Natarajan's RS nomination rejected; Vijayvargiya hints at Cong rift

After Congress leader Meenakshi Natarajan's Rajya Sabha nomination was rejected in MP, BJP's Kailash Vijayvargiya hinted at a party rift. The Congress accused the BJP of manipulating the polls and subverting democracy, vowing to fight it legally.

BJP Hints at Congress Infighting

With the Congress leaders slamming the BJP over rejection of nomination papers of Meenakshi Natarajan for Rajya Sabha elections in Madhya Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh Minister Kailash Vijayvargiya indicated that there was "rift within the Congress party". He hinted that information about Natarajan's nomination papers containing errors came from Telangana. "We're getting papers from Telangana, where their government is in power. It must have been Congress people themselves who gave us the information--this is the state of the Congress," he said.

Natarajan Hits Back, Accuses BJP of Subverting Democracy

In Bhopal, a section of BJP leaders were seen celebrating after Natarajan's nomination papers were rejected. Natarajan lashed out at the BJP and accused it of "attempting to manipulate the Rajya Sabha election". Addressing a press conference in Bhopal, she also accused the BJP of having "subverted elections in Madhya Pradesh" earlier. She said the BJP fielded a third candidate despite lacking the requisite numerical strength. "It all began when the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party fielded a third candidate despite lacking the requisite numerical strength. It became evident that they were engaging in politics designed to trample upon the Constitution and democracy...They are clearly attempting to manipulate the Rajya Sabha election just as they previously subverted elections in Madhya Pradesh," Natarajan said.

"This is not merely about a Rajya Sabha seat or a specific candidate; it is about the broader struggle for the "Idea of India" and democracy that our leader, Rahul Gandhi, is waging a critical battle for our nation today. The question is whether democracy will prevail, whether India's federal structure will endure, and whether the attempt to impose a one-party system and dictatorship will be thwarted," she added.

Party Vows to Fight Legally and Politically

Madhya Pradesh Congress President Jitu Patwari said that the party will fight against this decision with all its might. "The Congress party will fight this with all its might...Regarding the legal and election-related allegations arising from these events and the way our legal experts approached the situation, the authorities could not, and cannot, simply dismiss the legal grounds; yet, what occurred was an act of sheer political malice. How an election officer, who also serves as the Legislative Assembly Secretary, gave a political shape to the BJP's agenda," he asked.

Party leader KC Venugopal on Tuesday slammed the BJP after nomination papers of Meenakshi Natarajan were rejected with a party delegation also going to meet the Election Commission over the issue. Venugopal said that rejecting Meenakshi Natarajani's "nomination to the Rajya Sabha is a blatant attempt by the BJP to destroy the democratic process in a clandestine manner". "The allegation of any error or non-disclosure in her nomination is complete humbug and a desperate attempt to snatch a seat from the INC. They stooped so low as to reject her nomination when they realised that their dirty tricks to compromise our INC MLAs is going to fail," he said in a post on X.

"This shows the BJP's hollow commitment to the Constitution and democracy. At every step of the way, they are hell-bent on Vote Chori - one way or another. We will not take this daylight robbery of democracy lying down, and will fight this legally as well as politically on the streets tooth-and-nail," he added.

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, who was among party leaders who reached Election Commission said that they wanted to submit a petition to Election Commission. He accused the poll body of "deliberating stopping" the party delegation and said he had never seen something like this. "We have come here to submit a petition. Our candidate has been disqualified. We just want to submit our petition to the Election Commission...Why can't I sit in the waiting room? I have been a Member of Parliament for over 35 years. I have been waiting here for over 10 minutes. You are deliberately stopping us. I have never seen anything like this," he said.

The polling for Rajya Sabha biennial elections is slated to take place on June 18. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)