MP: Former BJP minister Deepak Joshi joins Congress ahead of state polls
Bhopal (PTI): In a setback to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in Madhya Pradesh ahead of the state Assembly elections, senior leader and former minister Deepak Joshi joined the Opposition Congress on Saturday.
Deepak Joshi, the son of former Chief Minister late Kailash Joshi, joined the Congress in the presence of the party's state chief Kamal Nath at the party's state headquarters here.
The three-time MLA accused the state's BJP-government of ignoring the legacy of his late father Kailash Joshi.
Deepak Joshi, aged around 60 years, entered the Assembly for the first time from Bagli in Dewas district in 2003 and later successfully contested twice (in 2008 and 2013) from the Hatpiplya seat in the same district.
After his third election victory, Joshi joined Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan's cabinet and remained its member till 2018.
The BJP leader lost the Assembly election in 2018 from Hatpiplya to Congress candidate Manoj Choudhary, who went on to join the BJP in 2020 and won again from Hatpiplya in a subsequent bypoll.
Choudhary and more than 20 other MLAs loyal to then-Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia, now union civil aviation minister, rocked the Congress boat in March 2020, which led to the fall of the Kamal Nath government and paved the way for the BJP's return to power in the state.
According to sources, Deepak Joshi has remained largely sidelined in the saffron outfit since then.
The state assembly election in Madhya Pradesh is due later this year.
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Shiv temple reopens in Muzaffarnagar after 1992 Ayodhya incident, Muslims shower flowers
Muzaffarnagar (UP) (PTI): A Shiv temple in Ludhawala, a predominantly Muslim locality under the jurisdiction of Kotwali police station, was reopened on Monday with a 'havan' and Muslims showering flowers on a procession by Hindus.
The Shiv temple was built in 1971. However, during the communal tensions triggered by the Ayodhya incident in 1992, Hindu families from the locality migrated, taking the temple's idols and 'shivling' with them. Since then, the temple had remained closed.
City Magistrate Vikas Kashyap confirmed that the reopening and associated ceremonies were conducted peacefully.
"All functions in the temple were conducted without any disturbance. The atmosphere was cordial and Hindu activists, led by Swami Yashvir Maharaj, returned in a peaceful manner," Kashyap told PTI.
In a remarkable display of harmony, local Muslims welcomed the procession of Hindu activists by showering flowers on them as they made their way to the temple.
Swami Yashvir Maharaj led the purification ceremony in the temple, which involved performing a 'havan' and other rituals. "This is a significant moment for us. The Shiv temple has been closed for years, but today it has been reopened after proper purification," he remarked.
The swami had announced last week that the temple would reopen on December 23 after a purification ceremony.
The district administration had made elaborate security arrangements to ensure peace in the area. The police patrolled the locality to avoid any untoward incident during the event.
About 200 km away from Muzaffarnagar, excavations are going on in Sambhal after the reopening on December 13 of the Bhasma Shankar Temple, which had been closed for over 46 years.
Last week, an old temple structure was found in Khurja town of this district, sparking demands from right-wing outfits for its renovation.
Uttar Pradesh: In Muzaffarnagar, Swami Yashveer Maharaj conducted a Havan Poojan to purify a 54-year-old Shiva temple that had fallen into ruins. The ceremony was attended by both Hindus and Muslims pic.twitter.com/3ou0nelKgz
— IANS (@ians_india) December 23, 2024
