Whatever I have to say, I will say in Nagpur: Pranab
New Delhi, June 2: Breaking his silence on accepting an invitation to attend an RSS event at its Nagpur headquarters on June 7, former President Pranab Mukherjee on Saturday said whatever he has to say, he will say in Nagpur only.
"Whatever I have to say, I will say in Nagpur. I have received several letters, requests and phone calls, but I haven't responded to anyone yet," Mukherjee was quoted as saying by Bengali newspaper Anandabazar Patrika.
The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has invited Mukherjee to be the chief guest at the concluding function of "Tritiya Varsh Varg" or third-year course and address the Swayamsevaks' on June 7.
The RSS invite to Mukherjee sparked off a controversy, as the Congress leaders expressed unhappiness over his acceptance, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Sangh saw nothing wrong in it.
Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh also wrote to Mukherjee requesting him not to attend the RSS event.
Earlier, senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram had urged him to take the opportunity to tell the RSS what is wrong with their ideology.
"Now that he has accepted the invitation, there is no point in debating why he accepted it.
"The more important thing to say is, Sir you have accepted invitation, please go there and tell them what is wrong with their ideology," the former Union Minister had said.
Another former Union Minister C.K. Jaffer Sharief in a letter to Mukherjee had urged him to reconsider his decision and avoid attending the event in the interest of secularism.
Expressing surprise over former President Pranab Mukherjee's decision to attend an RSS event, West Bengal Congress chief Adhir Chowdhury had said he was unable to relate the visit with Mukherjee's previous comments against the Sangh Parivar and other Hindutva forces.
"My question is does he (Mukherjee) think his previous comments against RSS were wrong? We remember how Pranab Mukherjee as a senior leader of the Congress had come down heavily on RSS as a communal and a divisive organisation," he had said.
"I am surprised to hear about Pranab Mukherjee's decision to attend RSS's function in Nagpur. Just like any other Congressman, I am astonished too," Chowdhury, who has shared a long association with Mukherjee, said.
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Sanjay Raut demands re-election, alleges irregularities in EVMs during Maharashtra polls
Mumbai, Nov 25: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Monday demanded a re-election in Maharashtra using ballot papers, claiming there were irregularities with the electronic voting machines (EVMs).
Talking to reporters, Raut alleged several complaints about EVMs malfunctioning and questioned the integrity of the recently held elections.
The BJP-led Mahayuti won 230 out of 288 seats in the assembly elections, while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi managed 46 seats, with Shiv Sena (UBT) winning just 20 out of 95 seats it contested.
"We have received nearly 450 complaints regarding EVMs. Despite raising objections repeatedly, no action has been taken on these issues. How can we say these elections were conducted fairly? Hence, I demand that the results be set aside and elections be held again using ballot papers," Raut said.
Citing some instances, he said a candidate in Nashik reportedly received only four votes despite having 65 votes from his family, while in Dombivli, discrepancies were found in EVM tallies, and election officials refused to acknowledge the objections.
The Sena (UBT) leader also questioned the credibility of the landslide victories of some candidates, saying, "What revolutionary work have they done to receive more than 1.5 lakh votes? Even leaders who recently switched parties have become MLAs. This raises suspicions. For the first time, a senior leader like Sharad Pawar has expressed doubts about EVMs, which cannot be ignored."
Asked about the MVA's poor performance in the elections, Raut rejected the idea of blaming a single individual.
"We fought as a united MVA. Even a leader like Sharad Pawar, who commands immense respect in Maharashtra, faced defeat. This shows that we need to analyse the reasons behind the failure. One of the reasons is EVM irregularities and the misuse of the system, unconstitutional practices, and even judicial decisions left unresolved by Justice Chandrachud," he said.
Raut stressed that though internal differences might have existed within the MVA, the failure was collective.
He also accused the Mahayuti of conducting the elections in an unfair manner.
"I cannot call the elections fair given the numerous reports of discrepancies in EVMs, mismatched numbers, and vote irregularities across the state," Raut said.
