BJP candidate’s wife seeks votes in the name of Hindutva
Video goes viral
Mangaluru: The video of the Mangalore South constituency’s BJP candidate Vedavyas Kamat's wife seeking votes in the name of Hindutva, which has gone viral on social networking sites, has created controversy.
In the video, several women have come to seek votes for BJP. Among them, a woman says “Mangaluru South constituency’s BJP candidate Vedavyas Kamat’s wife has come to you to seek votes, she will address you.”
In the video clip, one can find Kamat’s wife saying “I am the wife of Vedavyas Kamat, who is a candidate from Mangalore South constituency. You all should vote for him so that he could win with a huge majority. This time, BJP’s government must come here and in Delhi as well. You all know very well that to save Hindutva, we need BJP Government. Thank you.” Then those who accompanied her raised "Bharat Mata ki Jai" slogan.
In another video, a woman is seeking votes by saying “In the present situation, we cannot say whether our girls will return to home once after they go out. You know what all we are witnessing. What was the condition of Akshata? Whether our boys will return home after going out, it cannot be said. Sharat Madiwal, Deepak Rao… What is the guarantee whether our children will return home after going out... That is why; once again Congress government should not come (to power). If BJP comes to power, it will be good for Hindutva’s betterment and it will be possible to save our culture. What happened after the Congress came to power… orders were issued to governmentalize the mutts and temples that we worship. Would BJP have done this… Had such things happened during Yeddyurappa’s government… No right... Then why this is happening now? The money that comes to our temple, they are spending it on other religions and other parties. This time BJP government must come if we want to save our temples’ money with us. Yeddyurappa’s government must come. This is only possible if Vedavyas Kamat wins from Mangaluru South constituency. BJP’s government must come for the protection of our girls, men and to save our temples.”
This video was filmed at a house. It is visible in the video that the BJP candidate Vedavyas’ wife is present on the spot while a woman was speaking . However, Vartha Bharati does not have the specific information regarding when and where these videos were shot.
Seeking votes in the name of religion and caste is the violation of the Election Model Code of Conduct. The seven-judge Constitution bench, headed by the Supreme Court Chief Justice, has ruled that seeking votes in the name of religion, caste or community amounted to corrupt practice and election of a candidate who indulged in it can be set aside.
We will file a complaint against seeking votes in the name of Hindutva: Vinay Raj
It has come to our notice that the wife of the BJP candidate from Mangalore South has been seeking votes in the name of Hindutva. We have decided to file a complaint with the Election Commission today, said district Congress spokesperson and lawyer Vinayraj.
He further said "We too have seen the videos that are seeking votes by violating the code of conduct. We will complain about this. Our city will not progress in the name of any caste, religion. Rather it will be developed on the basis of progressive works. If they ask for votes from Mangaluru's developmental perspective, people will feel that they are concerned about the city. Instead, if votes are sought on Hindutva card, it will be a matter of dividing people of the city."
"Seeking votes this way shows that they are not concerned about the improvement and development of Mangalore. What people need is drinking water, development of roads, electrification etc. Instead of that; seeking votes in the name of God, Hinduism, religion, and cattle do not favour development. Rather it divides the society, "Vinayraj responded.
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Manipur ethnic violence claimed 258 lives since May last year: Security Advisor
Imphal, Nov 22: The ethnic violence between Meitei and Kuki communities in Manipur has claimed 258 lives since May last year, the state government's Security Advisor Kuldiep Singh said on Friday.
He said that the state would get around 90 companies of the Central Armed Police Force (CAPF), over and above the 198 companies that are already in Manipur.
"The total number of deaths is 258 including militants," Singh while addressing a press conference after holding a security review meeting here.
The security advisor said that 32 people were arrested in connection with vandalism and torching of properties of ministers and MLAs while around 3,000 looted weapons have been recovered.
"We are getting approximately 90 companies of CAPF, over and above the 198 companies which were earlier sent to the state. A sizeable number of them have already reached Imphal. We are distributing forces to protect the lives and properties of the citizens and vulnerable points," Singh said.
The authorities would set up coordination cells and joint control rooms in each district, he said after the meeting which was attended by representatives of the Army, BSF, CRPF, Assam Rifles, SSB, ITBP and the Manipur Police.
"A number of SOPs (standard operating procedure) have been prepared for deployment of forces for coordination, for functioning, for fringe area security, for national highways security, and for any other important points which have to be taken care of," Singh said.
Chief Minister N Biren Singh would be briefed about the outcome of the meeting as is done in all similar cases, he said.
He said that nine bodies, including those of the victims including those of the six abducted and killed in Jiribam, were buried peacefully under tight security.
The bodies include three women and three children, who were allegedly abducted from a relief camp on November 11 by Kuki-Zo militants from Jiribam's Borobekra area when a group of Kuki youths were engaged in an encounter with CRPF in which 10 of them were killed.
"The CRPF post was attacked during which 10 militants were neutralised. Soon after that, it came to light that three women and three children were abducted," Singh said.
It will be found out whether the abduction happened in presence of the security forces, he said.
No information is available if the militants involved in the abduction belonged to Suspension of Operations (SoO) groups but it will be checked, Singh said adding that NIA is looking into the cases.
The SoO pact was signed by the Centre, the Manipur government and two conglomerates of Kuki militant outfits – Kuki National Organisation (KNO) and United People’s Front (UPF). The pact was signed in 2008 and extended periodically thereafter.
The violence between Imphal Valley-based Meiteis and adjoining hills-based Kuki-Zo groups, besides inflicting heavy casualties, rendered thousands of people homeless since May last year.
It started after a 'Tribal Solidarity March' was organised in the hill districts to protest against the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.
Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipur's population and live mostly in the Imphal Valley. Tribals -- Nagas and Kukis -- constitute little over 40 per cent and reside in the hill districts.
