Congress leaders rally behind Ashu in wake of VB summons
Payal.Dhawan@timesofindia.com
Ludhiana: Thirteen days ahead of the Ludhiana West bypoll, the Vigilance summons issued to Congress candidate Bharat Bhushan Ashu became the talk of the town.
Suspension of SSP, Vigilance, Ludhiana, Jagatpreet Singh, hours after he issued the summons to Ashu, added to the mystery.
Ashu had been asked to appear at the office by 10am on Friday.
Interestingly,
Aam Aadmi Party
(AAP) leaders claimed that Ashu got the summons issued in collusion with the SSP to garner sympathy. The SSP is said to be a former classmate of one of Ashu's associates. However, this led to questions about Ashu's influence, despite not being part of the government.
Netizens also recalled how Ashu was jailed for months in a Vigilance case. Later, Punjab and Haryana high court quashed the case, saying that it was lodged to harass him. The fresh VB summons has left social media abuzz again.
For the Congress, the summons has had a unifying effect, with Congress leaders rallying behind Ashu. Punjab Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring reached Ludhiana and held a press conference in Ashu's support.
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Promoted Links
Promoted Links
You May Like
Pinga-Pinga e HBP? Tome isso 1x ao dia se tem mais de 40 anos
Portal Saúde do Homem
Clique aqui
Undo
Many other senior Congress leaders, including leader of opposition, Partap Singh Bajwa and former deputy chief minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, who remained distant from Ashu's campaign so far, extended their support on X (previously Twitter).
During a press conference organised at the election office of the Congress, Bharat Bhushan Ashu, former minister Pargat Singh, Kapurthala MLA Rana Gurjeet Singh, and former MLA Jeet Mohinder Singh Sidhu criticised the Punjab government for misusing government agencies to target Congress leaders and workers.
Ashu said that the AAP government wanted to put him behind bars. He added that om the days to come, AAP would try to implicate him and his supporters.
"If AAP manages to succeed in their malafide attempts to implicate me in any case, I will still contest elections from jail," Ashu announced. He added that after June 19, Congress legal team would take notice of all false cases and complaints lodged against party workers.
Box: Warring wants to go to VB office with Ashu
As Bharat Bhushan Ashu had been asked to appear at the VB office by 10am on Friday, party's Punjab president, Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, called him early in the morning, saying that he wanted to accompany him to the VB office.
This was confirmed by both Ashu and Warring. However, Ashu said that he would continue with his election campaign and join the investigation after poll day on June 19.
Box: Leaders on X
We knew the AAP govt can stoop to any low. It has lived up to its ugly reputation by issuing summons to Congress candidate Bharat Bhushan Ashu in an old case he has no direct link with, in the midst of the Ludhiana by-election campaign. We are not deterred or intimidated; we never will be.
Rather, we feel happy that the AAP has accepted defeat much ahead of the D-Day by resorting to such intimidation. No matter what the govt does, no matter to what extreme it stoops, the writing is on the wall; AAP is on the way out, and the Congress is on the comeback.
Jai Hind.
Amrinder Singh Raja Warring
Bhagwant Mann has lost his mind, now acting like a full-blown dictator. Misusing state agencies to target Bharat Bhushan Ashu just before the Ludhiana West bypolls shows how scared AAP is.
This vendetta politics won't work. People of Ludhiana will teach AAP a historic lesson on June 19.
Pratap Singh Bajwa
By sending summons to our Congress candidate Bharat Bhushan Ashu, Bhagwant Mann made it clear that his party is losing, and now he is ready to do every dirty trick to win. Mann Sahab, your nonsense is going beyond the scope of democracy. Don't worry, all Punjabis are watching. They will teach you a lesson in democracy very soon.
Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa
MSID:: 121678021 413 |
Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with
Eid wishes
,
messages
, and
quotes
!
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
15 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Fadnavis responds to Rahul Gandhi's Maharashtra ‘poll rigging' claim: ‘Insulted voters'
Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday reacted to Rahul Gandhi's claims about last year's election in the state, saying that the Congress leader is "insulting" the people of Maharashtra. Earlier today, Rahul Gandhi claimed that the Maharashtra assembly election held last year had been 'rigged' and alleged that the same would be repeated in the upcoming Bihar assembly polls. In a post on X, the leader of opposition in Lok Sabha, shared his own article published in a newspaper and wrote that the Maharashtra elections were a 'blueprint for rigging democracy'. Pointing to the article, Fadnavis said that Rahul Gandhi should understand the ground reality of the Congress party's grim future. "Unless and until Rahul Gandhi understands the ground-level facts and stops lying to himself and giving false comfort and promises, his party will never win. He should wake up (from ignorance), otherwise, he will keep talking such things which are devoid of facts," he told reporters, according to PTI. Also Read | 'Completely absurd': EC on claims over Maharashtra elections Fadnavis also alleged that Gandhi has insulted the electors of Maharashtra by casting aspersions on the fairness of elections. "He has insulted voters and ladki bahins (beneficiaries of a state government scheme for poor women). I condemn his statement," he said, reported PTI. Fadnavis pointed out that the Election Commission had earlier debunked his claims with evidence and released figures of increased voters in the previous elections and the latest one. Also Read | 'Rahul Gandhi's tongue is like Pakistan': Giriraj Singh's fierce attack on LoP in Bihar "He is habituated to speaking lies. Gandhi believes that by lying every day, people will accept his claims as truth. He has made such allegations in the past. He doesn't know what he is saying. People listening to him don't understand what he says. I feel there is no need to react," he added. The senior BJP leader also advised Gandhi to stop "convincing himself, wake up, and work on the ground", claiming Congress has no future. In his post on X, the leader of opposition in Lok Sabha, shared his own article published in a newspaper and wrote: 'How to steal an election? Maharashtra assembly elections in 2024 were a blueprint for rigging democracy. My article shows how this happened, step by step.' He added, 'Step 1: Rig the panel for appointing the Election Commission, Step 2: Add fake voters to the roll, Step 3: Inflate voter turnout, Step 4: Target the bogus voting exactly where BJP needs to win, Step 5: Hide the evidence.' Gandhi further said: 'It's not hard to see why the BJP was so desperate in Maharashtra. But rigging is like match-fixing - the side that cheats might win the game, but damages institutions and destroy public faith in the result.' He also urged all concerned Indian citizens to demand answers and judge the situation for themselves while evaluating the evidence. (Inputs from PTI)
Time of India
17 minutes ago
- Time of India
Nishikant Dubey hits back at Rahul Gandhi: 'Read 1975 Allahabad HC judgment to see how Indira Gandhi "fixed" elections
Bharatiya Janata Party leader Nishikant Dubey on Saturday hit back at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for his accusation that the 2024 Maharashtra assembly election was "rigged" in favour of the BJP. Dubey urged the Congress leader to read the 1975 judgement of the Allahabad High Court to know how his grandmother and former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi "fixed" and "stole" the 1971 Lok Sabha elections to win from the Rae Bareli constituency in Uttar Pradesh. "Rahul Baba, how is the election fixed or stolen? Read the exploits of your grandmother, Indira Gandhi, which is the judgment of the Allahabad High Court," Dubey said in a post on X. "The army and its helicopters were used in the 1971 elections. Liquor and clothes were openly distributed during the election of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi 3. Ask for votes in the name of Hinduism. Voters were brought in vehicles. Money is distributed indiscriminately. Government employees engaged in an election campaign. You create the election drama, your family ruins the country, and you will not get the liberty to loot the elections anymore," he added. In the judgement, the Allahabad High Court held that Indira Gandhi was guilty of electoral malpractices, and disqualified her from holding public office for 6 years. On Saturday, Rahul Gandhi alleged that the Maharashtra assembly election held in November 2024 was "rigged", and claimed that the same will be repeated in Bihar assembly polls due later this year. Live Events In a post on X, Gandhi shared his article published in a newspaper, explaining the "rigging" in the Maharashtra assembly polls. "Maharashtra assembly elections in 2024 were a blueprint for rigging democracy. My article shows how this happened, step by step," Gandhi said on X. The former Congress President explained a five-point process. He said that step one includes rigging the panel that appoints the Election Commission, followed by adding fake voters to the electoral roll. He further claimed that the next steps include inflating the voter turnout, targeting the bogus voting exactly where the BJP needs to win and hiding the evidence. "Step 1: Rig the panel for appointing the Election Commission; Step 2: Add fake voters to the roll; Step 3: Inflate voter turnout; Step 4: Target the bogus voting exactly where BJP needs to win; Step 5: Hide the evidence," Gandhi said. He further labelled rigging as "match-fixing", saying that the side cheats might win the game but damage institutions and destroy public faith in the result. "It's not hard to see why the BJP was so desperate in Maharashtra. But rigging is like match-fixing - the side that cheats might win the game, but will damage institutions and destroy public faith in the result. All concerned Indians must see the evidence. Judge for themselves. Demand answers," the Rae Bareli MP said. Gandhi warned that the "match-fixing" of Maharashtra would come to Bihar next, where the polls are due later this year, and then "anywhere" the BJP was losing elections. "Match-fixed elections are a poison for any democracy," he added. The Maharashtra Assembly Election 2024 witnessed a decisive victory for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Mahayuti alliance , securing a landslide win with 235 seats. The results marked a significant milestone for the BJP, which emerged as the single-largest party with 132 seats.
Time of India
17 minutes ago
- Time of India
Rahul's ‘match-fixing' allegation sparks outrage among NDA netas
Patna: Senior BJP leader and deputy CM Samrat Choudhary on Saturday reacted over Congress MP Rahul Gandhi's "match-fixing" remarks on the coming Bihar polls and said if the leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha doesn't have faith in democracy, he should ask the state govts, led by his party, to resign and seek a fresh people's mandate. The Congress MP on Saturday again accused the BJP of rigging elections in Maharashtra last year and warned against similar "match-fixing" activities by the saffron party in the upcoming Bihar elections. In a strong rebuttal, Samrat said it is natural for a person, who has lost, to say such things. "If someone does not trust the democratic system, he should resign and get out of this system," the BJP leader said. Union minister and HAM (S) patron Jitan Ram Manjhi also said Rahul's remarks show he has accepted defeat. "People who accept defeat say such things... I thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi today. It is because of him that we have got a chance to land at the new terminal (Patna airport)," he said. "Rahul is saying that the Maharashtra election was fixed, so should the Bihar elections also be fixed? He has accepted defeat. Since there is an election in Bihar, Rahul met the family of 'Mountain Man' Dashrath Manjhi. We built Atal Kendra there; we are trying to honour him with Bharat Ratna. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Trading CFD dengan Teknologi dan Kecepatan Lebih Baik IC Markets Mendaftar Undo Rahul did not say anything about this," Manjhi said. BJP's firebrand leader and Union minister Giriraj Singh also targeted Rahul for his "Bihar crime capital" statement during his Gaya and Rajgir visits on Friday. "The people on whose support Rahul is contesting elections in Bihar were the pioneers of 'jungle raj' and protectors of criminals. During RJD chief Lalu Prasad's rule, hardly anyone would leave the house in the evening. Mother used to ask her son to come back home before sunset," the Begusarai MP said. Patna: Senior BJP leader and deputy CM Samrat Choudhary on Saturday reacted over Congress MP Rahul Gandhi's "match-fixing" remarks on the coming Bihar polls and said if the leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha doesn't have faith in democracy, he should ask the state govts, led by his party, to resign and seek a fresh people's mandate. The Congress MP on Saturday again accused the BJP of rigging elections in Maharashtra last year and warned against similar "match-fixing" activities by the saffron party in the upcoming Bihar elections. In a strong rebuttal, Samrat said it is natural for a person, who has lost, to say such things. "If someone does not trust the democratic system, he should resign and get out of this system," the BJP leader said. Union minister and HAM (S) patron Jitan Ram Manjhi also said Rahul's remarks show he has accepted defeat. "People who accept defeat say such things... I thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi today. It is because of him that we have got a chance to land at the new terminal (Patna airport)," he said. "Rahul is saying that the Maharashtra election was fixed, so should the Bihar elections also be fixed? He has accepted defeat. Since there is an election in Bihar, Rahul met the family of 'Mountain Man' Dashrath Manjhi. We built Atal Kendra there; we are trying to honour him with Bharat Ratna. Rahul did not say anything about this," Manjhi said. BJP's firebrand leader and Union minister Giriraj Singh also targeted Rahul for his "Bihar crime capital" statement during his Gaya and Rajgir visits on Friday. "The people on whose support Rahul is contesting elections in Bihar were the pioneers of 'jungle raj' and protectors of criminals. During RJD chief Lalu Prasad's rule, hardly anyone would leave the house in the evening. Mother used to ask her son to come back home before sunset," the Begusarai MP said. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Eid wishes , messages , and quotes !
