MP: Jyotiraditya Scindia, BJP MLA cross swords over party's Vijaypur bypoll loss
Bhopal, Nov 30: The BJP's loss in the November 13 Vijaypur bypoll in Madhya Pradesh was at the centre of a war of words after Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Saturday said he would have campaigned had he been called to do so.
BJP general secretary and MLA Bhagwandas Sabnani, in response, said Scindia was invited to campaign but the latter declined citing a busy schedule.
The BJP's Ramniwas Rawat lost to the Congress' Mukesh Malhotra by a margin of 7,364 votes in the Vijaypur assembly bypoll, results of which were declared on November 23.
It was particularly embarrassing for the ruling party as Rawat had quit as Congress MLA and joined the BJP. He was made forest minister in the Mohan Yadav government but failed to get re-elected.
Vijaypur is part of the state's Gwalior-Chambal region, where the Scindias hold considerable sway. The Union minister is MP from Guna in the region.
"We need to contemplate on this. This is a matter of concern. But our vote share has gone up. If I was asked I would have definitely gone (for campaigning)," Scindia told reporters in Gwalior while answering a question on whether the bypoll loss was due to his absence from the campaign.
When asked about this statement, MLA Sabnani told reporters the party leadership had asked Scindia to campaign.
"The state president and other top leaders talked to him. Scindia was in the list of star campaigners. He was invited but he declined due to his busy schedule," Sabnani claimed.
Meanwhile, Congress leaders latched on to Scindia's statement to mock the ruling party.
Leader of Opposition in the assembly Umang Singhar pointed out that the BJP had given respect to Scindia (after he switched sides from the Congress in 2020) and had made him a minister.
Next time the BJP must invite Scindia by sending yellow rice (a traditional way of inviting esteemed guests), Singhar taunted.
Singhar, however, added that Scindia's campaigning would not have had any affect since Vijaypur has always been a Congress bastion.
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If you have a conscience, apologize to the people: R Ashoka slams Yathindra over Nalwadi comparison
Bengaluru: Leader of the Opposition R. Ashoka launched a scathing attack on MLC Dr. Yathindra, demanding that he retract his controversial statement comparing Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to the late Maharaja Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar. Ashoka urged Yathindra to apologize to the people of Karnataka if he had even a shred of conscience and any respect for the Mysuru royal lineage.
In a strongly worded social media post on Sunday, Ashoka stated, “Comparing Siddaramaiah to Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar is nothing short of absurd. Where is Nalwadi, who was bestowed the title of ‘Rajarshi’ by Mahatma Gandhi himself, and where is Siddaramaiah, who has stooped to being a puppet in the hands of fake Gandhis for the sake of power?”
He continued his critique by contrasting the enduring legacy of Nalwadi, remembered fondly by Kannadigas for his people-centric development, with what he termed as Siddaramaiah’s failure to manage Karnataka’s economy, burdening every household with debt.
Ashoka highlighted several stark differences, while Nalwadi built Mysore University over a century ago, Siddaramaiah is shutting down nine universities due to lack of funds. Nalwadi famously sold his family’s gold to build the KRS dam, whereas Siddaramaiah is accused of grabbing 14 sites meant for the public. Nalwadi established Bhadravati Iron & Steel Plant, Sandalwood Soap Factory, and Mysore Paper Mills. In contrast, Ashoka claimed Siddaramaiah's governance drove away industries, investors, and entrepreneurs. Nalwadi pioneered reservations for the backward classes long before it became mainstream. Siddaramaiah, Ashoka alleged, is reducing social justice to a gimmick by sticking labels on doors in the name of surveys.
While acknowledging Yathindra’s emotional attachment to his father, Ashoka emphasized that comparing Siddaramaiah to a visionary like Nalwadi was “laughable, baseless, and a gross insult” to the late king.
In his concluding remarks, Ashoka slammed the government for ignoring farmers’ needs despite an early monsoon. He accused the administration of being caught up in internal power struggles and negligence, forcing farmers into despair. “This government will not be spared from the curse of the farmers,” he warned.
