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Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 18 (IANS) With the BJP’s organisational elections around the corner at the national and state levels, the party’s central leadership is mulling over a president for its Kerala unit.

A new set of office bearers is expected to be in place in the new year, when the BJP will replace its incumbent state president K. Surendran who has been at the helm of affairs since February 2020, when the then president P. Sreedharan Pillai was given a gubernatorial post.

Even though the choice of the then 54-year-old Surendran came as a surprise, his term saw the BJP in Kerala having mixed fortunes.

Under Surendran, the BJP lost the only sitting seat Nemom constituency in the 2021 Assembly polls. But three years later, popular actor Suresh Gopi won the 2024 Lok Sabha polls from Thrissur, trouncing the Congress candidate who finished in third place.

Gopi won with a margin of over 70,000 votes.

The national leadership has a tough call to make as the state unit here faces alleged factionalism with the party between Surendran, former Union Minister of State V. Muraleedharan on one side and with leaders like P. K. Krishnadas, M. T. Ramesh on the other side, while firebrand Sobha Surendran keeping everyone guessing.

Incidentally, on a few occasions, the national leadership expressed its displeasure over factionalism preventing the steady growth of the party in Kerala.

A media critic on condition of anonymity said the problem with the BJP here is the lack of tall leaders.

“The present top leaders in Kerala have been around for a while and that’s what one sees when during election time, the same set of leaders are contesting. It’s time the national leadership have to think out of the box and spring a surprise,” said the critic.

Thinking out of the box means considering names like former MoS Rajeev Chandrasekhar and perhaps even Gopi, but the problem with these names is they have little connection with the grassroots.

Another name which might excite the hardcore BJP cadres here is Sobha Surendran.

Meanwhile, Muraleedharan has categorically ruled himself out as a contender for the post which he held for two terms.

So, all eyes are on the BJP’ s national leadership as the local bodies polls are scheduled for 2025 and the Assembly polls in 2026.

–IANS

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Hassan (Karnataka), Dec 23 (IANS) Expressing dissatisfaction over the Belagavi police handling the BJP MLC C.T. Ravi case, Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel, H.D. Kumaraswamy, said on Monday that if BJP legislators pursued the legal fight properly, all the police officers involved in the case could be suspended.

Speaking to the media at Haradanahalli in Hassan district, Union Minister Kumaraswamy said: “Any police officer who mentally tortured C.T. Ravi, under the influence of a Minister will have to face the consequences.”

C.T. Ravi was accused of making a derogatory remark against Women and Child Welfare Minister Laxmi Hebbalkar in the Legislative Council.

Following the complaint by Minister Hebbalkar, BJP MLC Ravi was arrested and later released after the order by the Karnataka High Court.

BJP MLC Ravi alleged that he was assaulted, made to travel throughout the night, not given food, water and not even allowed to visit the toilet, adding that the police threatened him of carrying out his encounter.

“They discussed Union Minister Amit Shah’s statements made in the Rajya Sabha during the Assembly sessions. This issue pertains to the Rajya Sabha. Is Amit Shah a member of the Karnataka Legislative Council?” he asked.

“I am closely observing everything happening in this state. The Congress government is harassing political opponents in every possible way. They are preparing the stage for the kind of politics Karnataka might face in the future,” he noted.

Union Minister Kumaraswamy alleged that the government is misusing the police to suppress political opponents.

“Was it necessary to drag C.T. Ravi around all night? He is an elected representative. If he needed to be arrested, he could have been directly presented before the magistrate’s court in Bengaluru. What was the need for this humiliation? Who directed this?” he asked.

The JD-S leader warned that if BJP members take the right legal route, the officials responsible would face suspension.

Union Minister Kumaraswamy warned, “Any officer who mentally tortured C.T. Ravi, under the influence of a Minister will have to face the consequences.”

“This behaviour is unacceptable,” he said.

The JD-S leader said, “Does this state even have a Home Minister? Over the past six or seven months, several incidents about law and order have taken place, yet the government remains silent. Karnataka is heading toward darker days as political vendettas and hatred are taking centre stage,” he added.

Union Minister Kumaraswamy said the deterioration of the state’s police system is unfortunate, which once served as a model for the country.

“Our forefathers built a robust system and created a healthy environment. Karnataka Police was respected nationwide. Unfortunately, this government is hell-bent on destroying it. They are working to tarnish the reputation of the police department,” he said.

Citing examples, Union Minister Kumaraswamy asked, “What happened to the case involving former Congress Minister Vinay Kulkarni? What action was taken in the complaint filed by a teacher against Congress leader Gurappa Naidu accused of sexually harassing teachers in Bengaluru?”

He clarified that he does not hold the police department entirely at fault.

“Certain Ministers in the government are giving directions to a few select officers, leading to unlawful decisions within the department. Cases are being booked as per their whims, and their opponents are being crushed through abuse of power and violation of laws,” he said.

He warned, “Time will provide answers to all of this.”

Speaking about the inauguration of the Jayadeva Hospital in Kalaburagi by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Union Minister Kumaraswamy questioned the CM’s contribution to the project.

“When I was the Chief Minister, I initiated this project. Later, the BJP government released Rs 128 crore. BJP MP C.N. Manjunath from Jayadeva Hospital raised Rs 40 crore for this initiative. This government shows no gratitude toward those who worked on it before. This is an uncivilised government,” he said while targeting the Congress government.

He further added, “Now they claim they will manage NIMHANS. They cannot even manage the hospitals already in place. In north Karnataka, maternal and child deaths continue daily. It is heartbreaking. What measures have been taken to stop this? Hospitals lack adequate doctors and staff. Is this how you plan to build the state?”

He also criticised the government for its lack of concern about the issues in North Karnataka.

“The government made grand claims about addressing the region’s problems, but just yesterday, a young mother died during childbirth in Ballari. These deaths are occurring daily, yet the government shows no concern,” he said.

–IANS

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Chandigarh, Dec 12 (IANS) As the BJP accuses Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, of disrespecting the Indian Constitution, former Union Minister and senior Congress leader, Pawan Bansal on Thursday countered the claims, pointing out that during their second term, the BJP had expressed intentions to amend the Constitution if they won more than 400 seats.

The BJP has frequently alleged that the Congress does not respect the Indian Constitution, despite the fact that the LoP is often seen with a copy of it.

Talking to IANS, Pawan Bansal said, “When the Constitution was framed, the Constituent Assembly held lengthy discussions on every aspect, considering the sentiments of the Indian people, our heritage, and our future.

“A draft was prepared that included a statement of aims and objectives presented by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, which later became the Preamble. It enshrined ideals like secularism, inclusivity, individual rights, and freedom.”

Bansal continued, “Now when they claim that Rahul Gandhi does not respect the Constitution even though he roams around with a copy of the Constitution, they forget that during their previous term, some BJP members openly talked about changing the Constitution.

“The BJP wanted to reinterpret it in a way that would support Hindutva. Hindutva is not Hinduism. I’m a proud Hindu, but Hindutva is a political tool, not a religion. A political system using religion for its agenda and attempting to alter the Constitution to reflect that, is a serious issue.

“India cannot progress under a ‘Hindu Rashtra’ ideology. The country can only progress if it remains secular, giving equal respect and status to people of all religions.”

He also referenced late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s constitutional amendments, which inserted terms like ‘secular’ and ‘democratic,’ values that were integral to the spirit of the Constitution’s creation.

“Indira Gandhi’s amendments reflected the vision discussed in the Constituent Assembly. Amending the Constitution is one thing, but scrapping its core and creating an entirely new one is another. The difference between the two needs to be understood,” he stressed.

Bansal went on to express concerns about the current state of India’s democratic institutions.

“Today, there is a direct or indirect attack on the Constitution. Our democratic institutions are being undermined. For the first time, we see a High Court judge attending a Vishva Hindu Parishad conference and speaking there.

“The Vice President of the country, too, has been silent on these issues. When such figures remain silent or act in ways that serve party interests, our Constitution is in danger. The big institutions are at risk, and this is a sign of concern. Rahul Gandhi repeatedly emphasises the need to protect the Constitution,” Bansal stressed.

On the Supreme Court’s verdict regarding the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991, Bansal said, “While I respect the Supreme Court’s decision, I want to express my views. This law was passed to address various public debates on the status of religious sites — whether temples were converted into mosques or vice versa. The law was meant to ensure that, except for the Ram Janmabhoomi case, all places of worship should maintain the status they had on August 15, 1947. This law is about moving forward, not looking back, and it seeks to preserve religious sites as they were.”

He further commented, “The law encourages respect for the status of religious places, without tampering with or destroying them. It’s crucial for maintaining national unity. Instead of stoking religious divisions for political gain, as some RSS leaders have done by suggesting we search for Shiva temples in mosques, we should focus on building grand temples and respecting all religious sites equally. We should avoid using religion for vote politics and instead strive for a united, strong country.”

Bansal further emphasised, “Such divisive politics weakens the country, and we must focus on strengthening our nation by respecting all religions and maintaining the values of our Constitution.”

–IANS

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