Rahul Gandhi's tongue should be singed for his 'dangerous' remarks on quota, says BJP MP; draws flak
Amravati (PTI): BJP's Rajya Sabha member Anil Bonde has said Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's tongue should be singed as what he said about reservation was "dangerous".
His remark made on Tuesday invited criticism from the opposition parties. It comes in the wake of Shiv Sena's Buldhana MLA Sanjay Gaikwad kicking up a row by announcing a Rs 11 lakh reward to anyone chopping off Gandhi's tongue for his remarks on scrapping the reservation system.
During his recent visit to the USA, Gandhi told students at the Georgetown University that the Congress would think of scrapping reservation when "India is a fair place", which he said is not the case right now.
Reacting to Gaikwad's statement of chopping off Gandhi's tongue, BJP leader Bonde said at Amravati in Maharashtra on Tuesday, "The language of chopping off tongue is not proper, but what Rahul ji said against reservation is dangerous."
"Hence, if anyone speaks anything absurd in a foreign country, then rather than chopping off his tongue, it should be singed. It is necessary to certainly singe the tongues of such people - be it Rahul Gandhi, Dnyanesh Maharao or Shyam Manav and people who hurt the feelings of the 'bahujan' and majority," he said.
Maharao, an author, is accused of making derogatory comments on Hindu deities recently, while Manav is an anti-superstition crusader.
A video of Bonde's remarks went viral on social media, inviting criticism from the opposition parties. The MP also did not find support from his own party - BJP.
Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule said he does not support the statements made by Bonde and Gaikwad against Rahul Gandhi, but said the Congress leader should also refrain from giving "anti-India statements" and asked him to clarify his stand on the issue of reservation.
Speaking about these remarks, he said, "I do not support the statements made by Shiv Sena MLA Sanjay Gaikwad and BJP's Rajya Sabha member Anil Bonde. They should refrain from making such statements again."
Shiv Sena (UBT) spokesperson Sanjay Raut condemned the remarks made by BJP-Shiv Sena lawmakers against Gandhi. He alleged that there was a conspiracy against Gandhi and threat to his life.
He also questioned the "silence" of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah over the comments made by Bonde and Gaikwad. He also alleged conspiracy against Gandhi and threat to his life.
Gaikwad kicked up a row by announcing a Rs 11 lakh reward to anyone chopping off Rahul Gandhi's tongue for his remarks on scrapping the reservation system, while Bonde said the Congress leader's tongue should be singed.
Meanwhile, several Congress leaders and workers staged a sit-in protest outside the Amravati police commissionerate demanding action against Bonde.
Amravati MP Balwant Wankhade, Amravati MLA Yashomati Thakur and former minister Sunil Deshmukh along with Congress workers took part in the protest. They demanded that a case be registered against Bonde for his remarks.
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Karnataka HC reserves verdict on Prajwal Revanna''s bail plea in sexual assault case
Bengaluru (PTI): The Karnataka High Court on Thursday reserved its verdict on the bail plea of former Janata Dal (S) MP Prajwal Revanna, who faces allegations of sexual assault and rape.
A single-judge bench of Justice M Nagaprasanna earlier heard arguments on Revanna's application in the first case and two anticipatory bail pleas related to subsequent complaints.
During the hearing, the court directed the advocates to avoid mentioning the victims' names and, instead, point out specific details in the case documents.
Senior Advocate Prabhuling K Navadgi, appearing for Revanna, outlined the timeline of events, emphasising that the woman, who had previously complained about being illegally removed from her home, had not initially leveled allegations of sexual misconduct against Revanna.
Navadgi stated that the allegations primarily focused on Revanna’s father and noted that the victim had worked for the family for four years.
He also raised concerns about the four-year delay in filing the complaint, questioning the reasoning for not reporting the incident earlier.
He argued that while the woman claimed to have found the courage to speak up after her husband confronted her about a video, she did not initially allege rape under Section 376 of the IPC.
Navadgi further contended that forensic reports did not link Revanna to the purported video and highlighted "inconsistencies" in the victim’s and her daughter’s statements.
Navadgi denied that any incriminating videos were found on Revanna’s phone. He also argued that the phone in question belonged to Revanna’s driver, Karthik, and that the FSL (Forensic Science Laboratory) report was inconclusive.
On the allegations under the IT Act’s Section 66E, Navadgi asserted that these charges were not directly against Revanna. He also cited Supreme Court rulings on delayed complaints, arguing that no satisfactory explanation had been provided for the delay in this case.
Special Public Prosecutor Professor Ravivarma Kumar, representing the State, argued that the victim had been threatened by Revanna, which explained the delay in filing the complaint. Kumar emphasised that the threats were documented in the victim's further statement and asserted that forensic evidence supported the allegations against Revanna, particularly regarding the victim's daughter.
While the High Court questioned the findings of the FSL report, Kumar maintained that the delay in filing the complaint was justified due to the petitioner’s threats and attempts to silence the victim.
Kumar also argued that Revanna had not surrendered his phone, which contained crucial information, and that he had fled the country to evade justice.
Following these arguments, the court reserved its judgment on the bail pleas.
Revanna had failed in his bid to retain the Hassan parliamentary constituency in the recent polls. The cases of sexual abuse came to light after pen-drives containing explicit videos allegedly involving Prajwal Revanna were reportedly circulated in Hassan, ahead of Lok Sabha polls there on April 26.
JD(S) suspended him from the party following the cases filed against him.
In the first case registered against him at the Holenarasipura Town police station in Hassan on April 28, Revanna is accused of sexually harassing a 47-year-old former maid. He is listed as accused number two, while his father and local MLA, H D Revanna, is the primary accused.
The second case against Prajwal Revanna was filed by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) on May 1 after a 44-year-old former member of the Hassan Zilla Panchayat accused him of repeatedly raping her.
The third case pertains to rape of a woman in her 60s from Mysuru's K R Nagara, who was also a domestic help. The victim's son had initially filed a kidnap case, alleging abduction of his mother, at the K R Nagar police station on May 2. In this kidnap case, the SIT had arrested H D Revanna, who is currently out on bail, and had questioned Prajwal's mother Bhavani Revanna, who has got anticipatory bail.
The fourth case was registered against Prajwal Revanna, accusing him of sexual harassment, on June 12 at cyber crime police station of CID in Bengaluru. In this case he has been booked for sexual harassment, stalking and criminal intimidation, and violation of privacy under the IT Act. The complainant in this case is a woman, who was allegedly sexually harassed over a video call.
