Gujarat MLA Jignesh Mevani suspended from state Assembly for 'indiscipline'
Gandhinagar, Mar 19: Gujarat's Independent MLA Jignesh Mevani was on Friday suspended from the state Assembly for a day for "indiscipline" after he raised the issue of a Dalit man's murder without the Speaker's permission.
He was evicted from the House on the orders of Speaker Rajendra Trivedi over the issue.
Mevani had been evicted from the Assembly for the same reason on Thursday as well.
As soon as the Question Hour came to an end, Mevani, who represents the Vadgam Assembly constituency, suddenly raised a poster that carried the picture of the Dalit man killed on March 2 by a mob allegedly in the presence of a policeman. The poster read: "Why you are not arresting the culprits?"
He was referring to the incident, in which one Amrabhai Boricha (50), a resident of Sanodar in Ghogha taluka of Bhavnagar, was allegedly killed in the presence of a local police sub inspector.
As Mevani's mic was turned off, he started shouting and asked why the BJP government in the state has not arrested the PSI yet.
He asked the government to clarify if the Minister of State for Home Pradeepsinh Jadeja was related to the PSI.
The speaker then asked Mevani not to indulge in "indiscipline" and sit down.
Trivedi told the MLA that he should first seek permission from him if he wanted to raise any issue.
When Mevani did not sit down despite repeated requests, Trivedi asked the sergeants to take the MLA out of the House.
Trivedi also suspended the MLA for the day for "indiscipline".
Mevani was then escorted out by the sergeants without using much force.
आज फिर मुझे विधानसभा के सदन से बाहर कर दिया! कोई बात नहीं, अब मोर्चा खुलेगा सडक पर!
— Jignesh Mevani (@jigneshmevani80) March 19, 2021
?23 मार्च, गुजरात विधानसभा गेट नम्बर -1 pic.twitter.com/XCW1BXLyz5
I have been suspended for the day from #GujaratAssembly for demanding action against the culprit of Amrabhai Borecha. 17 days have passed since the chargesheet was filed. Yday, I was asked to leave the Assembly for demanding the same.
— Jignesh Mevani (@jigneshmevani80) March 19, 2021
Who is @vijayrupanibjp govt defending? pic.twitter.com/cGT9IC3yQg
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CM Siddaramaiah alleges ‘criminal conspiracy’ in Sringeri recount, vows legal action
Bengaluru (PTI): Alleging a “criminal conspiracy” by BJP candidate D N Jeevaraj in the Sringeri Assembly poll recounting, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the outcome was manipulated after valid postal ballot votes in favour of Congress leader T D Raje Gowda were tampered with during the recounting process.
Following a Karnataka High Court order on an election petition filed by Jeevaraj, challenging Raje Gowda’s election, the reverification and recounting were conducted on Saturday.
After the reverification and recount of postal ballots for the Sringeri Assembly constituency, votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda were reduced by 255, the returning officer said.
A report on the matter has been submitted to the Election Commission of India for further action, the officer added.
Congress leader Raje Gowda had won the 2023 Assembly polls from Sringeri by 201 votes, defeating his nearest rival Jeevaraj.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said the High Court had directed the recounting of postal ballots and that irregularities were noticed during the exercise conducted on May 2.
“This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” Siddaramaiah said, alleging that valid votes cast in favour of Raje Gowda were altered after being accepted by counting agents of all parties, including Congress, BJP, and JD(S).
He claimed that during the recounting of postal ballots, 255 votes were initially accepted as valid by all agents but were later tampered with by subordinate officials.
“There is a second mark on the votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda. They had accepted these as valid votes. Subsequently, another mark was made by officials. This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” he said.
When asked who was behind the alleged conspiracy, the CM replied, “It was hatched by Jeevaraj and others. It is planned.”
Siddaramaiah further alleged that the returning officer acted improperly by declaring the result despite the presence of an Election Commission observer during the recounting.
“Immediately after the counting, the returning officer announced the result. He should not have done so; this is against the law,” he said.
He pointed out that Raje Gowda had originally won by 201 votes, but after the recounting, the BJP candidate was declared the winner by 52 votes.
“The BJP has committed a criminal act of conspiracy. This is not vote chori but vote dacoity,” he alleged.
The CM said a police complaint had already been filed by Raje Gowda’s election agent, Sudhir Kumar, and emphasised the need for electoral integrity.
“We want transparency and free and fair elections. That is what our Constitution mandates,” he added.
Stating that the government would pursue legal remedies, Siddaramaiah said, “We are preparing an appeal challenging the returning officer’s announcement in a court of law.”
Responding to a separate query on elections in other states, the CM said there appeared to be an anti-incumbency factor in West Bengal, while results in Tamil Nadu were “surprising,” adding that Vijay’s party was emerging as the largest there.
Following the victory of party candidates in Bagalkote and Davanagere South, Siddaramaiah expressed confidence about future electoral prospects in Karnataka.
“Even in 2028, we will win the Assembly elections. We will come back,” the CM said.
Siddaramaiah added that he would order a forensic examination into the alleged tampering of postal ballots.
