Shah hits out at Rahul for 'mockery of Constitution' comment
New Delhi, May 17: BJP President Amit Shah on Thursday justified his party forming government in Karnataka with B.S. Yeddyurappa taking oath as Chief Minister and hit out at Congress President Rahul Gandhi for terming the political developments as "mockery of Constitution".
"The murder of democracy happened the minute a desperate Congress made an ‘opportunist' offer to the Janata Dal-Secular, not for Karnataka's welfare but for their petty political gains. Shameful!," Shah said in a series of tweets.
He said the people's mandate in Karnataka was in favour of the Bharatiya Janata Party as the Congress was reduced to 78 from 122 and the saffron party surged from 40 to 104.
"Who has the people's mandate in Karnataka? The BJP, which has won 104 seats. Or, Congress which dropped to 78 seats, whose own Chief Minister and ministers lost by big margins. JD-S who won only 37 seats and lost their deposits on several others," he said.
Slamming the Congress for questioning Governor Vajubhai Vala's decision to call BJP to form the government, he reminded that it was the grand old party which imposed Emergency and misused Article 356.
"President of the Congress obviously does not remember the glorious history of his party. The legacy of Rahul Gandhi's party is the horrific emergency, blatant misuse of Article 356, subverting the courts, media and civil society," he said.
Shah's attack comes soon after Rahul Gandhi termed the swearing-in of Yeddyurappa as 'mockery' of Constitution.
"The BJP's irrational insistence that it will form a government in Karnataka, even though it clearly does not have the numbers, is to make a mockery of our Constitution," Gandhi said.
"This morning, while the BJP celebrates its hollow victory, India will mourn the defeat of democracy," he added.
Governor Vala administered the oath of office and secrecy to Yeddyurappa at 9 a.m. at the Raj Bhavan amid tight security hours after the Supreme Court declined to stay his swearing-in ceremony.
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Won't contest bypolls until EC prevents fake voting: Mayawati
Lucknow (PTI): BSP chief Mayawati on Sunday alleged irregularities in voting in the recent Uttar Pradesh bypolls and said her party will not contest by-elections in future, particularly in the state, "until Election Commission takes measures to prevent fake voting".
By-elections to nine assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh were held on November 20 and results of it were declared on Saturday. Bahujan Samaj Party contested all nine seats but failed to win any.
"In the bypolls held for nine assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh, there is widespread discussion about the votes cast and the results announced yesterday. I am not saying this myself; it is a common perception among people that earlier, during elections conducted with ballot papers, fake votes were cast by misusing the system, often through fraud," Mayawati said in a press conference here.
"Now, similar practices are being carried out using EVMs, which is a matter of deep sorrow and concern for democracy," the former UP chief minister said.
Not only this, but these activities are now being executed more openly, especially during by-elections, as opposed to general elections for the Lok Sabha and state assemblies, she claimed.
"We recently witnessed this in the Uttar Pradesh bypolls. Similar concerns have also been raised regarding the recent general elections in Maharashtra. This is a major warning bell for democracy in our country," she said.
"Given this situation, our party has decided that until the Election Commission of India takes strict measures to prevent fake voting, we will not participate in any by-elections across the country, particularly in Uttar Pradesh. I am specifically referring to by-elections here," Mayawati said.
As far as general elections are concerned, she continued, there is a somewhat better safeguard because the fear of power changing hands makes the ruling party more cautious.
"In general elections, it is not guaranteed that the party in power will return to power and another party may take over. This fear keeps the government machinery somewhat restrained," she added.
Considering all these factors, our party will contest general elections for the Lok Sabha, state assemblies and local bodies with full preparation and strength, Mayawati stressed.
In the bypolls, the BJP and its ally RLD together won seven seats while Samajwadi Party candidates emerged victorious on two.
