MP Congress calls statewide protests over Rahul Gandhi’s detention

Posted on by Vividh Bharathi

Bhopal, Oct 7 (IANS) Madhya Pradesh Congress president Jitu Patwari on Wednesday called upon party workers to hold protests across the state on October 8 against the use of force on Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi and other INDIA Bloc MPs during their protest march in New Delhi.

Patwari asked Congress workers to organise demonstrations at the district, block and mandal levels and observe October 8 as a “Black Day” for Indian democracy.

“Today, while INDIA Bloc MPs, led by Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, were peacefully marching towards Jantar Mantar to demand accountability from the Election Commission, they were stopped and subjected to the use of force,” Patwari said in his message to party workers.

He alleged that LoP Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and other senior Opposition leaders were subjected to a lathi-charge and “barbaric mistreatment”, resulting in injuries.

“This attack on the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and on elected representatives of the people is an attack on the Constitution. The Indian National Congress has declared this day a ‘Black Day’ for Indian democracy,” Patwari wrote on X.

He urged Congress leaders and workers to remain united and stage protests against what he described as an attack on democratic institutions.

Patwari’s call followed a message posted by Congress leader Pawan Khera on social media on Wednesday evening, asking Pradesh Congress Committees, District Congress Committees and Block Congress Committees to observe October 8 as a “Black Day”.

“All Pradesh Congress Committees, District Congress Committees and Block Congress Committees are hereby directed to observe October 8, 2026, as a Black Day, in protest against the brutal assault by the Delhi Police on the Leader of the Opposition and other senior Opposition parliamentarians,” Khera wrote on X.

He alleged that the action was carried out at the behest of an “RSS-BJP-ECI nexus”.

The Congress has been stepping up its campaign against the Election Commission over concerns regarding electoral rolls and has sought greater accountability from the poll panel.

On Wednesday, INDIA Bloc MPs, led by Kharge and LoP Rahul Gandhi, marched towards Jantar Mantar as part of the protest.

–IANS

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The victim trader, identified as S.K. Hamid of Remuna, was allegedly shot to death by unknown bike-borne miscreants in broad daylight at Arad Bazar of Baleswar town on Thursday afternoon.

The BJD has raised serious concerns about the prevailing law and order situation in the district following the incident.

“Under the direction of the Biju Janata Dal President Naveen Patnaik, a team has been constituted to visit Baleswar and assess the situation on the ground,” the BJD said.

The BJD district President of Baleswar, Jyoti Prakash Panigrahi, will coordinate during the visit of the party’s team.

According to the party, the delegation will visit the site of the incident and interact with members of the Baleswar Bazar Committee, local traders, the family of the deceased, and other stakeholders to understand the circumstances surrounding the incident and assess the prevailing law and order situation.

“The team will also urge the police administration to conduct a fair, impartial, and time-bound investigation into the incident and ensure the immediate arrest of those responsible. The team will further demand the police administration to take effective measures to curb the rising incidence of crime and restore public confidence by ensuring the safety and security of citizens,” the party added.

The seven-member BJD delegation comprises Jyoti Prakash Panigrahi, Baleswar District President (Coordinator); Goutambudha Das, MLA and Baleswar District Working President; Lekhashri Samantsinghar, BJD General Secretary; MLA Madhav Dhada; and former BJD MLAs Swarup Kumar Das, Sukant Kumar Nayak and Jiban Pradip Dash.

The party delegation has been asked to submit a detailed report on its findings and recommendations to BJD supremo after the on-ground enquiry.

–IANS

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Punjab Congress chief accuses CM Mann of being ‘chronic liar’

New Delhi, July 29 (IANS) Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring on Wednesday accused Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann of being a “typical chronic AAP liar” who survives on denial, deceit and lies.

Warring was reacting to Mann’s denial about paper leaks having taken place during his tenure in Punjab.

Several Congress MPs again staged a protest against the paper leaks to coincide with the passage of the stricter anti-paper Bill in the Lok Sabha.

Besides Warring, the MPS included Amar Singh, Gurjeet Aujla and Dharamvir Gandhi.

Warring pointed out how the Chief Minister was denying that any paper leaks took place in Punjab during his tenure. He said, among others, the paper leaks of pharmacists’ exam and the Class XII English paper are still fresh in the memory of people.

“If CM Mann believes that he can use the formula of telling a lie 100 times to make it sound true, he is badly mistaken,” the state Congress chief noted while telling the Chief Minister that denial will not provide any escape route to him.

He said the formula is simple. “Like Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned over paper leaks, so is the minister to resign in Punjab,” he said, adding the AAP cannot avoid removing the minister using lies. Warring also criticised the Chief Minister for the brutal treatment meted out to MGNREGA workers who were demanding their salaries.

He said the AAP government was lying to them also by trying to divert the issue and seek their regularisation through the Government of India.

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SC refuses to entertain Bhupesh Baghel’s plea against ‘piecemeal’ charge sheets

New Delhi, Aug 4 (IANS) The Supreme Court on Monday refused to entertain a plea filed by Congress leader and former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, who is embroiled in several cases, including the money laundering cases linked to rice milling, coal and liquor scams, challenging the “unfettered” powers of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to illegally conduct “further investigation” without adequate procedural safeguards.

A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi told the Congress leader to first approach the Chhattisgarh High Court for the relief against the filing of “incomplete or piecemeal” charge sheets or prosecution complaints by the probe agencies.

Despite having no express authority under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA), the ED is routinely conducting “further investigation” in several cases and filing incomplete or piecemeal prosecution complaints, claimed Baghel’s plea.

“Simultaneously, the ED is resorting to coercive actions, including arrests, without any legal limitation or judicial oversight. These practices are designed to frustrate the statutory and constitutional right to default bail under Section 167(2) of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 and Section 187(3) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023,” it added.

In a separate writ petition, Baghel sought a declaration that Sections 50 and 63 of the PMLA are unconstitutional, being violative of fundamental rights guaranteed under Article 14, 20 and 21 of the Constitution.

The twin provisions permit the ED to summon any person and compel answers and production of documents under a threat of penalty and arrest.

“Section 63(2)(b) mandates the signing of statements recorded under Section 50 and simultaneously imposes penal consequences under Section 63(2) and 63(4) for non-compliance or non -truthfulness, the result is a chilling effect on the exercise of the fundamental right to silence,” said the plea filed through advocate Vipin Nair.

The Justice Surya Kant-led Bench directed listing of the second Baghel’s plea on August 6, when the top court is scheduled to hear a batch of similar petitions challenging the PMLA provisions.

Further, it refused to entertain a related petition filed by Bhupesh Baghel’s son, Chaitanya Baghel, who had been arrested by the ED on July 18 in the alleged liquor scam.

Allowing him to withdraw the petition filed directly before the top court, the Justice Kant-led Bench granted him liberty to approach the Chhattisgarh High Court for relief. Chaitanya Baghel’s arrest was part of an ongoing investigation into a Rs 2,160 crore liquor scam allegedly involving a nexus of politicians, bureaucrats, and liquor contractors operating during Bhupesh Baghel’s tenure.

–IANS

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