the chief worker, we will continue our journey," the DMK chief added.
Stalin said "if we are the ruling party, we will formulate schemes for the people. If we are the opposition party, we will fight for the people's demands. In that regard, now as a strong opposition party, we will continue to work for the people".
Asserting that the DMK will continue the journey of taking forward the policies of the century-old great Dravidian movement, protecting race, language, and nation, the DMK leader said "in our journey, I will not leave anyone behind. We will win again".
