Kerala HC dismisses PIL to regulate Bharat Jodo Yatra
Kochi, Sep 27: The Kerala High Court on Tuesday dismissed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) which sought a direction to the state government and the police to ensure the Congress party's ongoing 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' does not create traffic jams by taking over the entire road.
A bench of Chief Justice S Manikumar and Justice Shaji P Chaly rejected the PIL after the Kerala government said the foot march was going on peacefully and action had been taken where any illegal activity was found.
In view of the state's submissions, the court said that the petitioner, an advocate, was unable to prove his allegation that the march was causing traffic jams.
The state also told the bench that police instructed the yatra organisers to ensure it is conducted peacefully.
The plea, by advocate Vijayan K, had sought to ensure that the yatra, led by Congress leader and Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi, only takes up half of the road and leaves the rest for free flow of vehicles.
Besides regulating the march, which began from Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu on September 7 and intends to cover 3,570 km in 150 days to reach Kashmir, the PIL had also sought directions to recover from the Congress the expenses incurred in the deployment of the huge police force along the yatra route.
It had also arrayed as parties the Congress, Rahul Gandhi, KPCC president K Sudhakaran and Leader of Opposition in the State Assembly V D Satheesan.
It had alleged the three Congress leaders "are having no respect to the law enacted by the central and state governments and the law laid down by the court".
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Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
