Voice not being heard: Churu MP Rahul Kaswan joins Congress after quitting BJP
Jaipur/New Delhi, Mar 11: Churu MP Rahul Kaswan on Monday resigned from the BJP and joined the Congress in the presence of party chief Mallikarjun Kharge in Delhi.
After joining the Congress, Kaswan -- who was denied a ticket by the BJP to contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, said he felt his "voice was not being heard" in the saffron party.
Kaswan's name was cleared by the Congress' central election committee as candidate from the Churu Lok Sabha constituency, sources said.
Kaswan is the second BJP MP in as many days to join the Congress. Brijendra Singh, the BJP's MP from Hisar, joined the party on Saturday.
Welcoming Kaswan into the Congress fold, Kharge said the party needs such people who have fought against power.
"I heartily welcome Rahul Kaswan ji on joining the Congress. I am happy that Rahul Kaswan ji, who fought against feudal people and have supported the farmers' issue, has joined the Congress," Kharge said.
"If people with such ideology keep joining the Congress, then the BJP will certainly be decimated. The BJP has always been intimidating people but we need people like Rahul Kaswan ji," he added.
The Congress chief also referred to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's speeches in different languages across the country and said he wants to have a "mastery" on everything but continues his habit of intimidating people.
Speaking to reporters after joining the Congress, Kaswan said, "My entire family was working with honesty and dedication in the region but a time came when I felt that my voice was not being heard (in the BJP)."
"I felt that I will suffocate if I cannot raise the issues of my farmer brothers," he added.
Welcoming Kaswan, the Congress' Rajasthan unit chief Govind Singh Dotasra said he took membership of the party in Delhi in the presence of Kharge.
"Undoubtedly Rahul Kaswan ji's spirit of farmer welfare and public service will lend strength to public issues and strengthen the party organisation," Dotasra said.
Earlier, announcing his decision to resign from the BJP and his Lok Sabha membership, Kaswan expressed gratitude to Modi and party leaders for giving him the opportunity to represent Churu twice as its MP.
"Due to political reasons, at this very moment today, I am resigning from the primary membership of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and from the post of Member of Parliament," Kaswan said in a post on X.
"I express my gratitude to BJP National President JP Nadda, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and (Union Home Minister) Amit Shah, who gave me the opportunity to serve the Churu Lok Sabha family for 10 years, " he said.
The BJP has fielded Paralympic Games gold medallist Devendra Jhajharia from Churu.
Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh, its Rajasthan in-charge Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, and Leader of Opposition in the Rajasthan Assembly Tika Ram Jully were also present as Kaswan joined the party.
Kaswan's family is counted among the prominent political families of Rajasthan. He won the Churu Lok Sabha seat for two consecutive terms. His father Ram Singh Kaswan was a four-time MP and mother Kamla Kaswan was an MLA. His grandfather Deepchand Kaswan was a minister.
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Delhi: Father, son held for killing 19-year-old woman in suspected honour killing
New Delhi (PTI): The Delhi Police has arrested a man and his son for allegedly murdering his 19-year-old daughter in west Delhi's Hari Nagar area, an official said on Friday.
The case first came to light on April 1 after a PCR call was received around 2 pm, alleging that a woman had been killed by her family members and her body was being taken for last rites, he said.
The accused, identified as Mohammad Maneer (55), a vegetable vendor, and his son Meraj Ali (19), were arrested in connection with the case, the officer said.
The victim had been in a relationship with a man from her native place for the past two years, which was opposed by her father, Maneer and brother Meraj, he said.
"When the girl did not end the relationship despite objections, the family killed her," the officer said.
On April 1, the police said that when their team reached the spot, they found that the woman's body was being taken for burial.
Acting on the input, the burial process was stopped over suspicion of honour killing.
"Police intercepted the family members and took possession of the body," he said.
Police said that the man who had made the PCR told them that the woman was in love with his cousin.
During the inquiry, police also interacted with the PCR caller, who said his cousin, a friend of the deceased, had informed him about the situation and suspected foul play, prompting him to alert the police control room.
The body of the woman was subsequently shifted to the mortuary of Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital for preservation and postmortem.
Police said that both the crime team and the forensic science laboratory (FSL) team were called to inspect the scene and collect evidence.
Police said that, as per the postmortem report, the cause of death was identified as smothering, indicating that the woman was suffocated.
A preliminary inquiry also revealed that the family had initiated preparations for the last rites soon after the woman's death, raising suspicion about the circumstances.
Initial investigation pointed to the family's opposition to the woman's relationship.
"The family members of the woman saw her with the man, and she was taken back home. We got to know that she was beaten up and even locked inside the house for some days," a source said.
Further investigation into the matter is underway, police added.
