Nadda condemns Belagavi incident as 'shameful,' constitutes fact-finding team
New Delhi (PTI): BJP chief J P Nadda on Friday condemned as "shameful" the Karnataka incident where a Dalit woman was assaulted and paraded naked, saying such "heinous crimes" against women are happening "at regular intervals" since the Congress came to power in the state.
Nadda also constituted a five-member fact finding committee comprising the party's women MPs to visit the village in Karnataka where the incident happened and submit a report to him, BJP national general secretary Arun Singh said in a statement.
A woman was allegedly assaulted, paraded naked, and tied to an electric pole in Vantamuri village of Belagavi district on December 11 after her son eloped with a girl who was going to get engaged with someone else, according to Karnataka Police.
Eight people have been arrested and a hunt is on for the eight others allegedly involved in the case.
The Karnataka High Court has taken up the matter on its own.
"BJP national president Jagat Prakash Nadda has strongly condemned the heinous incident of parading naked of a tribal woman in Belagavi, Karnataka. Such heinous crimes, especially against women, are happening at regular intervals ever since the Congress has come to power in Karnataka," Singh said in the statement.
The incident also exposes the "irresponsible behaviour" of the Congress governments "everywhere in the country" in tackling such crimes, read the statement.
BJP MPs from Karnataka also staged a protest in the Parliament complex on Friday against the incident.
"Law and order situation in Karnataka has fully collapsed. An SC lady, for no reason, was made naked and a procession was taken out, She was tied to an electric pole and beaten... Karnataka Congress government doesn't give security to SC, ST ladies," BJP leader and former Karnataka chief minister Sadananda Gowda said.
The five-member fact finding committee comprises BJP MPs Aprajita Sarangi, Sunita Duggal, Locket Chatterjee, Ranjeeta Koli, and party national secretary Asha Lakra.
"The committee will submit its report to the party national president at the earliest," Singh said.
The BJP's Karnataka unit president B Y Vijayendra on Friday said the party will stage a statewide agitation on December 16 condemning the Belagavi incident.
Addressing reporters in Belagavi, Vijayendra alleged that the state government has not taken the case seriously as the eight accused are still at large.
Also, the Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has not yet met the survivor in the hospital, he charged.
Our National President Shri @JPNadda Ji has strongly condemned the shocking incident of parading a naked Tribal Woman in Belagavi, Karnataka.
— C T Ravi 🇮🇳 ಸಿ ಟಿ ರವಿ (@CTRavi_BJP) December 15, 2023
Shri Nadda Ji has further constituted a five-member fact-finding committee to visit the incident site in CONgress ruled Karnataka and… pic.twitter.com/9Z9rHC7QBa
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SC upholds inclusion of ‘secular, socialist’ in Preamble of Constitution
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday upheld the inclusion of the words ‘socialist’ and ‘secular’ in the Preamble of the Constitution, confirming their retrospective application from November 26, 1949. The court ruled that the power to amend the Constitution under Article 368 extends to the Preamble, which is an integral part of the document.
A Bench led by Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna stated, “The power under Article 368 cannot be curtailed. It will equally apply to the Preamble.” The 42nd Constitutional Amendment, which introduced these terms in 1976 during the Emergency, was challenged on grounds of its retrospective application and the lack of states’ ratification.
The petitioners, including BJP leader Subramanian Swamy, argued that the amendment forced a particular economic theory on the nation and violated the original intent of the Constitution. Advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay contended that the Preamble reflects the will of the people at the time of adoption in 1949 and is therefore unalterable.
The court dismissed these objections, affirming that both socialism and secularism are part of the Constitution's Basic Structure. The Bench clarified that socialism refers to a welfare state ensuring equality of opportunity without negating private sector participation or individualism. It emphasised that secularism is embedded in the Constitution, particularly in the principles of equality and fraternity.
Chief Justice Khanna remarked, “Secularism has always been a core feature of the Constitution.” He added that the amendment did not impose socialism as dogma but aligned with the welfare goals enshrined in various constitutional provisions.
