Bar Mallikarjun Kharge from campaign, register FIR: BJP to EC on 'poisonous snake' barb
New Delhi, Apr 28: The BJP on Friday urged the Election Commission to file a criminal case against Mallikarjun Kharge and bar him from campaigning in the Karnataka assembly polls, stepping up its attack on the Congress president for his "poisonous snake" barb at Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Union minister Bhupender Yadav, who led a BJP delegation to the Election Commission, told reporters that Kharge's comment was not merely a slip of the tongue but part of the Congress' "hate politics" as he accused the party of working to spread disharmony and provoke people ahead of the high-stakes polls in the southern state.
BJP general secretary Tarun Chugh said Kharge is a "habitual offender" and noted that Congress leaders have made a number of "hateful" personal attacks on Modi.
The BJP has demanded registration of an FIR under IPC Sections 499 and 500, which deal with defamation, and Section 504, which deals with the offence of deliberate insults and provocation.
The delegation also included BJP chief spokesperson Anil Baluni and party leader Om Pathak.
Addressing a campaign rally for the May 10 Karnataka assembly polls, Kharge likened Modi to a "poisonous snake". As a row erupted, he later sought to clarify that his remarks were not aimed at the prime minister but at the ruling BJP.
The BJP's memorandum to the poll watchdog said, "Election Commission is empowered under Article 324 of the Constitution of India to ensure that no one indulges in making false, unverified, baseless allegations to violate electoral laws and indulge in behaviour which tear apart the sanctity of the MCC."
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"Kharge should be barred from campaigning in Karnataka elections so as to contain the spread of such acrimonious campaign and set an example that the Commission will not brook any violation of MCC or other laws of the land," it added.
Comparing anyone to a poisonous snake in Indian society projects such an individual as an "enemy, untrustworthy, unfaithful, treacherous, and deceitful," it said, adding that Kharge and his party are repeat offenders.
"Use of such vulgar and abusive language to tarnish the image of a respected prime minister clearly shows the level to which the Congress has plummeted.... Such perverse pronouncements, if not checked effectively, will not only vitiate the electoral atmosphere, but will also further encourage the Congress rank and file in lowering the levels of propriety of the quality of political discourse," it said.
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Assam to lift all cases against Koch Rajbongshis in Foreigners' Tribunals: CM Himanta Biswa Sarma
Guwahati, Apr 4 (PTI): The Assam cabinet has decided to lift all cases pending against people from the Koch Rajbongshi community in the Foreigners' Tribunals, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Friday.
They will also no longer carry the tag of 'D' or doubtful voters, he said.
''There are 28,000 cases pending in different Foreigners' Tribunals in the state against people of the community. The cabinet has taken a historic decision of lifting the cases with immediate effect,'' Sarma said at a press conference here after the cabinet meeting.
The government believes that the Koch Rajbongshis are an indigenous community of the state and they are an inextricable part of ''our social and cultural fabric'', he asserted.
The people of this community are poor and have suffered a lot over the years, he said.
''They will no longer carry the tag of foreigners or ‘D’ voters,'' the CM said.
Foreigners Tribunals are quasi-judicial bodies, particularly in Assam, established to determine if a person residing in India is a "foreigner" as defined by the Foreigners Act of 1946, based on the Foreigners (Tribunals) Order of 1964.
These tribunals are designed to address matters related to citizenship and the presence of “foreigners” in India, specifically focusing on cases where someone is suspected of being an illegal immigrant.
There are 100 Foreigners’ Tribunals across Assam.
The Koch Rajbongshis have a sizeable presence in Assam, West Bengal, Meghalaya, and parts of Bangladesh, Nepal, and Bhutan, and they demand Scheduled Tribe status.
