Why doesn't BJP appoint a Muslim as its president: Digvijaya on PM's jibe at Congress
Bhopal, Apr 15 (PTI): Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on Tuesday said the BJP should appoint a Muslim as its party president instead of suggesting his party to do so, and added that prominent leaders from the Muslim community held that position in the grand old party in the past.
He also alleged that a "disturbing trend" was being observed in the country wherein minority communities were being treated as enemies and falsely implicated by the BJP-led governments at the Centre and in states.
His statement comes a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in Haryana that if the Congress really has sympathy for Muslims, it should appoint a Muslim as its president and give 50 percent tickets to people from the community.
When reporters asked Digvijaya Singh about the PM's remark, he said, "Muslims had earlier held the position of presidents (of Congress) and we are proud of it. If they (BJP) are so concerned, why don't they make a person from the Muslim community its party president?"
During the pre-Independence period, prominent Muslim leaders, including Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Mukhtar Ahmad Ansari, Syed Hasan Imam and Nawab Syed Mohammed Bahadur, had served as Congress presidents.
When asked if he feels that a minority community was being targeted, Singh said, "A disturbing trend is taking place in the country where minority communities are being treated as enemies by the central government and in states ruled by the BJP's so-called double engine government."
"They are being falsely implicated, harassed and the constitutional provisions meant to protect their interests are being ignored. In April 2021, when riots broke out at several places, the Supreme Court had issued detailed guidelines on how states should act to control communal violence," the Rajya Sabha member said.
Those guidelines clearly outlined the steps governments must take to prevent such incidents, he said.
On a query about West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's statement that she will not allow the new Waqf law to be implemented in her state, Singh said, "...I want to say one thing, whoever spreads communalism in this country and whether it is radical Hindu, radical Muslim radical Sikh or any sect, action should be taken against them."
He alleged that Indian Secular Front was instigating the Muslim youth there.
"For 10 years (as Madhya Pradesh chief minister), I did not spare anyone spreading hatred towards other religions - be it Hindu, Muslim, Sikh or Christian. Because of that, not a single riot or incident of disturbance took place in Madhya Pradesh," he said.
Singh was the CM from 1993 to 2003.
On the issue of a Dalit groom not allowed to sit on a horse during a marriage ceremony in Indore district, Singh said it was a matter of shame for all that untouchability was still in vogue today.
"Yesterday, Chief Minister went to Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar's memorial and gave a long speech in which he talked about following the path as shown by Dr Ambedkar, but even today a groom from a Scheduled Caste cannot ride a horse and cannot enter the temple, this is a crime. Action should be taken against all those people who stopped his entry into the temple and objected to his sitting on a horse."
On the controversy surrounding BJP MLA's son forcibly entering a temple in Dewas district even after it was closed, Singh said even if the people associated with BJP do whatever they want, the police do not take any action against them.
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KSRTC to run 1000 special services to clear Christmas rush
Bengaluru: The Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation will operate 1000 additional special services in view of the Christmas festival.
In addition to the existing schedule, the special services will run on 19.12.2025, 20.12.2025 and 24.12.2025. Further, special buses will be operated from various places of intra & Interstate places to Bengaluru on 26.12.2025 & 28.12.2025.
Special buses will be exclusively operated from Bengaluru Kempegowda Bus Station to Dharmastala, Kukkesubramanya, Shivamogga, Hassan, Mangaluru, Kundapura, Shringeri, Horanadu, Davangere, Hubbali, Dharwad, Belagavi, Vijayapura, Gokarna, Sirsi, Karwar, Raichur, Kalaburagi, Ballari, Koppala, Yadgir, Bidar, Tirupathi, Vijayawada, Hyderabad and other places.
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Special buses from Mysuru Road Bus Station will be exclusively operated towards Mysuru, Hunsur, Piriyapatna, Virajpet, Kushalanagar, Madikeri.
The corporation has also announced a discount of 5 per cent on the fare if four or more passengers book tickets under a single reservation. A discount of 10 per cent will be extended on return journey tickets if onward and return tickets are booked simultaneously.
In addition to the above, special buses will be operated from all Taluk/District Bus Stands in the jurisdiction of KSRTC based on the traffic needs.
