Protest against UP Shia board chief Rizvi for moving SC seeking removal of 26 verses of Quran
Lucknow, Mar 14: Members of the Muslim community protested here against former UP Shia Central Waqf Board chairman Wasim Rizvi, who has moved the Supreme Court seeking the removal of 26 verses from the Quran claiming that these promoted terrorism.
Rizvi had filed a PIL in this regard in the apex court on Thursday, drawing criticism.
Shia cleric and senior member of the All-India Muslim Personal Law Board Maulana Kalbe Jawwad and a large number of people took part in the protest against Rizvi at Lucknow's Bara Imambara on Sunday.
Addressing the gathering, Maulana Syed Salman Hasni Nadvi laid stress on Muslim unity and described Rizvi as a kaafir (non-believer) and mujrim (criminal).
We are believers of the Quran and Allah first, Sunni and Shia later. Hence, there are no differences among us as far as the Quran is concerned," Nadvi said.
Maulana Jawwad told reporters that Wasim Rizvi is a part of the jamaat (group) that goes to the extent of even falsifying their own existence and betray their own religion.
"He has been indulging in anti-religious activities but this time, he has broken all barriers by raising a finger on the Quran," Jawwad said, urging the government to immediately arrest Rizvi and impose heavy fine on him.
In Bareilly, Mufti Ahsan Raja Qadri of the Dargah-e-Aala Hazrat, a prominent centre of Barelvi Muslims, condemned Rizvi's move and said not even an iota of change in the holy book is possible.
In a statement, he said, "Wasim Rizvi is an enemy of the Quran and Islam. He is doing this to gather cheap popularity and to save himself from the Waqf scam."
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CM Siddaramaiah alleges ‘criminal conspiracy’ in Sringeri recount, vows legal action
Bengaluru (PTI): Alleging a “criminal conspiracy” by BJP candidate D N Jeevaraj in the Sringeri Assembly poll recounting, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the outcome was manipulated after valid postal ballot votes in favour of Congress leader T D Raje Gowda were tampered with during the recounting process.
Following a Karnataka High Court order on an election petition filed by Jeevaraj, challenging Raje Gowda’s election, the reverification and recounting were conducted on Saturday.
After the reverification and recount of postal ballots for the Sringeri Assembly constituency, votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda were reduced by 255, the returning officer said.
A report on the matter has been submitted to the Election Commission of India for further action, the officer added.
Congress leader Raje Gowda had won the 2023 Assembly polls from Sringeri by 201 votes, defeating his nearest rival Jeevaraj.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said the High Court had directed the recounting of postal ballots and that irregularities were noticed during the exercise conducted on May 2.
“This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” Siddaramaiah said, alleging that valid votes cast in favour of Raje Gowda were altered after being accepted by counting agents of all parties, including Congress, BJP, and JD(S).
He claimed that during the recounting of postal ballots, 255 votes were initially accepted as valid by all agents but were later tampered with by subordinate officials.
“There is a second mark on the votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda. They had accepted these as valid votes. Subsequently, another mark was made by officials. This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” he said.
When asked who was behind the alleged conspiracy, the CM replied, “It was hatched by Jeevaraj and others. It is planned.”
Siddaramaiah further alleged that the returning officer acted improperly by declaring the result despite the presence of an Election Commission observer during the recounting.
“Immediately after the counting, the returning officer announced the result. He should not have done so; this is against the law,” he said.
He pointed out that Raje Gowda had originally won by 201 votes, but after the recounting, the BJP candidate was declared the winner by 52 votes.
“The BJP has committed a criminal act of conspiracy. This is not vote chori but vote dacoity,” he alleged.
The CM said a police complaint had already been filed by Raje Gowda’s election agent, Sudhir Kumar, and emphasised the need for electoral integrity.
“We want transparency and free and fair elections. That is what our Constitution mandates,” he added.
Stating that the government would pursue legal remedies, Siddaramaiah said, “We are preparing an appeal challenging the returning officer’s announcement in a court of law.”
Responding to a separate query on elections in other states, the CM said there appeared to be an anti-incumbency factor in West Bengal, while results in Tamil Nadu were “surprising,” adding that Vijay’s party was emerging as the largest there.
Following the victory of party candidates in Bagalkote and Davanagere South, Siddaramaiah expressed confidence about future electoral prospects in Karnataka.
“Even in 2028, we will win the Assembly elections. We will come back,” the CM said.
Siddaramaiah added that he would order a forensic examination into the alleged tampering of postal ballots.
