BJP MLA Raja Singh felicitates lawyers representing Gauri Lankesh, Narendra Dabholkar murder accused
Telangana: BJP MLA Raja Singh has felicitated the advocates representing the accused in the murder cases of journalist Gauri Lankesh and rationalist Narendra Dabholkar. The event, organized by the Hindutva group Hindu Janajagruti Samiti, took place during the Vaishvik Hindu Rashtra Mahotsav in Goa between June 24 and 30.
The Hindu Janajagruti Samiti, considered an offshoot of the extremist Hindutva group Sanatan Sanstha, hosted the event where Singh honored four advocates: P. Krishnamurthy, Umashankar Megundi, Divya Megundi, and Avinash Masuti. These lawyers represent the main accused in the Gauri Lankesh murder case. Gauri Lankesh was shot dead outside her home in Bengaluru on September 5, 2017. The primary accused, Amol Kale, a former leader of the Hindu Janajagruti Samiti, allegedly orchestrated the murder plot. The Special Investigation Team (SIT) found that 18 individuals were involved in the crime.
Singh, who has faced 101 cases in Hyderabad, 18 of which are communal in nature, also honored advocates Prakash Salsingkar, Ghanshyam Upadhyaya, Mrunal Wyavahare Sakhare, and Smita Desai. These lawyers represented the accused in the murder of Narendra Dabholkar, a rationalist and founder of the Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmoolan Samiti, who was shot dead near the Omkareshwar Temple in Pune on August 13, 2013. In May 2024, a special court in Pune convicted Sachin Andure and Sharad Kalaskar for Dabholkar's murder. Kalaskar is also an accused in the Gauri Lankesh murder case.
The Karnataka state spokesperson of the Hindu Janajagruti Samiti shared images of the felicitation on social media. The event reportedly saw the attendance of around 800 delegates from across the country, according to the Samiti's website.
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Kejriwal resorting to 'vendetta politics', says BJP after MP Sandeep Pathak booked
New Delhi (PTI): The BJP on Saturday accused Aam Aadmi Party's national convenor Arvind Kejriwal of vendetta politics after Punjab Police booked Rajya Sabha MP Sandeep Pathak, who recently defected to the BJP.
In an X post, BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla claimed that Kejriwal is misusing the Punjab Police to settle political scores, and Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has become a party to it.
"Two FIRs have been filed against Sandeep Pathak, who until recently was in the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) as a Rajya Sabha MP and general secretary (organisation). What is baffling is the shameless, brazen vendetta politics being pursued by Arvind Kejriwal, with Bhagwant Mann complicit in it," Poonawalla said.
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"It is clear this has been done out of vendetta politics by Kejriwal, who is extremely vengeful and vindictive, and misuses the Punjab Police to pursue such political vendetta," he alleged.
Questioning the timing of the FIRs, Poonawalla said, "If these cases existed from the beginning, why were FIRs not filed earlier? If he was corrupt, why was he kept in the party for so long, especially when he was the general secretary (organisation)? Has any new material surfaced in the last few days, or has the alleged corruption occurred only now?"
He alleged that Kejriwal has an "old habit" of targeting political opponents and dissenters.
"We have seen how he has used the police against rivals, including Congress leaders. This is his old habit," Poonawalla said, referring to the withdrawal of Rajya Sabha MP Harbhajan Singh's security.
Poonawalla claimed that several leaders who had left AAP over the years, including Yogendra Yadav, Mayank Gandhi, Ashish Khetan, Ashutosh and Alka Lamba, were "hounded".
He accused the party of failing to introspect.
"Instead of introspecting on how they have changed -- from Anna to Lalu, from Lokpal to corruption -- they are indulging in vendetta politics, trying to victimise people using the strong arm of the law. This reflects an Emergency-like mindset and a dictatorial, Hitlerian mindset," he said.
According to sources, two FIRs have been lodged against Pathak under non-bailable sections.
No further details about the FIRs have been disclosed yet.
On April 24, the AAP suffered a jolt when seven of its 10 Rajya Sabha MPs quit, alleging that Arvind Kejriwal's party has strayed from its principles, values and core morals.
Of the seven MPs -- who were Pathak, Raghav Chadha, Ashok Mittal, Harbhajan Singh, Rajendra Gupta, Vikramjit Sahney and Swati Maliwal -- six were from Punjab.
Later, Rajya Sabha Chairman C P Radhakrishnan officially accepted their merger with the BJP, reducing AAP's strength in the Upper House to three.
