Congress protests in Delhi over RS nom, Jitu Patwari detained

MP Congress President Jitu Patwari and other leaders were detained in Delhi during a 'Satyagraha' protest at Jantar Mantar over the cancellation of Meenakshi Natarajan's Rajya Sabha nomination. Patwari was dragged into a police bus.

Police have detained Madhya Pradesh Congress President Jitu Patwari and other party leaders participating in a 'Satyagraha' protest at Jantar Mantar on Friday in the national capital over the cancellation of party leader Meenakshi Natarajan's Rajya Sabha nomination.

Patwari got into a heated argument with the police who were trying to detain him during the protest at Jantar Mantar. He was eventually dragged into a police bus and detained.

Congress alleges 'autocracy' over nomination cancellation

Congress leaders have been holding a 'Satyagraha' protest over the rejection of Natarajan's Rajya Sabha nomination. "The first case, the first such incident in Indian politics where a Rajya Sabha nomination has been cancelled--this is currently a subject of discussion in the country. There is a deep-seated feeling in the minds of the common public: will democracy survive in this country, or is the nation heading towards autocracy and dictatorship? This is a significant event that reflects that entire line of thought.

Patwari further alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party acted out of fear after witnessing the unity among Congress legislators during the Rajya Sabha election process. "The core fact is that seeing the unity of our MLAs and the enthusiasm and aggression with which the Rajya Sabha events unfolded, Narendra Modi got terrified; the entire BJP leadership of Madhya Pradesh got terrified. And ultimately, they committed this crime, this offence--cancelling a Rajya Sabha nomination for the upper house [of Parliament], resorting to the kind of tactics that typically occur in small-scale local elections like Sarpanch or Janpad polls in every village and street," Patwari alleged.

Referring to the party's strength in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly, Patwari said that all Congress MLAs, except senior leader Kamal Nath, were present and that the party had the required numbers for the Rajya Sabha election.

Earlier, addressing a press conference at the Congress headquarters here, Patwari described the rejection of Natarajan's candidature as an unprecedented development in Indian politics and one which raised concerns about the state of democracy in the country.

Nomination row subjudice: Natarajan

Meanwhile, the Congress's Rajya Sabha candidate from Madhya Pradesh, Meenakshi Natarajan, asserted that there has been no concealment of facts and that the documents filed with the Election Commission are transparent.

Addressing the matter, which is currently before the Supreme Court, Natrajan emphasised the limitations of public discussion due to the legal proceedings. "Since the matter is subjudice, and currently being heard by the Supreme Court, I will not discuss it in great detail or delve into all the legal aspects today. However, one specific matter is already in the public domain; since it is available on the Election Commission's website," she stated.

Controversy over Form 26

The controversy centres on Form 26, the mandatory affidavit filed by candidates to declare their assets, liabilities, and educational qualifications, as well as any criminal antecedents.

"The core of the entire issue revolves around a specific document, Form 26. It has been alleged that I failed to record certain information in Form 26 and concealed facts," Natrajan said.

Jitu Patwari also alleged that the rejection of Meenakshi Natarajan's Rajya Sabha nomination was an unprecedented development in Indian politics and raised concerns about the state of democracy in the country. (ANI)

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