Ban Home Minister Amit Shah, UP CM Yogi Adityanath from campaigning in Karnataka: Congress to EC
New Delhi, Apr 28: The Congress urged the Election Commission (EC) on Friday to ban Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath from campaigning for the May 10 Karnataka Assembly polls for their alleged derogatory statements against the minority community that create an atmosphere of communal disharmony.
A delegation of Congress leaders, including Abhishek Singhvi, Pawan Kumar Bansal and Mukul Wasnik, met the chief election commissioner and the election commissioners, and requested the poll panel to ensure a level-playing field in the southern state.
The Congress will also seek all legal options with regard to the "vishkanya" remark made against former party chief Sonia Gandhi by a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader in Karnataka on Friday.
The delegation alleged that Shah and Adityanath made "false", "partisan" and "communal" statements during the poll campaign in Karnataka with a view to seek electoral gains, and said they should be banned from campaigning in the state.
The Congress accused Shah and Adityanath of trying to create an atmosphere of communal disharmony in Karnataka by circulating unverified, false, malicious and communally-charged allegations in their poll speeches.
The opposition party said the EC should immediately take action against the two leaders.
"The ECI should impose a clear and complete ban on Mr Amit Shah from all campaign activities till the conclusion of the election and further direct a ban on circulation of the videos of the rally with offending portions," a memorandum signed by All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary Randeep Surjewala and submitted to the poll panel said.
Briefing reporters outside the EC office here, Singhvi said, "We have just finished a very productive and important meeting with the EC. We complained specifically about the highly objectionable, blatantly partisan, communal and false statements coming from the top BJP leadership, in particular Home Minister Amit Shah and the Uttar Pradesh chief minister.
"They have made statements clearly against the minority community.... We have asked for a ban on campaigning by such persons."
Asked about the "vishkanya" (venomous) remark made against Gandhi by BJP leader Basangouda Patil Yatnal, Singhvi said the Congress will explore all legal options available to it, including moving the EC.
"It is a very derogatory and gutter-level remark against Sonia Gandhi.... We will use all legal options, including (moving) the EC," he said.
The Congress memorandum alleged: "Shah, in his desperation to improve their chances in the upcoming election, has sought to incite the law-abiding voters of the state of Karnataka by knowingly delivering false, baseless and uncertified statements before tens of thousands of voters, the video recording of which has even been circulated by the BJP to a far larger audience."
"In doing so, he and the organisers of the rally have committed serious electoral offences which are not only violative of this guideline but are also punishable under the Indian Penal Code, 1860," it said.
On April 25, the Congress claimed that Shah, along with several other BJP leaders, addressed a gathering at Karnataka's Vijayapura and their objective was to create an atmosphere of communal disharmony among the crowd that had gathered at the venue and those hearing the speeches on media platforms. The party had also alleged that these speeches were aimed at maligning the Congress on the basis of statements known to be false.
Quoting the home minister, the opposition party claimed that Shah had said, "Siddaramaiah, former chief minister of Karnataka, had released all PFI workers who were earlier kept in custody, and it was the BJP government that had to locate and jail them again."
It alleged that Shah had also stated that "the Indian National Congress has given an election promise that if it is elected to form the government in Karnataka, it will lift the ban on the PFI".
"In addition and more worryingly, coming from the union home minister himself is the statement that if the Indian National Congress wins the upcoming elections, then the entire state of Karnataka will be 'afflicted with communal riots'.
"The statements made by Amit Shah are likely to incite any class or community of persons to commit any offence against any other class or community and indirectly threaten to try to mislead electors into voting for a particular political party and candidate," the Congress said.
The opposition party also claimed that addressing a poll rally in the southern state on April 26, Adityanath said "the Congress is an expert in appeasement politics as it is supporting banned outfits like the PFI in Karnataka.... The BJP's double-engine government has banned the PFI and broken its backbone. There have been no riot or curfew in Uttar Pradesh in the last six years".
"We ask that the ECI ban Shri Yogi Adityanath from all campaign activities till the conclusion of the election," the Congress memorandum said.
The opposition party also raised the issue of the BJP candidate from Chamarajanagar and Varuna constituencies, V Somanna, allegedly offering a bribe of Rs 50 lakh to Janata Dal (Secular) nominee Mallikarjun Swamyand and promising a government vehicle for him in return for withdrawing his candidature.
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The Congress has sought the cancellation of Somanna's nomination from both the seats. At Varuna, Somanna is pitted against Siddaramaiah, the chief ministerial aspirant of the Congress.
Polling for the Karnataka Assembly is scheduled to be held on May 10 and the counting of votes will be taken up on May 13. The BJP is in power in the southern state.
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UDF leaders see local body poll trends as pointer to 2026 Assembly elections in Kerala
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): Buoyed by the strong performance of the Congress-led UDF in the local body polls, KPCC president Sunny Joseph said on Saturday that the front's results indicated the people had rejected the LDF government.
According to early trends, the UDF was leading in more grama panchayats, block panchayats, municipalities and corporations than the LDF.
The local body polls were held in two phases in the state earlier this week.
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Speaking to reporters here, Joseph said the people of Kerala had extended their support to the UDF.
"We could expose the LDF government’s anti-people stance and the people understood it. The LDF’s fake propaganda was rejected by the people. The UDF is moving towards a historic victory," he said.
He said a united effort, proper preparations, good candidate selection and hard work had resulted in the Congress and the UDF’s victory in the elections.
Asked about the prospects in the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, Joseph said the party was studying the matter and would comment later.
LDF convenor T P Ramakrishnan said the results would be closely examined.
According to him, the government had done everything possible for the people.
"Why such a verdict happened will be examined at the micro level. People’s opinion will be considered and further steps will be taken," he said.
He added that decisions would be taken after analysing the results. "If any corrective measures are required, we will initiate them and move forward," he said.
AICC leader K C Venugopal said the results showed that people had begun ousting those who, he alleged, were responsible for the loss of gold at Lord Ayyappa’s temple.
"This trend will continue in the Assembly elections as well. It is an indication that the people are ready to bring down the LDF government," he said.
Venugopal said the UDF had registered victories even in CPI(M) and LDF strongholds.
"I congratulate all UDF workers for their hard work. Congress workers and leaders worked unitedly," he said.
Referring to remarks made by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan against the Congress on polling day, Venugopal said the voters had responded through the verdict.
"I do not know whether the chief minister understands that the people are against him. Otherwise, he does not know the sentiment of the people. The state government cannot move an inch further," he said.
He said the results indicated a strong comeback for the UDF in Kerala.
Asked whether the Sabarimala gold loss issue had affected the LDF in the local polls, Venugopal said the CM and the CPI(M) state secretary did not take the issue seriously.
"We took a strong stand on the matter. The BJP played a foul game in it," he alleged.
On the BJP's role in the local body elections, Venugopal alleged that the party operated with the CPI(M) 's tacit support.
"The CPI(M) supported the central government on issues such as PM-SHRI, labour codes and corruption in national highway construction. The CPI(M) is facing ideological decline, and the state government’s policies are against the party’s own decisions," he said.
Meanwhile, LDF ally Kerala Congress (M) leader Jose K Mani said the party could not win all the wards it had expected in the elections.
He congratulated winners from all parties and said the party would closely examine the losses and identify shortcomings. "Later, we will take corrective measures," he added.
Senior Congress leader and MP Rajmohan Unnithan said the trends in the local body elections indicated that the UDF would return to power in the 2026 Assembly elections.
"We will win 111 seats as in 1977 and return to power in 2026. The anti-government sentiment of the people is reflected in the elections," he said.
Unnithan said the people were disturbed and unhappy with the present government.
"The trend indicates the end of the LDF government," he added.
CPI(M) MLA M M Mani said the people had shown ingratitude towards the LDF despite benefiting from welfare schemes.
"After receiving all welfare schemes and living comfortably, people voted against us due to some temporary sentiments. Is that not ingratitude," he asked.
Mani said no such welfare initiatives had taken place in Kerala earlier.
"People are receiving pensions and have enough to eat. Even after getting all this, they voted against us. This is what can be called ingratitude," he said.
Muslim League state president Panakkad Sayyid Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal said the results were beyond expectations.
"The outcome points towards the Secretariat in Thiruvananthapuram, indicating that a change of government is imminent. We are going to win the Assembly election," he said.
