MP: Congress leader calls for "killing" PM Modi to save Constitution; booked
Bhopal, Dec 12: A senior Congress leader in Madhya Pradesh has made a controversial remark against Prime Minister Narendra Modi asking people to be prepared to "kill" Modi to save the Constitution and the future of minorities and Dalits.
A First Information Report (FIR) was registered on Monday afternoon at Pawai police station in Panna district against the Congress leader and former state minister, Raja Pateria, for making the remarks against the prime minister.
In a video that surfaced on social media in the morning, Pateria can be heard telling Congress workers, "be ready to kill Modi. Kill in the sense of defeating him".
".....Modi will end the elections. Modi will divide on the basis of religion, caste and language. The future of Dalits, tribals and minorities is in danger. If you want to save the Constitution, then be ready to kill Modi. Kill in the sense of defeating him, Pateria told a meeting of Congress workers at Pawai town in Panna district.
State Home Minister Narottam Mishra, who had ordered the registration of the FIR, said the police found Pateria spread hatred and enmity among Dalits, minorities, and tribal communities based on religion, caste, and language, at the meeting.
The FIR was registered against Pateria under sections 451 (House-trespass in order to commit an offence punishable with imprisonment), 504 (Intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace), 505 (statements conducing public mischief), and 506 (Punishment for criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code.
MP Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan targeted Congress over Pateria's remarks, saying the reality of those who are undertaking the Bharat Jodo Yatra is coming to the fore.
Mishra told reporters Pateria's statement against the prime minister is very objectionable and he had directed the superintendent of police to register a case against the Congress leader.
Earlier, state BJP chief VD Sharma shared the video clip of Pateria and demanded an inquiry wondering if there is a plot to assassinate the prime minister.
"Former Minister Raja Pateria's incitement of public and Congress workers to assassinate Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi is extremely serious and condemnable. Was there any preparation for this conspiracy in Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Todo Yatra from Madhya Pradesh recently? This should be investigated," Sharma tweeted in Hindi.
Meanwhile, Pateria issued a video statement clarifying he meant to "defeat" PM Modi in the elections but his remarks were wrongly presented.
"A video related to a mandal meeting yesterday at Pawai has surfaced. I am a follower of Mahatma Gandhi who can't talk about killing anyone. It was wrongly presented. I wanted to say defeat Modi to protect the Constitution, Dalits, tribals and minorities and also to remove unemployment," he said.
CM Chouhan said the "reality of those who are undertaking Bharat Jodo Yatra is coming to the fore".
"Congress people are not able to compete with PM Narendra Modi in the field, that's why a Congress leader is talking about killing him. This is the height of hatred. True feelings of Congress are being revealed. The law will take its course," the chief minister said in a statement.
A delegation of the state BJP called on the Director General of Police (DGP) in Bhopal and submitted a memorandum demanding the arrest of Pateria.
पूर्व मंत्री राजा पटेरिया द्वारा प्रधानमंत्री श्री @narendramodi की हत्या के लिए जनता और कांग्रेस कार्यकर्ताओं को उकसाना अत्यंत गंभीर और निंदनीय है।
— VD Sharma (@vdsharmabjp) December 12, 2022
क्या हाल ही में मध्य प्रदेश से निकली राहुल गांधी की ‘भारत तोड़ो यात्रा’ में इस साजिश की तैयारी हुई? इसकी जांच होनी चाहिये। pic.twitter.com/oUn2dJIR9s
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Palakkad: Hotel owners hold protest march against gas price hike
Palakkad (Kerala) (PTI): Hotel and restaurant owners on Saturday held a protest march in Palakkad against the recent nearly Rs 1,000 hike in commercial gas cylinder prices.
The protesters marched through the town holding placards and images of gas cylinders. They also carried two cylinders on a stretcher with a wreath placed on top, according to visuals aired on television channels.
The hotel and restaurant owners contended that it would be difficult for them to sustain their businesses in view of the high cost of commercial gas cylinders.
They said that many of them had been forced to shut their establishments earlier due to the scarcity of commercial gas cylinders, and that most had only recently reopened.
“But the sudden increase in commercial gas cylinder prices has affected our operations,” the protesters said.
Similar concerns were raised by restaurant owners and workers from other parts of the state in response to queries from reporters.
The Kerala Hotel and Restaurant Association had on Friday announced a statewide protest strike on May 6 against the Rs 993 hike in commercial LPG cylinder prices.
KHRA state president G Jayapal said that all hotels and restaurants across Kerala would remain shut on that day in protest against what he termed an “unfair” increase in LPG prices.
He added that over the past five months, the price of a single cylinder had increased by a total of Rs 1,498.
On May 6, establishments will remain closed, and protest marches and dharnas will be held in front of district headquarters and oil company offices, he said.
