Malpe: Dalit Samiti condemns Pramod Madhwaraj, Raghupathi Bhat for justifying assault on dalit woman
Udupi: Karnataka Dalit Sangharsh Samiti Ambedkar Vad District General Convener Manjunath Gilliyaru has criticized former minister Pramod Madhwaraj and former MLA Raghupathi Bhat for exposing their 'regressive mentality' by justifying the heinous act of tying a Dalit woman to a tree and assaulting her in Malpe.
He was speaking after presiding over an emergency meeting of the Dalit Sangharsh Samiti Ambedkar Vad District Committee in Udupi on Sunday regarding the Malpe incident.
These politicians, who appear to be in a competition to gain political mileage, have made provocative statements to incite the Mogaveera community against Dalits. Furthermore, they are also issuing threats to the marginalized community, he alleged.
State Organizing Coordinator Sundar Master stated that the Dalit community working in the port will not remain silent if they are harassed. The issue of the Lambani community being driven out of the port and threatened has already come to the committee's attention. He urged the district administration and police department to take immediate and appropriate action.
"Instead of shouting and naming the office bearers of the Dalit Sangharsh Samiti during the protest in Malpe, let them come forward for a discussion. We are ready to respond appropriately. As a progressive organization, it is our primary duty to fight against atrocities committed against the oppressed in any part of the country," he asserted.
Mysuru Divisional Organizing Coordinator Shyamaraj Birti emphasized that Malpe port is government property and not the private possession of any individual.
"Everyone has the right to work and earn a livelihood there. This is not Uttar Pradesh or Bihar, where slum-like conditions prevail. Such hooliganism should be completely eradicated in Udupi, a district known for its intelligence and harmony," he said.
The meeting was attended by District Organizing Coordinators Shyamsunder Thekkatte, Rajendra Master Belle, Manjunath Naguru, Suresh Hakladi, Bhaskar Master, Sridhara Kunjibettu, Annappa Nakre, as well as Taluk Coordinators Raju Bettinamane, Manjunath Balkudru, Raghava Belle, Harishchandra Birti, Shivaram Kapu, Kusuma Hangarakatte, Sivananda Birti, Ramesh Maravante, Krishna, Suresh Barkur, Shivraj Bynduru, and Ratnakara Kunjibettu.
The Dalit Sangharsh Samiti has commended the police department for filing a suo moto case against former minister Pramod Madhwaraj over his provocative speech during the Malpe protest.
Superintendent of Police Dr. Arun Kumar has made the right decision at the right time in the Malpe incident. The Karnataka Dalit Sangharsh Samiti stands in support of him on the Ambedkar principle and will continue to back the Superintendent of Police in this just struggle, said Shyamaraj Birti.
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Opposition plans to move fresh notice seeking removal of CEC Gyanesh Kumar
New Delhi (PTI): Undeterred by the rejection of their earlier notices, opposition parties are planning a fresh move to seek the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, sources said on Saturday.
According to highly placed sources, leaders from several opposition parties are in talks, and at least five senior MPs from different parties -- including the Congress, the Trinamool Congress, the Samajwadi Party and the DMK -- are working on drafting a new notice to initiate removal proceedings.
It has, however, not yet been decided which House the notice would be moved in, or whether it would be introduced in both Houses as was done last time, the source added.
Buoyed by the defeat of The Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026 in Lok Sabha on Friday, opposition leaders are aiming to secure more MPs' signatures on the notice and are looking at garnering at least 200, the source said.
"We want to make a statement. We first need to prove that the number last time was underestimated," the source added.
In its earlier notices, the opposition had accused CEC Kumar of a "failure to maintain independence and constitutional fidelity" and of acting under the "thumb of the executive".
The notices levelled sweeping charges against the CEC, alleging “proved misbehaviour” on grounds including a compromised and executive-influenced appointment, partisan functioning -- such as the alleged “graded response” doctrine targeting opposition leaders -- obstruction of electoral fraud investigations, and erosion of transparency through refusal to share data and materials.
They further accused him of enabling large-scale disenfranchisement via Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercises in Bihar and elsewhere, defying or delaying compliance with Supreme Court directions, and acting in alignment with the political executive, thereby undermining the independence of the Election Commission.
However, in almost similar responses, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and Rajya Sabha Chairman C P Radhakrishnan rejected the notices, holding that even if the allegations were assumed to be true, they did not meet the high constitutional threshold of “misbehaviour” required for removal.
They reasoned that appointment-related issues or prior government service do not constitute misconduct; differences in public statements or administrative decisions lack evidence of wilful abuse of authority; and actions like data-sharing or electoral roll revisions fall within the commission’s constitutional mandate and are subject to judicial review.
The responses also stressed that many issues cited were either speculative, politically interpretative, or sub judice, and that removal proceedings cannot be based on disagreement or perceived political consequences but require clear, specific, and provable misconduct, which, they concluded, was absent in this case.
