Kapil Sibal slams BJP for boycotting Telangana MLAs' oath-taking presided over by pro-tem speaker
New Delhi, Dec 10: Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal slammed the BJP on Sunday after its MLAs boycotted the oath-taking ceremony of the newly-elected legislators in Telangana over AIMIM's Akbaruddin Owaisi being made pro-tem speaker, saying such "public expression of hate" makes him wonder where the country is heading.
The first session of the third Telangana Legislative Assembly began on Saturday with the oath-taking ceremony of the newly-elected MLAs.
The BJP MLAs, however, stayed away from the House, alleging that AIMIM MLA Owaisi was appointed as pro-tem speaker in violation of rules.
In a post on X, Sibal said, "Telangana, Protem Speaker Akbaruddin Owaisi -- 8 BJP MLAs boycott oath. Such public expression of hate makes me wonder where my country is heading!"
"Is this the Mother of Democracy we publicly proclaim to be!" the former Union minister said.
Before the commencement of the Telangana Assembly session, Owaisi was administered the oath by Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan as the pro-tem speaker at the Raj Bhavan and he presided over the proceedings in the House.
Union Minister and the BJP's Telangana unit chief G Kishan Reddy has alleged that Owaisi was appointed as pro-tem speaker though there were other senior members in the House.
Telangana
— Kapil Sibal (@KapilSibal) December 10, 2023
Protem Speaker
Akbaruddin Owaisi
8 BJP MP’s
Boycott Oath
Such public expression of hate
makes me wonder where my country is heading !
Is this the Mother of Democracy we publicly proclaim to be !
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BJP workers protest Bengaluru event on Umar Khalid, taken into preventive custody
Bengaluru (PTI): BJP workers, led by former Bengaluru Mayor M Gautham Kumar, staged a protest outside the heavily fortified BIC in the city on Tuesday ahead of an event.
The editors of the book “Umar Khalid and His World” have planned a reading of excerpts from the book at the venue, followed by a discussion involving several “historians and intellectuals”.
The BJP activists raised slogans demanding the cancellation of the event. They attempted to enter the venue by breaking through the barricades put up by the police.
Police personnel deployed at the spot took the BJP workers into preventive custody.
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The party had on Monday petitioned Bengaluru Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh seeking cancellation of the event organised in support of activist Umar Khalid.
A delegation of BJP leaders led by Bengaluru Central MP P C Mohan met the commissioner and submitted a memorandum in this regard.
Khalid is currently in jail in connection with allegations of conspiracy in the 2020 Delhi riots.
In a post on ‘X’ earlier in the day, the Karnataka BJP alleged that while courts are still hearing cases related to anti-national activities, the Congress-backed ecosystem is busy glorifying individuals who aim to divide Bharat.
“Why is Bengaluru being turned into a hub for celebrating such elements? Is this the ‘cultural contribution’ the Siddaramaiah government wants to promote? Our city is a land of innovators and patriots, not a playground for the ‘Tukde Tukde’ (divisive) narrative,” it alleged.
The Supreme Court on April 20 dismissed Khalid’s plea seeking review of a verdict denying him bail, observing that there are reasonable grounds to believe the allegations against him in connection with the conspiracy behind the 2020 Delhi riots.
The court had earlier said there was a prima facie case against Khalid and Sharjeel Imam (another accused) under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), noting that prosecution material suggests their involvement in the “planning, mobilisation, and strategic direction” of the riots.
The February 2020 riots in northeast Delhi broke out during protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC), leaving 53 people dead and more than 700 injured.
