BJP not behind Congress MLAs' resignation: Yeddyurappa
Bengaluru, July 2: Rejecting Congress's charge that the BJP was behind the resignation of its two MLAs, saffron party's Karnataka unit chief B S Yeddyurappa Tuesday said it was a ploy to hide "differences" within the ruling party.
A day after the two MLAs sent in their resignations, giving a jolt to the wobbly JD(S)-Congress government, Yeddyurappa also said the BJP have no plans yet to move a no-confidence motion in the Monsoon Session of the state assembly commencing July 12.
"We never said we will carry out any 'operation' against the Congress or the JD(S). We had said some disgruntled (MLAs) may come out," he told reporters here.
He accused state Congress chief Dinesh Gundu Rao of trying to divert attention from the differences among his party leaders by seeking to blame the BJP for the resignations.
On Congress leaders threatening a "reverse operation" against the BJP, he said they had been saying this for the last three months and dared them to carry it out.
"Let them do it...have we said don't do it? They have been saying this for the last three months, none of us will move. We are all together, 105 BJP MLAs are united," Yeddyurappa said.
Congress MLAs Anand Singh and Ramesh Jarkiholi sent their resignations to the assembly speaker Monday, dealing a blow to the 13-month old H D Kumaraswamy government, which has been battling dissidence.
Rao had accused the BJP of misusing power and using central agencies to "pressure and blackmail" MLAs in a bid to destabilise the government.
He had said Congress too had the ability to conduct a "reverse operation" but had not done it.
"We will not sit silently. If they are involved in such a thing, we also have the opportunity to hit back. We are quite because we don't want that kind of politics. If they continue, we will respond in the way we want," Rao had said.
Replying to a question, Yeddyurappa denied being in contact with any disgruntled legislators of the Congress or the JD(S).
There is apprehension in the ruling coalition that a few more MLAs, suspected to be in touch with the BJP, may resign.
Asked whether the BJP had a plan to move a no confidence motion against the government in the state assembly, Yeddyurappa there was no such plan yet.
"There is no question of it. Our legislature party is yet to meet. Based on the political situation we will take a decision," he said.
Reacting to the developments, Yeddyurappa had Monday said they only proved there was "large scale unease" in the ruling coalition and the government would collapse under its own weight.
He had also said the BJP would explore constitutional provisions to form a new government in case the Kumaraswamy dispensation falls.
The resignations of the MLAs came at a time when Kumaraswamy was away in the US on a private visit, shocking the Congress whose leaders held a meeting Monday to take stock of the situation.
Anand Singh, a former BJP member who joined the Congress ahead of the assembly elections last year, said he decided to resign over his demands, including creation of a separate Vijayanagar district and cancellation of the nod for sale of 3,667 acres of land to JSW Steel in mine-rich Ballari district.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
SC refuses to entertain plea against new criminal laws, allows withdrawal of petition
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court on Monday refused to entertain a petition which challenged the enactment of three new laws that seek to overhaul India's penal codes.
A vacation bench of Justices Bela M Trivedi and Pankaj Mithal allowed petitioner advocate Vishal Tiwari to withdraw the plea.
The Lok Sabha, on December 21 last year, passed three key legislations -- the Bharatiya Nyaya (Second) Sanhita, the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha (Second) Sanhita and the Bharatiya Sakshya (Second) Bill. President Droupadi Murmu gave her assent to the bills on December 25.
These new laws -- the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita and the Bharatiya Sakshya Act -- will replace the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) and the Indian Evidence Act respectively.
At the outset, the bench told Tiwari, "We are dismissing it (petition)".
The bench said these laws have not come into force so far.
As the court showed its disinclination to entertain the plea, Tiwari urged that he be allowed to withdraw the petition.
"The petition has been filed in a very casual and cavalier manner," the bench observed, adding, "If you had argued more, we would have dismissed it with cost but since you are not arguing, we are not imposing cost".
Seeking a stay on the operation of the three new laws, the PIL filed by Tiwari had claimed they were enacted without any parliamentary debate as most of the opposition members were under suspension.
The plea had sought directions from the court for the immediately constitution of an expert committee that will assess the viability of the three new criminal laws.
"The new criminal laws are far more draconian and establish a police state in reality and violate every provision of fundamental rights of the people of India. If the British laws were considered colonial and draconian, then the Indian laws stand now far more draconian as, in the British period, you could keep a person in police custody for a maximum of 15 days. Extending 15 days to 90 days and more is a shocking provision enabling police torture," the plea had claimed.
The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita encompasses offences, such as acts of secession, armed rebellion, subversive activities, separatist activities or endangering the sovereignty or unity of the country, in a new avatar of the sedition law.
According to the new laws, anyone purposely or knowingly, by words, either spoken or written, or by signs, by visible representation, by electronic communication, by use of financial means, or otherwise, excites or attempts to excite secession or an armed rebellion or subversive activities, or encourages feelings of separatist activities or endangers the sovereignty or unity and integrity of India or indulges in or commits any such act shall be punished with imprisonment for life or with imprisonment that may extend to seven years and shall also be liable to fine.
According to IPC section 124A, which deals with sedition, anyone involved in the crime may be punished with life imprisonment or with a three-year jail term.
Also, for the first time, the word "terrorism" has been defined in the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. It was absent in the IPC.
Under the new laws, the magistrate's power to impose fines has been increased as well as the scope for declaring a proclaimed offender.
