BJP trying to destroy democracy, says Congress over RS nomination

Congress leaders accused the BJP of trying to 'destroy democracy' after Meenakshi Natarajan's Rajya Sabha nomination was rejected. The party vowed to fight the decision legally, taking the matter to the Supreme Court.

Following the rejection of Meenakshi Natarajan's Rajya Sabha nomination, senior Congress leaders Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa and Manik Rao Thakre on Thursday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of attempting to "destroy democracy" and "suppress opposition voices." Randhawa claimed that the BJP government had overstepped by deciding which candidates are eligible to contest elections. Natarajan was the Congress' lone Rajya Sabha candidate from Madhya Pradesh "The BJP government is such that they will now decide which candidate will contest the election and who will not. This is being done to destroy democracy," the Gudaspur MP told reporters.

Drawing a parallel to India's struggle for independence, he added, "The very reason for which we liberated our country from the British... this is again... is not freedom, we are heading towards slavery."

Also reacting to the development, Congress leader Manik Rao Thakre accused the BJP of disregarding electoral processes and confirmed that the party would seek legal recourse. "Look, the way BJP people are suppressing and saying wrong things everywhere, this is one of the results that shows democracy and any election don't matter to them," Manik Rao Thakre said. Asserting the party's resolve to challenge the rejection, he further stated, "This is the result being seen; we will fight till the Supreme Court."

Rejection Sparks Political and Legal Battle

On June 10, a 10-member Congress delegation met with the Election Commission in New Delhi over the rejection of party Rajya Sabha candidate Natarajan's nomination from Madhya Pradesh. The Returning Officer had rejected Natarajan's nomination papers due to objections raised by the BJP. The BJP alleged that the Congress candidate had concealed information about a case pending in a Telangana court.

Congress MP and senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi alleged that the Returning Officer's decision to reject the nomination of Natarajan is "perverse" and contrary to the provisions of the Representation of the People Act, as the criminal matter against the Congress candidate has not even reached the stage of cognisance. Shingvi argued that the nomination of Natarajan had been rejected at a stage far earlier than what the law requires for disclosure.

Congress saw the rejection of nomination papers as a "political conspiracy" to secure all three Rajya Sabha seats for the BJP, while the ruling party questioned Natarajan over the non-disclosure of relevant information.

Natarajan Moves Supreme Court

Meanwhile, Natarajan has moved the Supreme Court challenging the rejection of her Rajya Sabha nomination papers. The petition alleges that the Returning Officer acted illegally, arbitrarily and with bias. It seeks the immediate setting aside of the decision. The plea is likely to be mentioned before the Supreme Court today, seeking an early hearing of the matter. (ANI)

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