TMC MPs give notices in LS, RS to discuss 'voter disenfranchisement'
New Delhi (PTI): Trinamool Congress MPs have given notices in both Houses of Parliament to discuss "voter disenfranchisement", sources said on Monday.
In the Lok Sabha, senior party leader Saugata Roy has submitted an adjournment motion notice demanding a debate on the issue. In the Rajya Sabha, MPs Nadimul Haque and Saket Gokhale have given notices under Rule 267, sources said.
The move comes as the opposition cries foul over the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in five states -- including West Bengal -- that are heading to Assembly elections.
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The Trinamool Congress (TMC) has been vocal in its opposition to the manner in which the SIR exercise is being carried out.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has been sitting on a dharna in Kolkata since Friday to protest against the SIR campaign.
According to official data released on February 28, as many as 63.66 lakh names, or around 8.3 per cent of the electorate, have been deleted since the SIR process began in West Bengal in November last year, reducing the voter base from about 7.66 crore to just over 7.04 crore.
In addition, over 60.06 lakh electors have been placed under the "under adjudication" category, which means their eligibility will be determined through legal scrutiny in the coming weeks, a process that could further reshape constituency-level electoral equations.
The second half of the Budget session of Parliament is set for a stormy start on Monday, with the Lok Sabha scheduled to take up an opposition-sponsored resolution seeking the removal of Speaker Om Birla.
The ongoing conflict in West Asia is also likely to figure prominently as the opposition is already attacking the government over its stance towards Iran, and the US "waiver" on India's Russian oil purchase, among other issues.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will make a statement in the Lok Sabha regarding the "Situation in West Asia", according to a revised list of business of the Lower House for March 9 circulated on Sunday evening.
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Yatnal rules out rejoining BJP under ‘corrupt family’ leadership, vows launching his JCB Party
New Delhi/Bengaluru (PTI): Expelled BJP MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal on Monday ruled out rejoining the saffron party as long as what he termed a “corrupt family” continues to lead the party in Karnataka.
He also announced that his yet-to-be-launched JCB Party will come to power in the state, and he will be the next Chief Minister of Karnataka.
Speaking to reporters in New Delhi, the Vijayapura MLA said he had not come to the national capital to meet BJP leaders and dismissed speculation that he was lobbying to return to the party.
"I am not the kind of person who goes to someone’s house pleading to be taken into the BJP or begging for favour. Don’t run such stories tomorrow unnecessarily. We are open about everything. I have no need to go there and fall at someone’s feet for politics," Yatnal said. He said his visit to the capital was purely personal.
"I have come here for personal reasons—to attend the wedding of a friend’s son and to meet some of our old friends," he added.
Responding to a question on whether he would return to the BJP, Yatnal said he would not accept the leadership of what he described as a ‘corrupt family’ in the party’s Karnataka unit.
"We are people who live with self-respect. We will not accept the leadership of this corrupt family. As long as that corrupt family remains in the leadership of the BJP in Karnataka, the question of joining the BJP does not arise," he said.
He alleged that the BJP leadership in Karnataka was concentrated within the family of former Karnataka chief minister B S Yediyurappa.
Yatnal also indicated about floating a new political party.
"If needed, I will form my own regional party. Why would I sit and wait here? I’m not foolish enough to sit and wait," he said.
"I have my JCB Party ready—if the time comes to build a party, I will take the right decision and build it," he said.
Expressing confidence, Yatnal said, his proposed party will come to power in the state.
Let anyone conduct any survey they want. No matter how many surveys are done, it will be our party that will come to power in Karnataka—and I will be the Chief Minister,” he said.
There was no immediate reaction from Yediyurappa or his family members on Yatnal’s tirade.
A staunch critic of Yediyurappa and his alleged dynasty politics, Yatnal had openly criticised the former CM, prompting the BJP leadership to expel him from the party for six years for his ‘anti-party activities’ in March, 2025.
