Rahul Gandhi's disqualification goes against basic tenets of Constitution, says Sharad Pawar
Mumbai (PTI): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's disqualification as a Lok Sabha member was against the basic tenets of the Constitution and was a "condemnable" move that highlighted the curtailment of democratic values, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar has said.
Gandhi, representing Wayanad parliamentary constituency in Kerala, was on Friday disqualified from the Lok Sabha, a day after his conviction in a defamation case by a court in Surat in Gujarat.
The court sentenced Gandhi to two years in jail in a criminal defamation case over his "Modi surname" remarks at a 2019 poll rally in Karnataka. However, the court also granted him bail and suspended the sentence for 30 days to allow him to appeal in a higher court.
Commenting on the development on Friday, the NCP supremo also referred to the disqualification of his party MP from Lakshadweep Mohammed Faizal P P following the latter's conviction in an attempt to murder case. Faizal's conviction was later suspended by the Kerala High Court.
"The disqualification of Mr Rahul Gandhi and Mr Faizal a few months ago as MPs of the Lok Sabha are against the basic tenets of the constitution, where democratic values are being curtailed. This is condemnable and against the very principles on which the constitution is based," Pawar tweeted.
"Our constitution guarantees the right of each Individual to fair justice; liberty of thought; equality of status and opportunity and fraternity assuring the dignity of each Indian. #RahulGandhi," the former Union minister said in a series of tweets.
We all need to stand together to defend our democratic institutions, he added.
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Voting for DU Students Union elections begins
New Delhi (PTI): Voting for the Delhi University Students' Union (DUSU) elections began on Friday here at the north and south campuses of the university.
Students from different DU colleges are casting their votes to elect new representatives for the central panel positions of president, vice president, secretary and joint secretary.
Around 1.40 lakh students are eligible to cast their votes.
Voting will take place in two phases -- students from morning colleges will cast their vote till 1 pm and those from evening colleges from 3 pm till 7.30 pm.
A total of 21 candidates are vying for the positions with eight candidates contesting for the post of president, five for vice-president, and four each for the posts of joint secretary and secretary.
The RSS-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the Congress-backed National Students' Union of India (NSUI), and the left-wing alliance of the All India Students' Association (AISA) and Students' Federation of India (SFI) are the key players this year.
The battle for the post of president is expected to be a tight race between ABVP's Rishabh Chaudhary, NSUI's Rounak Khatri and AISA's Saavy Gupta.
Rishabh Chaudhary, who hails from from Ganaur, Sonipat, is a graduate of Shyam Lal College and is currently a student in the Department of Buddhist Studies. Saavy Gupta contesting as an AISA candidate is a third-year law student at Law Centre-2.
The vice president post is a contest between ABVP's Bhanu Pratap Singh, NSUI's Yash Nandal and Ayush Mondal of the AISA.
The ABVP has fielded Mitravinda Karanwal as its candidate for the post of secretary. Karanwal, a third-year student of History (Hons) at Laxmibai College, is up against NSUI's Namrata Jeph Meena and SFI's Anamika K for the post. Anamika is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Political Science.
For the joint secretary position, ABVP's Aman Kapasia, a graduate of Hindi (Hons) from PGDAV Evening College, will face off against NSUI's Lokesh Choudhary and SFI's Sneha Aggarwal.
Meanwhile, the Delhi High Court has halted the counting of votes of the Delhi University Students Union (DUSU) elections till posters, hoardings and graffiti that have been put up are removed and public property is restored. The court passed the order on Thursday.
Currently, the RSS-affiliated ABVP holds most seats in the students body with the posts of president, vice president and secretary with them. The Congress's student wing NSUI holds the secretary's post.
