People will have to rebel in BJP gives 'ghar ghar ED' call: Shiv Sena
Mumbai (PTI): Slamming Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrakant Patil for stating that he will ask the Enforcement Directorate to probe the alleged transfer of money to bribe voters in the upcoming Assembly bypoll in Kolhapur, the Shiv Sena on Wednesday said the people will have to "rebel" if the BJP gives Ghar Ghar ED call.
In an editorial in the party mouthpiece 'Saamana', the Sena wondered if the ED should probe voters in the states from where BJP won elections recently.
The Sena dared the ED and the BJP to start the investigation from Panaji and Sakhal (Sanquelim) seats the constituencies won by BJP MLA Atanasio Monserrate and chief minister Pramod Sawant.
Chandrakant Patil has a nice plan to get voters probed by the ED. If 'Har Har Modi, Ghar Ghar Modi' slogan is coupled with 'Har Har ED, Ghar Ghar ED', then people will have to rebel, the Sena said.
The Kolhapur North assembly constituency bypoll is scheduled to be held on April 12. The seat fell vacant after the death of sitting Congress MLA Chandrakant Jadhav last December.
The BJP has fielded Satyajit Kadam, while the Congress has given the ticket to Jadhav's wife Jayashree.
On Sunday, Patil said he will write to the Enforcement Directorate to investigate the alleged transfer of money into the accounts of a large number of voters from Kolhapur north.
Notably, the ED on Tuesday attached properties linked to Sena MP and Saamana's executive editor Sanjay Raut.
The ED had in the past arrested two ministers in the MVA government- Anil Deshmukh and Nawab Malik- on the charge of money laundering while the transactions of some MLAs of the Sena, which heads the MVA government, are also being probed by the Central agency.
The Sena also said that dubbing voters "corrupt" is an insult to the people of Kolhapur, known for the progressive outlook of people who are rooted in tradition.
The BJP should know the history of Kolhapur and its people before threatening them, Sena said, adding that the ED will have to open a separate office in Kolhapur if it were to probe voters.
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CM Siddaramaiah accuses BJP of ‘communalising’ Karnataka order on religious attire in schools
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday slammed BJP leaders for "communalising" the Karnataka government’s order allowing students to wear religious attire in schools and colleges, including the hijab.
The Karnataka government, on May 13, issued an order allowing students to wear hijab, sacred threads, Shivadhara, and rudraksha (faith-based symbols) in schools.
The order scrapped the BJP government’s 2022 ban on the hijab in government schools amid the hijab versus saffron shawl controversy.
In a statement, Siddaramaiah said BJP leaders commenting on the matter should introspect on why they are discussing the state government order instead of the cancellation of the NEET examination, which relates to the future of 22 lakh students.
The CM said the revised dress code has now been implemented in schools and colleges across the state, in keeping with the constitutional principle of equal respect for all religions.
It is only natural that those who seek to divide society based on caste and religion are upset by this order, he said, adding that they should look within and introspect.
"What is being discussed across the country is the cancellation of the NEET examination due to a question paper leak. Yet neither PM Narendra Modi, who conducts ‘Pariksha Pe Charcha’ (discussion on exams) and claims to care for students, nor BJP leaders in the state have said a word about this serious crime that has shattered the futures of innocent students," the statement said.
Despite serious allegations that BJP leaders themselves are involved in the issue, they are busy defending the PM and the education minister, Siddaramaiah alleged.
"Is this not a betrayal of the 22 lakh students across the country who have become victims of NEET examination irregularities?" he asked.
Siddaramaiah claimed that when lapses were found in one or two centres during the CET examination conducted by his government, state BJP leaders created a huge uproar and staged protests, but now, when more than one lakh students from Karnataka have faced injustice, the BJP leaders are silent.
He wondered whether BJP leaders have even the minimum concern for students in Karnataka.
"When the sacred thread (janivara) was removed in one or two places, and when Muslim girl students wore the hijab in one or two schools in Udupi, these BJP leaders tried to set the whole of Karnataka on fire with communal hatred. Can they not see the tears of students suffering due to the cancellation of the NEET examination?” the CM said.
He claimed that the dress code implemented in the state’s educational institutions is in line with the dress code followed in Kendriya Vidyalayas under the union government.
"Those who oppose the dress code issued by the state government should also oppose the dress code of Kendriya Vidyalayas. Why this hypocrisy?" Siddaramaiah said.
He also asked whether allowing the hijab amounts to appeasement of Muslims, and whether allowing sacred threads, turbans, or traditional headgear amounts to appeasement of the respective religions.
Calling the CET examinations introduced by the previous Congress government in Karnataka a revolutionary step that enabled thousands of poor students to become engineers and doctors, Siddaramaiah alleged that the BJP government at the Centre systematically weakened the system.
“When the NEET examination system was implemented in 2024, our government opposed it. NEET has caused injustice to poor and rural students in the state. Through this system, the union government has taken away the state’s rightful authority over education,” the CM charged.
For decades, our governments have conducted CET examinations safely and efficiently, he said, adding that the BJP government at the Centre does not even have the ability to conduct a single NEET examination properly.
“This is proof of the union government’s administrative failure. I directly hold Prime Minister Narendra Modi responsible for this lapse. I demand that he apologise to the students of the country and immediately remove the incompetent Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan from the Union Cabinet,” he said.
Underlining that educational institutions must promote rationality, scientific temper, equality, fraternity, dignity, mutual respect, and a secular outlook, Siddaramaiah said his government has decided to allow students to wear limited traditional or faith-based symbols, provided they are supplementary to and compatible with the prescribed uniform.
“We are committed to restoring discipline, equality, and dignity in the education system without affecting public order, safety, the classroom environment, or the secular character of educational institutions,” the CM said.
