Remove protected monument tag from Aurangzeb's tomb to prevent riots, defuse tension: Sena (UBT)
Mumbai, Mar 19 (PTI): Opposition Shiv Sena (UBT) on Wednesday said the Centre should remove the protected monument tag of Aurangzeb's tomb, located in Maharashtra's Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district, to prevent riots and to cool down the heads of fanatics in the state.
Violence erupted in Nagpur on Monday after stones were hurled at police amid rumours that the holy book of a community was burnt during an agitation by a right-wing body for the removal of Aurangzeb's tomb.
In an editorial in its mouthpiece 'Saamana', the Uddhav Thackeray-led party said that since the release of "Chhaava" movie, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Bajrang Dal, Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and the "neo-Hindutvavadis" of the BJP have been raising the heat over Aurangzeb's tomb and disturbing the atmosphere in the state.
The Vicky Kaushal-starrer movie "Chhaava" is based on the life of Sambhaji Maharaj, the second Chhatrapati of the Maratha empire who was brutally killed by Aurangzeb. The film was released on February 14.
"There is no need to create a scene over Aurangzeb's tomb. He (Aurangzeb) is in his grave and he is not going to come out of it," the editorial said.
It further said the State Reserve Police Force (SRPF) is currently giving protection to Aurangzeb's tomb in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (formerly known as Aurangabad) since it is an Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) protected monument.
"The Centre should withdraw the protection and also the tag of a protected monument site given to the tomb so that the land will be freed and there will be no scope of further escalation of tension," it said.
"This will prevent riots and cool down the heads of fanatics," it added.
The editorial came a day after party chief Uddhav Thackeray slammed the BJP for raking up a "400-year-old issue" and said the government should raze the tomb.
Raze Aurangzeb's tomb immediately, but do call Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his Andhra Pradesh counterpart Chandrababu Naidu when that happens, Thackeray said on Tuesday.
"It is now evident that Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis gives more importance to Aurangzeb than to Shivaji Maharaj because the latter's policy was to take everyone along. But this policy was never acceptable to the BJP in the past and not even now," the 'Saamana' editorial alleged.
While ministers' resort to spreading hate, CM Fadnavis, who is also the home minister, is keeping mum, it said.
The BJP or the RSS did not consider Chhatrapati Shivaji or Chhatrapati Sambhaji as the ideological symbols, the Sena (UBT) said, claiming that the BJP wants to reduce the importance of Chhatrapati Shivaji and Chhatrapati Sambhaji.
The BJP's aim is to first finish Aurangzeb because once the "villain" is over, then it is easy to finish heroes like Chhatrapati Shivaji and Chhatrapati Sambhaji, it added.
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CM Siddaramaiah alleges ‘criminal conspiracy’ in Sringeri recount, vows legal action
Bengaluru (PTI): Alleging a “criminal conspiracy” by BJP candidate D N Jeevaraj in the Sringeri Assembly poll recounting, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the outcome was manipulated after valid postal ballot votes in favour of Congress leader T D Raje Gowda were tampered with during the recounting process.
Following a Karnataka High Court order on an election petition filed by Jeevaraj, challenging Raje Gowda’s election, the reverification and recounting were conducted on Saturday.
After the reverification and recount of postal ballots for the Sringeri Assembly constituency, votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda were reduced by 255, the returning officer said.
A report on the matter has been submitted to the Election Commission of India for further action, the officer added.
Congress leader Raje Gowda had won the 2023 Assembly polls from Sringeri by 201 votes, defeating his nearest rival Jeevaraj.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said the High Court had directed the recounting of postal ballots and that irregularities were noticed during the exercise conducted on May 2.
“This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” Siddaramaiah said, alleging that valid votes cast in favour of Raje Gowda were altered after being accepted by counting agents of all parties, including Congress, BJP, and JD(S).
He claimed that during the recounting of postal ballots, 255 votes were initially accepted as valid by all agents but were later tampered with by subordinate officials.
“There is a second mark on the votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda. They had accepted these as valid votes. Subsequently, another mark was made by officials. This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” he said.
When asked who was behind the alleged conspiracy, the CM replied, “It was hatched by Jeevaraj and others. It is planned.”
Siddaramaiah further alleged that the returning officer acted improperly by declaring the result despite the presence of an Election Commission observer during the recounting.
“Immediately after the counting, the returning officer announced the result. He should not have done so; this is against the law,” he said.
He pointed out that Raje Gowda had originally won by 201 votes, but after the recounting, the BJP candidate was declared the winner by 52 votes.
“The BJP has committed a criminal act of conspiracy. This is not vote chori but vote dacoity,” he alleged.
The CM said a police complaint had already been filed by Raje Gowda’s election agent, Sudhir Kumar, and emphasised the need for electoral integrity.
“We want transparency and free and fair elections. That is what our Constitution mandates,” he added.
Stating that the government would pursue legal remedies, Siddaramaiah said, “We are preparing an appeal challenging the returning officer’s announcement in a court of law.”
Responding to a separate query on elections in other states, the CM said there appeared to be an anti-incumbency factor in West Bengal, while results in Tamil Nadu were “surprising,” adding that Vijay’s party was emerging as the largest there.
Following the victory of party candidates in Bagalkote and Davanagere South, Siddaramaiah expressed confidence about future electoral prospects in Karnataka.
“Even in 2028, we will win the Assembly elections. We will come back,” the CM said.
Siddaramaiah added that he would order a forensic examination into the alleged tampering of postal ballots.
