Dec 5 convention in Hassan will be under Cong banner, says DK Shivakumar
Bengaluru, Dec 3: Karnataka Congress president and Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Tuesday said that a mega convention scheduled for December 5 in Hassan will be organised under the party's banner and his leadership.
Initially planned as a "show of strength" event in solidarity with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah (who faces allegations in MUDA case), the convention, originally called "Siddaramaiah Swabhimaani Janandolana Samavesha," will now be named "Jana Kalyana Samavesha," according to party sources.
The convention will be held in Hassan, the home turf of former Prime Minister and JD(S) patriarch H D Deve Gowda.
"It's a Congress programme, under my leadership and the KPCC (state Congress). We want to communicate what we are doing, the development we have achieved, the lies spread by BJP and JD(S) which have not worked, and it is the people's mandate," Shivakumar told reporters.
In response to a question, he emphasised, "Congress is a big party with a big history. If I want to participate as the president of the party, it should be under our banner. If the chief minister has to participate, it should be under Congress' banner. I have made it very clear, and they have agreed. Under our leadership, it is going on. I'm presiding over the meeting."
Addressing concerns that Siddaramaiah's loyalists were upset with this decision, Shivakumar said, "That is false. They are doing their job. No one is a D K Shivakumar supporter or a Siddaramaiah supporter. Everyone is a Congress supporter."
The convention was initially organised by the federation of organisations representing oppressed communities.
The Congress party's involvement as a joint host was confirmed by the chief minister last week, despite reports that a section of party leaders opposed the event being held outside the party framework.
A letter allegedly written by a party leader to Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge, complaining that the event was being held without involving the party and urging that it be conducted under the party symbol, had also surfaced.
The event, originally aimed at mobilising support for Siddaramaiah amid an investigation into the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) site allotment scam, will now also highlight the government's "pro-people" programmes, especially the guarantee schemes, among other initiatives, party sources said.
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Madhya Pradesh: BJP leader assaults blind woman in Church
Jabalpur: Anju Bhargava, vice-president of BJP's Jabalpur city unit, has come under sharp scrutiny, creating the ripples of political controvery in Madhya Pradesh, after a video surfaced online showing her physically assaulting a visually impaired woman inside a church.
The New Indian Express has reported that the said incident reportedly took place on Saturday (20 Dec) at a church in the Hawa Bagh area, which comes under the limits of Gorakhpur police station.
The video footage that has circulated widely on Monday shows Anju Bhargava, assaulting the blind woman in the presence of a police officer. In the video, Bhargava is seen shouting at the woman, twisting her arm and forcibly grabbing her face. The victim can be heard pleading to Bhargava to speak to her rather than resorting to physical violence. Also, we can hear Bhargava screaming, “will be blind in her next birth too”
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According to The Indian Express reports, Bhargava entered the church, with members of several Hindutva affiliated organisations, alleging that the visually impaired children were being forced into religious conversion; But, the students present at the church have flatly denied all the allegations.
An unnamed police officer cited in media reports states that there was no evidence to support claims of forced religious conversion. The incident has since intensified political debate in the state, with opposition parties demanding accountability and action against those involved.
