Togadia hits out at Modi, Bhagwat on Ram Temple issue
Nagpur, Oct 7: Former Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Pravin Togadia Sunday hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat accusing them of not fulfilling the promise of building Ram Temple in Ayodhya.
Togadia also slammed Bhagwat for stating that "Hindu Rashtra does not mean there is no place for Muslims". Bhagwat had made the statement at the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh's three-day lecture series in September this year.
"Hindu Rashtra doesn't mean there's no place for Muslims. The day it is said so, it won't be Hindutva any more. Hindutva talks about Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam," Bhagwat had said.
Addressing a press conference here Sunday, Togadia said, "I want to ask if there is no Hindutva without gau hatyaare (cow killers), love jihadis, stone pelters and Pakistani flag wavers in Kashmir."
"We had joined the RSS 52 years ago considering it to be a Hindu organisation. But now we feel it is only concerned with the interests of Muslim community," Togadia added.
The former VHP leader alleged that the RSS was not interested in pursuing the cause of building a Ram Temple in Ayodhya.
He said that instead of demanding a temple be constructed, the RSS chief should "order" Prime Minister Narendra Modi to get the government to enact a law in Parliament to pave the way for a Ram Temple.
He also accused PM Modi of "appeasing" Muslim community and going back on the promise to build a Ram Temple in Ayodhya.
"When it comes to the SC/ST Act, Modi says Parliament will decide on the matter and not the courts. But when it comes to building the Ram Temple, Modi backtracks and says the courts will decide on the issue and not Parliament," Togadia said.
He charged Modi with forsaking the ideology of the BJP as well as that of Hindutva.
Speaking about the Antarrashtriya Hindu Parishad (AHP), an outfit he formed after quitting the VHP, Togadia said the organisation would pursue "Hindu politics".
When asked whether AHP will support the Shiv Sena in the elections, Togadia said, "If (Sena chief) Uddhav Thackeray pursues the saffron flag (Hindutva politics), we will support him."
Togadia had quit the VHP on April 14 this year after former Himachal Pradesh governor V S Kokje defeated his nominee Raghav Reddy in an election for the post of VHP International president.
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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.
