BJP veteran V K Malhotra cremated with full state honours
New Delhi, Oct 1 (PTI): BJP veteran Vijay Kumar Malhotra was cremated with full state honours at the Lodhi Road crematorium here amid the chanting of mantras on Wednesday afternoon.
Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva and other senior leaders of the party, including MPs, MLAs and functionaries, bid adieu to the Jana Sangh-era party stalwart.
The last rites were performed by Malhotra's son, Ajay.
Earlier in the day, Malhotra's mortal remains were carried from Rakabganj Road, where he lived, to the Delhi BJP office on Pant Marg. A large number of party leaders and workers paid homage to the late leader.
Besides Gupta and Sachdeva, Delhi ministers Manjinder Singh Sirsa and Parvesh Verma, MP Kamaljeet Sehrawat and other senior leaders paid floral tributes to him.
The Jana Sangh-era politician was the first president of the Delhi BJP after the saffron party was founded in 1980.
Malhotra's 45-year political journey was marked by his work as an RSS swayamsevak and a Jana Sangh and BJP leader who kept the party afloat and worked tirelessly for its growth in the national capital, leaders of the saffron outfit said.
He was elected to Parliament five times and also to the Delhi Assembly. Malhotra defeated Congress candidate Manmohan Singh from the South Delhi constituency in the 1999 Lok Sabha polls. Singh went on to become the prime minister in 2004.
Incidentally, Malhotra was the only BJP candidate to win the Lok Sabha polls from Delhi in 2004.
In the 2008 Delhi Assembly polls, he was projected as the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) chief-ministerial candidate but had to settle with the leader of opposition's post as the Congress, led by former chief minister Sheila Dikshit, formed its third consecutive government in the capital.
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UP Cong holds statewide protest seeking probe into FIR against Swami Avimukteshwaranand
Lucknow (PTI): The Uttar Pradesh Congress on Wednesday staged a statewide protest demanding a fair and transparent inquiry into the FIR lodged against Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati and those who filed the complaint against him.
In a statement issued here, the party said memorandums addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi were submitted through district magistrates in all districts of the state.
Uttar Pradesh Congress spokesperson Manish Hindvi told PTI that the memorandums were handed over through the district administration in all 75 districts.
In the memorandum, the party alleged that Saraswati and his disciples were "unnecessarily harassed and humiliated" by police on the occasion of Amavasya and were prevented from taking a ritual bath (at the Magh Mela). It further alleged that some disciples were manhandled and taken to a police station.
The memorandum also claimed that an FIR was later registered against Saraswati, his disciple Swami Mukundanand Brahmachari and several unidentified persons in a sexual harassment case. It termed the case a "conspiracy" aimed at tarnishing the seer's reputation.
Citing Articles 25 and 26 of the Constitution, the memorandum stated that these provisions guarantee religious freedom and the right of religious denominations to manage their own affairs.
It described the position of shankaracharya held by Saraswati as "one of the highest spiritual posts in Sanatan tradition" and alleged that the entire episode appeared to have been "orchestrated in a planned manner".
"We request that the background of the persons who got the FIR registered be investigated in a transparent manner by a retired high court judge and strict action be taken against them," the memorandum said.
It also sought a "fair and transparent probe" into the allegations levelled against Saraswati so that the truth could be established.
Earlier, Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Rai had told reporters in Varanasi after meeting Saraswati that the party stood firmly with him.
The Congress said it would continue to press for an impartial inquiry into the entire episode.
On February 21, an FIR was lodged in Prayagraj against Saraswati and his disciple Mukundanand Brahmachari on charges of sexually abusing two persons, including a minor, over the past year at a gurukul and religious congregations, including the recently concluded Magh Mela.
Days after he was booked, Saraswati had said on Monday that he would not oppose his arrest and asserted that the "fabricated story" would be exposed sooner or later.
At a press conference on Wednesday, Saraswati alleged that criminals rule in Uttar Pradesh, level allegations and influence investigations, as he denied having any contact with the two persons for whose alleged sexual abuse he has been booked.
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