My arrest pre-planned conspiracy designed by PMO: Jignesh Mevani
New Delhi(PTI): Gujarat legislator Jignesh Mevani Monday alleged that his arrest by the Assam Police was a pre-planned conspiracy "designed" by the Prime Minister's Office to "destroy" him ahead of the assembly elections in the state.
"My arrest is an act of 56-inch cowardice and it has undermined Gujarat's pride," Mevani told reporters in an apparent attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi using his 56-inch chest assertion.
Addressing a press conference here after he was granted bail by an Assam court, Mevani announced he would take to the streets and ensure a Gujarat Bandh on June 1 seeking action against those behind the leak of 22 exam papers, the recent recovery of "Rs 1.75 lakh-crore" worth of drugs from Mundra Port, and to press for the withdrawal of all cases against Dalits registered in in Una and against minorities
"My arrest by the Assam police was a pre-planned conspiracy. It was in blatant disregard to protocol and rules for an MLA, Mevani told reporters.
It is my charge that this is a conspiracy designed by the Prime Minister's Office. Gujarat elections are due soon and this is being done to destroy me. I fear that there is every chance that by now they may have planted something on my computer which has been seized by them, he also said.
He also asserted he will fight all cases against him in court, but demanded all cases against Dalits in Una and minorities in his Vadgam constituency be taken back as was done in the case of the Patidar community members during their pro-quota agitation.
He also demanded the paper leak cases be investigated by a Special Investigation Team and the Mundra Port operator be investigated in the case of seizure of drugs.
"Otherwise, we will take to the streets and launch a Gujarat Bandh on June 1," he announced.
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Congress using hijab issue to pacify minority anger, alleges Karnataka LoP R Ashoka
Bengaluru: Leader of Opposition in the Assembly R. Ashoka has accused the Congress government of using the hijab issue to placate what he described as discontent among minority voters after the Davanagere by-election.
In a post on X on Wednesday, Ashoka alleged that the state government, instead of addressing issues such as price rise, corruption, farmers’ distress and law and order, was attempting to retain its minority vote base by reviving the hijab issue.
Referring to the 2022 dress code introduced by the BJP government, which prohibited hijab in schools and colleges, Ashoka said the Karnataka High Court had upheld the policy and emphasised the importance of discipline in educational institutions.
He questioned the Congress government’s move to revisit the issue and asked whether setting aside the court-backed policy to benefit one community could be described as secularism.
Ashoka further alleged that while the government was willing to permit hijab, it continued to prohibit saffron shawls.
He accused the government of dividing students on religious lines rather than treating schools and colleges as spaces of equality.
Drawing a comparison with Mamata Banerjee’s government in West Bengal, Ashoka claimed that excessive appeasement politics had harmed the state and warned that the Congress in Karnataka could face a similar political response.
He said voters in Karnataka would teach the Congress a lesson for what he termed “vote-bank politics” and for compromising constitutional and judicial principles.
