NEW DELHI: A court docket in Punjab has summoned Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge over his occasion’s promise to ban right-wing outfit Bajrang Dal in Karnataka. According to stories, Sangrur court docket in Punjab issued a summon to the Congress chief in reference to a Rs 100 crores defamation case filed by Hitesh Bhardwaj, the founding father of Hindu Suraksha Parishad, towards Kharge for “making defamatory remarks against Bajrang Dal” in the course of the just lately concluded Karnataka elections.
In his petition earlier than the court docket, Bhardwaj said that the Congress, in its manifesto for Karnataka, has in contrast Bajrang Dal with “anti-national organisations like SIMI and Al-Qaeda.”.
In its election manifesto for Karnataka Assembly Elections, the Congress occasion promised to impose a ban on outfits like PFI and Bajrang Dal. The Congress manifesto for Karnataka had said that it’ll “take strong action against organisations like Bajrang Dal that promote enmity and hatred among different communities”. It additionally promised to guard minorities from “communal violence” and “false cases”.
It had named the Popular Front of India (PFI), a Muslim group banned for alleged hyperlinks to terrorism, together with the Bajrang Dal, which is usually linked with vigilantism, violence and ethical policing. In the face of a backlash from members of the ruling BJP, together with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Congress clarified the promise, saying it had “no proposal to ban the Bajrang Dal” as a result of banning an organisation prefer it got here beneath the central authorities.
However, the principle opposition occasion hit again on the Prime Minister, accusing him of “hurting religious sentiments” of devotees by equating Lord Hanuman with the Bajrang Dal, and demanded an apology from him. The Congress later staged a stupendous victory within the May 10 meeting election by profitable 135 seats out of a complete of 224 in Karnataka.
Not Afraid Of Ban: VHP
The Bajrang Dal is just not afraid of the Congress’s menace of a ban in Karnataka, a Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) functionary mentioned just lately. “If they ban the Bajrang Dal out of their hatred for the Hindus, necessary steps will be taken,” VHP’s basic secretary Milind Parande mentioned in Indore. During the Ram janmabhoomi motion, the Bajrang Dal was banned however the court docket quashed it, calling it unsuitable, he mentioned.
Congress Sweeps Karnataka Elections
According to the Election Commission of India, Congress gained 135 seats pushing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) out of energy in the one southern state it dominated and rising because the pure opposition occasion within the run-up to the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. BJP managed to win 66 seats. Janata Dal-Secular (JDS) bagged 19 seats. Independents have gained two seats whereas Kalyana Rajya Pragathi Paksha and Sarvodaya Karnataka Paksha gained one seat every.
Many Opposition leaders congratulated the Congress for its emphatic victory in Karnataka and credited the success to the influence of Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra. Following the defeat, Basavaraj Boommai submitted his resignation and accepted the duty, saying they’ll conduct an in depth evaluation and can come again stronger.
“We had an informal meeting with our president and we have discussed certain issues and we’ll shortly call elected representatives and the people who contested. We will have an in-depth analysis and do the course correction to come back to power in the Lok Sabha elections,” mentioned Bommai.
Elections in Karnataka had been held on May 10 and noticed a voting share of 73.29 per cent. With a 42.88 per cent vote share, the Congress created historical past by registering the largest vote share by any occasion within the Karnataka meeting polls within the final 34 years.
Congress Observers To Hand Over Report To Kharge
Amid intense lobbying for the chief minister’s submit in Karnataka, the three central observers deputed by the Congress on Monday returned to the nationwide capital after talking individually to the newly elected MLAs. The observers will hand over the report on the views expressed by the vast majority of the MLAs to occasion president Mallikarjun Kharge later within the day.
Former chief minister Siddaramaiah and PCC president D Okay Shivakumar are each staking declare to the highest submit and are lobbying exhausting for it. Kharge had appointed former Maharashtra chief minister Sushilkumar Shinde, occasion basic secretary Jitendra Singh and former AICC basic secretary Deepak Babaria as observers for the election of the CLP Leader of Karnataka.
The three leaders together with the AICC basic secretary in-charge of Karnataka Randeep Surjewala left Bengaluru for Delhi and can meet Kharge. The observers spoke individually to all of the newly elected MLAs and sought their opinion on who needs to be the chief minister of the state.
However, extremely positioned sources have confirmed that senior Congress chief Siddaramaiah would be the subsequent Chief Minister of Karnataka and the occasion’s state unit president D Okay Shivakumar will probably be his deputy. Congress nationwide president Mallikarjun Kharge is predicted to make a proper announcement on this regard on Monday after the occasion’s spectacular victory within the essential meeting elections held within the southern state.
Earlier, in the course of the assembly of the Congress Legislature Party in Bengaluru on Sunday night the MLAs handed a one-line decision authorising the occasion president to nominate the CLP chief within the state who can be the subsequent chief minister.
