Congress leader Brijesh Kalappa quits, says "lacking in passion"
Bengaluru(PTI): Congress' known face on news channel debates and Supreme Court Advocate Brijesh Kalappa has resigned from the primary membership of the party, ending his 25-years long association.
In a letter to Congress President Sonia Gandhi, he said, in the recent past he has been finding himself "lacking in passion", while his own performance has been "listless and perfunctory".
In a letter dated May 30, thanking Sonia Gandhi for opportunities given to him, including his appointment as Legal Advisor to Government of Karnataka with rank of Minister during the party's rule in the state, Kalappa thanked her for "patronage".
Pointing out that he has been representing the party on Hindi, English and Kannada channels since the UPA years in 2013- for almost a decade and has clocked 6,497 debates, he said, besides, the party has been regularly assigning political work to him which he has performed to the best of his satisfaction.
"Even at the worst of times for the Party in the aftermath of 2014 and 2019 debacles, I have never felt enervated and lacking in energy and enthusiasm. But, in the recent past I have been finding myself lacking in passion, while my own performance has been listless and perfunctory," Kalappa said.
"It is under these circumstances that I am left with little option but to resign from the primary membership of the Indian National Congress and to end an association that began in 1997," he added.
According to some party sources, he might have also been upset over not being considered as candidate for recent MLC and upcoming Rajya Sabha polls in the state.
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Indore Congress woman councillor refuses to sing Vande Mataram, triggers row
Indore (PTI): A controversy has erupted after a woman councillor of Congress refused to sing Vande Mataram, citing Islamic beliefs, during a discussion on the Indore Municipal Corporation’s budget.
The refusal by Fauzia Sheikh Alim to sing the national song on Wednesday prompted councillors from the ruling BJP to rush to the chairman’s podium and raise slogans.
Amid the uproar, Chairman Munnalal Yadav directed Alim to leave the House.
The Congress councillor later told reporters that her religion does not allow her to sing ‘Vande Mataram' - a Sanskrit phrase meaning “I bow to thee, Mother”.
Alim said she enjoys religious freedom under the Constitution, and no one can force her to sing Vande Mataram.
As the controversy escalated, Alim said she respects the national song and will continue to do so.
She said that she had stood up to speak at the municipal corporation meeting to raise the issue of contaminated drinking water, but in an attempt to distract the House from the more fundamental issues, BJP councillors asked her to sing Vande Mataram first.
Mayor Pushyamitra Bhargava described the Congress councillor’s refusal to sing Vande Mataram as unfortunate and alleged that she deliberately arrives late to the municipal corporation meeting so as not to participate in the mass singing of the national song.
Municipal Corporation Leader of the Opposition and Congress councillor Chintu Chouksey distanced himself from the controversy, stating that the party has no concern with Alim’s “personal opinion” on Vande Mataram.
“Vande Mataram is ingrained in every citizen of India. Singing the national song should be mandatory for every citizen,” he added.
Written in 1875 and later included in Bankim Chandra Chatterjee’s novel "Anandamath" (1882), ‘Vande Mataram’ became a rallying cry during the freedom movement.
Vande Mataram was first published in the literary magazine “Bangadarshan” as part of Chatterjee's Anandamath.
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