Varanasi court accepts plea against Rahul over 'objectionable' statement against Sikhs

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Hindustan Times
2 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Mallikarjun Kharge opens up about not becoming Karnataka chief minister in 1999: ‘My services…'
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday spoke about missing the post of chief minister of Karnataka in 1999, saying that someone who had joined the party recently was chosen instead. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge at Indira Bhawan in New Delhi.(PTI) Addressing a poll rally in Karnataka's Vijayapura, Mallikarjun Kharge said he fought the polls as Leader of Opposition in the state, but added that SM Krishna was picked as chief minister. 'In the 1999 assembly elections, I fought as the Leader of the Opposition. SM Krishna, who joined the party four months earlier, was made the chief minister,' news agency ANI quoted Kharge as saying at the event. Also Read | 'Between him and Modi': What Congress chief said on Jagdeep Dhankhar's resignation "I tried to bring the party to power, but SM Krishna became the CM. The services I rendered went down the drain..." he added. SM Krishna served as the chief minister of Karnataka from 1999 to 2004. The Congress won 132 of 224 seats in the Assembly polls. The BJP, led by BS Yeddyurappa, won 44 seats, followed by Janata Dal (United) with 18 seats, and Janata Dal (Secular) with 10, among others. Also Read | '24 times': Mallikarjun Kharge corners govt over Trump's claim on India-Pak ceasefire Kharge served as a minister in the Cabinet of SM Krishna and succeeding Congress chief ministers, until he contested the 2009 Lok Sabha elections and was appointed as the minister for labour and employment. He also served as the Union minister for Railways and Social Justice and Empowerment. In 2020, Kharge was elected to the Rajya Sabha from Karnataka at the age of 78. In 2021, he was appointed as Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha. In 2022, he became the president of the Congress party after he defeated Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor. He became the first non-Gandhi chief of the party in 24 years and replaced Sonia Gandhi, who was the party's longest-serving president.


Time of India
5 hours ago
- Time of India
Sikh girl not allowed to take exam for wearing ‘kada', Badal writes to PM
Chandigarh: Expressing grave concern over "growing incidents of disrespect and discrimination against the sacred symbols of the Sikh religion", Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president on Sunday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to "intervene directly to put an end to this painful chain of events in the country". Tired of too many ads? go ad free now In a letter to the Prime Minister, Badal sought to draw the PM's attention to an incident on Sunday in which a baptised Sikh girl, from Tarn Taran district, was reportedly stopped from entering the examination centre as a candidate for the Rajasthan Judicial Services at Poornima University, Jaipur, on the plea that she was wearing her sacred articles of faith – 'kada' and 'kirpan'. "This was a gross violation of her constitutional rights guaranteed under Article 25 of the Statute, and it denied her fundamental right to practise her religion. Article 25 of the Constitution specifically mentions 'kirpan' among other symbols of the Sikh religion, which are exempt from any bar even on flights," Badal said. He added in the letter to the PM, "It is shocking that rules, if any, are framed by lower authorities flouting the sacred Constitution of India. The govt of India should issue -- or, if necessary -- re-issue clear-cut guidelines to all states and Union Territories about the exemption to the inseparable articles of faith." Badal stated that it was "not a one-off incident but part of the ever-increasing number of examples of religious intolerance towards the uniqueness of Sikh identity. In a similar incident last year, two Sikh girls were stopped from appearing for Rajasthan Judicial Services (RJS) in an exam centre in Jodhpur." "Sikhs and their identity are inseparable, and this was duly acknowledged and constitutionally mandated for compliance for all purposes in the country by the Founding Fathers. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now But some officials at lower rungs deem themselves even above the Constitution. This must stop as this vitiates communal harmony in the country," Badal wrote in the letter to the PM. "You are personally aware of the profound spiritual and emotional significance of the Sikh religious symbols and what these mean to our devoutly religious and fiercely patriotic community. I request you to issue immediate directions for compliance to ensure full respect to these symbols at all levels across the country," the letter read. Badal also urged the Rajasthan high court to provide the victimised Sikh girl, Gurpreet Kaur, a special opportunity to appear for the RJS examination, ensuring her right to uphold her faith is respected. Earlier in the morning, the SAD president had taken to X, asking Rajasthan chief minister Bhajan Lal to take strict action against the guilty officials to ensure such incidents were not repeated in his state. Will Raise Issue in Parliament: Harsimrat Kaur Badal SAD MP from Bathinda, Harsimrat Kaur Badal, while condemning the incident as "unfortunate and discriminatory" and demanding strict action against officials who "barred" the girl from appearing in the examination, took to X and wrote, "I will definitely raise this issue in Parliament so that such incidents do not happen with our Sikh children in the future and a permanent solution is found."


India Today
10 hours ago
- India Today
All efforts went in vain: Mallikarjun Kharge on Karnataka Chief Minister snub
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday said he was not given his due by the party high command after the 1999 Karnataka Assembly polls, when SM Krishna was chosen for the state's top post, despite joining the party four months that his hopes of rising to the top office in the state suffered a setback, Kharge said he worked tirelessly as the Congress Legislative Party (CLP) leader for five years, but all his efforts went in ]became the CLP leader and worked hard to bring the party to power. Eventually, our government did come to power, but SM Krishna, who had joined the party just four months earlier at the time, became the chief minister," the Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha said at an event in Vijayapura. "All our efforts felt like they went in vain. I had worked tirelessly for five years. He (Krishna) walked in just four months prior and became chief minister," he Congress veteran maintained that there have been many such instances, but it would not be appropriate to talk about all of them at Krishna was the 16th Chief Minister of Karnataka and assumed office in October 1999 after the Congress won 132 of 224 seats in the Assembly served as a minister in the Cabinet of SM Krishna and succeeding Congress chief ministers, until he contested the 2009 Lok Sabha elections and was appointed as the Union Minister for Labour and Employment. He also served as the Union Minister for Railways and Social Justice and Empowerment for nearly a year AS CONGRESS PRESIDENTKharge became the Congress president after he defeated Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor in a landslide victory in emerged as the clear winner with 7,987 votes, while Tharoor managed to secure 1,072 in his favour, underlining the fact that he had strong backing from the party high command and supporters. Over 9,000 Congress delegates across India voted to choose their party chief on October his victory, Kharge became the first non-Gandhi family party chief in almost 24 his tenure as the Congress national president, the party won 99 seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, a nearly 50-seat rise as compared to the 2019 the party lost key Assembly elections in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Haryana and Maharashtra.- EndsMust Watch IN THIS STORY#Karnataka