Rajya Sabha plea rejection a fight for constitutional values: Natarajan

Congress leader Meenakshi Natarajan said the SC's rejection of her plea over her Rajya Sabha nomination is not a personal loss but a bigger fight for the country's constitutional values. She added the party will formulate a strategy to address it.

'A fight for democracy, not a personal loss'

Congress leader Meenakshi Natarajan on Friday said that the Supreme Court's rejection of her plea over her Rajya Sabha nomination from Madhya Pradesh is not a personal loss but a bigger fight for the country's constitutional values. She added that the party will consult its senior leaders to formulate a strategy to address the issue.

Speaking to ANI, Natarajan said, "This is a matter concerning our entire party, the Constitution, and constitutional values. In consultation with all the senior leaders of our party, we will formulate a strategy for this." "I do not view this as a personal defeat at all. I believe this is a question posed to the entire system; it is a question regarding democracy itself--whether democracy will lose or win. That is our primary concern," she added.

Natarajan slams Election Commission

Earlier, she termed the decision "a setback to democracy and the Constitution of India." Speaking to media, Natarajan said this was not a personal setback but a blow to democracy and the Constitution, adding that the Election Commission had been unresponsive for 48 hours, though the Supreme Court at least heard their plea. "This is not a personal setback. This is a setback to democracy and the Constitution of India. I said this in the beginning that the members of the Election Commission were compromised. When our people went to the Election Commission, they did not answer us for 48 hours. The Supreme Court at least heard our plea and gave a verdict," she said.

The Congress leader alleged that the EC was deeply compromised, saying the issue was not with the state of Madhya Pradesh but with the poll body itself, and that the Returning Officer's handling had been exposed to the public. "We all know the Election Commission's stance. I do not wish to make any comment regarding the Supreme Court," Natarajan later told ANI.

Background of the controversy

The controversy stems from the rejection of Natarajan's nomination for one of the three Rajya Sabha seats from Madhya Pradesh by the Returning Officer, citing her alleged failure to disclose a pending criminal case. Following the rejection, senior Congress leaders met with the EC seeking immediate reversal of the decision, after which the party approached the Supreme Court.

Supreme Court dismisses plea

Earlier, the Supreme Court stated, "We are not inclined to entertain this petition, and it is hereby dismissed," while clarifying that its observations on Natarajan's nomination would not prejudice any election petition that may be instituted before the jurisdictional High Court.

Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing Natarajan, had argued that charges had not been framed against her, which is a requirement under the Representation of the People's Act (RoP) for rejection of nomination papers.

Meanwhile, in protest, Congress leaders staged a Satyagraha in New Delhi earlier in the day to express their dissent against the handling of the matter by the EC. (ANI)

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