Varavara Rao's sons-in-law summoned by NIA in Elgar Parishad case
Hyderabad: Two sons-in-law of Telugu poet and writer Varavara Rao, who has been arrested in connection with the Elgar Parishad case, on Monday said they have been issued notices by the NIA seeking their appearance before the agency.
K Satyanarayana, professor at the city-based English and Foreign Languages University (EFLU), and the other son-in-law, a journalist with an English business daily, said they received the notices sent by theNational Investigation Agency, Mumbai, asking them to appear before itas witness on September 9.
Satyanarayana said he has no connection with the case.
In August 2018, the Maharashtra Police had raided the residence of the professor here.
Varavara Rao and nine other activists have been arrested by Maharashtra police in the Elgar Parishad-Maoist link case which was initially probed by the Pune police and transferred to the NIA in January this year.
The case relates to alleged inflammatory speeches made at the Elgar Parishad conclave held in Pune in December 31, 2017, which the police claimed triggered violence the next day near the Koregaon-Bhima war memorial.
The NIA notices seek their (professor and the journalist) appearance/attendance as witness "for answering certain questions regarding the case along with supporting documents."
"It is a fact that I am related to Varavara Rao but I reiterate that I have no connection with the case, " Satyanarayana said in a statement.
"NIA notice adds to our family distress at a time when Varavara Rao's health condition is not very good and the (COVID-19) pandemic is fast spreading in Mumbai. I was summoned to Mumbai in these terrible times," he said.
The Pune police also claimed that the conclave was organised by people with alleged Maoists links.
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Right to vote under threat, must be made fundamental right: Cong's Jairam Ramesh
New Delhi (PTI): Congress leader Jairam Ramesh alleged on Thursday that the right to vote is under threat and the time has come when it should be made a fundamental right for citizens.
Speaking with reporters, Ramesh lashed out at Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, saying the Election Commission (EC) has never been as compromised as it has been under him.
"The rot started under his predecessor. This man is a player and not a neutral observer," the Congress leader said, slamming Kumar.
Kumar is completely compromised and has become a player in elections, he alleged.
"Home Minister Amit Shah had talked about three Ds -- detect, delete and deport. So we want to know how many non-Indian citizens have been detected, how many have been deleted and how many have been deported," Ramesh said, adding that the right to vote is now under threat.
On opposition parties submitting a fresh notice in the Rajya Sabha, seeking to move a motion for the CEC's removal, the Congress leader said they will continue to make efforts for Kumar's removal as he is "compromised".
Ramesh also batted for the right to vote to be recognised as a fundamental right.
"I believe that the time has come that the right to vote should be made a fundamental right. It is a statutory right, it is not a fundamental right. Fundamental rights are justiciable," he said.
The former Union minister said this was discussed in the Constituent Assembly, but it was eventually decided that it should be made part of the Constitution.
B R Ambedkar and Jagjivan Ram had warned that in the future, governments might try to disenfranchise voters, he added.
"Once and for all, include the right to vote as a fundamental right for Indian citizens," Ramesh asserted.
