Congress MLA H.D. Ranganath praises RSS song, says “What’s wrong in singing it?"
Tumakuru: In the wake of KPCC President and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar singing the RSS prayer song in the Assembly, a move that caused unease among Congress leaders, Kunigal MLA Dr. H.D. Ranganath has come out in support, questioning the criticism.
Speaking to the media on Sunday, Ranganath said, “The RSS song has a meaningful message. It speaks of the motherland that nurtures us and deserves our utmost respect. The song is beautiful, and singing it should not be seen as wrong.”
Clarifying his stand, he added, “Appreciating the song does not mean we endorse right-wing ideologies. The Congress and BJP differ vastly in ideology. I strongly oppose the divisive politics carried out in the name of religion and caste.”
On Dharmasthala issue
Commenting on the ongoing Dharmasthala controversy, Ranganath noted that a majority of devotees at the sacred site are Congress legislators.
“Until now, no BJP leader has raised concerns about Dharmasthala. It’s only after DK Shivakumar mentioned the possibility of a conspiracy that they’ve started speaking,” he said.
He welcomed the ongoing SIT probe and emphasized the sensitivity of the matter: “Since the investigation is still underway, I will refrain from making any further public comments.”
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BJP's Pravesh Wahi elected MCD mayor
New Delhi (PTI): BJP councillor from Rohini East, Pravesh Wahi, was elected mayor of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) on Wednesday.
Wahi secured 156 votes, with 14 councillors of the Indraprastha Vikas Party backing him. Congress candidate Hazi Zaraf received nine votes.
BJP councillor from Anand Vihar, Monika Pant, was elected deputy mayor with 156 votes.
Jai Bhagwan Yadav from Begumpur and Manish Chadha from Paharganj were elected to the standing committee from the BJP, while AAP councillor Jalaj Chaudhary from Shalimar Bagh was also elected to the MCD panel.
On being elected mayor, Wahi thanked Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and the BJP leadership, saying, "We will clean Delhi in the coming months. We will work for the development of Delhi."
The electoral college for this year's mayoral election comprised 273 votes, including 249 councillors, 14 MLAs nominated by the Delhi Assembly, seven Lok Sabha MPs and three Rajya Sabha members from Delhi. A candidate required 137 votes to win.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) abstained from the mayoral polls. Earlier, the party's Delhi unit president Saurabh Bharadwaj said in a statement that the move would allow the BJP to take charge of the civic body and help AAP "expose" the ruling party on governance.
"Despite having power at all levels, the BJP has failed to bring about any change in Delhi. The BJP does not know how to perform. Only AAP knows how to work," Bharadwaj said.
Earlier, AAP controlled the mayoral post, with Mahesh Kumar Khinchi winning the election in November 2024 by just three votes.
The three civic bodies -- East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC), North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) and South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) -- were reunified into a single entity on May 22, 2022, as the Municipal Corporation of Delhi.
