New Delhi, Jun 25 (PTI): The Congress on Wednesday took a swipe at Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia who recalled her grandmother's struggle during the Emergency, asking whether he will completely forget his father Madhavrao Scindia just to spread BJP's propaganda.

As the Modi government marked 'Samvidhan Hatya Diwas' on the occasion of the anniversary of the proclamation of Emergency by the then Indira Gandhi government in 1975, Scindia recalled that his grandmother, Vijaya Raje Scindia, chose the path of public service over the royal path.

"Her dedication to democracy and public service gave a new direction to Indian politics. Even during the days of the Emergency, she struggled for the restoration of democracy. The then Congress government subjected her to various tortures and atrocities.

"She was even imprisoned - but she neither bowed, nor succumbed, nor broke. She remained steadfast in her commitment to democratic values and respect for the Constitution," Scindia, who crossed over to the BJP from the Congress in 2020, said in a post in Hindi on X.

"The thoughts of the respected Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on her towering personality and contributions are inspiring for all of us," he said.

Hitting back at Scindia, Congress' media and publicity department head Pawan Khera said, "Dear Maharaj, why don't you ever mention your revered father, or will you completely forget him just to spread BJP’s propaganda?"

"The late Madhavrao Scindia ji became an MP in Indira Gandh's government in 1980. Did you never ask your father why he was against the Sangh? Why didn’t he support the Sangh in opposing the Emergency?" Khera said in a post on X.

In another post, Khera said, "Balasaheb Deoras, the RSS chief at the time, went so far as to write a letter to Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, congratulating her on the Supreme Court’s verdict upholding her election in 1975. He outrightly distanced the RSS from the pre and anti-Emergency movements."

But today, the same RSS is busy setting up shop, selling stories of resistance it never lived, the Congress leader said.

"As they say, 'The father couldn’t swat a fly, and the son calls himself a warrior.' The history of the RSS is built on lies and the entire story of their so-called struggle can be written on a single grain of rice," Khera claimed.

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Bengaluru (PTI): The Karnataka Legislative Assembly on Saturday issued an official notification regarding the disqualification of Congress MLA Vinay Kulkarni following his conviction in the murder case of BJP leader Yogeshgouda Goudar.

The former minister is currently in prison, serving life imprisonment in the case.

“Consequent upon the conviction of Vinay Kulkarni, Member of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly representing the Dharwad constituency, by the LXXXI Additional City Civil & Sessions Judge, Bengaluru City (CCH-82), in Spl CC No. 565/2021, he stands disqualified from the membership of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly from the date of conviction, i.e, April 15, 2026,” the notification read.

“He stands disqualified in terms of the provisions of Article 191(1)(e) of the Constitution of India, read with Section 8 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, and such disqualification shall continue for a further period of six years after his release, unless the conviction is stayed by a competent court,” it added.

Hence, one seat in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly has fallen vacant, the notification said.

Bypolls were held on April 9 to fill two other seats in the 224-member Assembly that fell vacant due to the death of sitting MLAs. The results will be declared on May 4.

On April 15, Judge Santhosh Gajanan Bhat convicted Kulkarni and others under various IPC sections, including criminal conspiracy and murder. Subsequently, on April 17, the court sentenced Kulkarni and 15 others convicted in the case to life imprisonment.

The case pertains to the killing of Goudar, a BJP Zilla Panchayat member, in Dharwad on June 15, 2016. Kulkarni was a minister at that time. Hired assailants attacked and hacked Goudar to death in his gym at Saptapur in Dharwad.

Following demands from Goudar’s family and others, the then-BJP government transferred the case to the CBI in 2019.

The CBI filed a supplementary chargesheet in 2020, naming Vinay Kulkarni as the “main conspirator.” It alleged that he perceived Yogeshgouda Goudar as a growing political rival in Dharwad and hired contract killers to eliminate him.

Kulkarni was arrested by the CBI in 2020. He was granted bail by the Supreme Court in August 2021 under certain conditions, including a ban on entering Dharwad district. However, in June 2025, the apex court cancelled his bail following allegations of witness tampering and attempts to influence prosecution witnesses.

Kulkarni again sought bail in January 2026, but the High Court rejected it, citing judicial propriety.

However, the Supreme Court granted him bail on February 27 after noting that all witnesses had been examined.