Jaipur: An FIR was registered against Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat in Rajasthan’s Chittorgarh on Saturday over his alleged remarks against Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot at a rally two days ago, police sources said.
The FIR was registered on a complaint filed by Congress leader and former MLA Surendra Singh Jadawat.
At the BJP’s ‘Jan Aakrosh’ rally in Chittorgarh on Thursday, Shekhawat had allegedly described Gehlot as the “Ravana of politics in Rajasthan” and asked people to “resolve to establish Ram Rajya in the state”.
Jadawat told PTI, “I have filed a police complaint tonight against Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat for using such derogatory language against the chief minister of Rajasthan. He tried to outrage religious feelings while addressing a BJP rally.”
The FIR has been registered under sections 143 (unlawful assembly), 153-A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, etc.), 295-A (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage reli gious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or reli gious beliefs), 500 (defamation) and 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace) of the Indian Penal Code, the police sources said.
According to the FIR, the BJP organised a meeting at a public place on April 27 where Shekhawat was the key speaker and he gave a speech to “incite” people.
The minister spread false information about “popular” Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and spread hatred. Shekhawat insulted the chief minister by addressing him as the “Ravana of politics” with the intention of tarnishing his reputation, the FIR stated.
(Except for the headline, the story has not been edited by Siasat staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Hyderabad: On the day of the ED probe into BRS MLC K Kavitha in Delhi, BRS has put up posters across Hyderabad with one of them depicting Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the ten-headed Ravana from Hindu mythology.
The poster also described the Prime Minister as the ‘destroyer of democracy and ‘grandfather of hypocrisy’.
Along with this, posters mocking the BJP for its ‘raid’ detergent also were put up by members of the BRS in the city.
Posters, featuring leaders who joined BJP from others parties and BRS MLC K Kavitha on the other hand, were seen in Hyderabad.
Posters mocking BJP come up in Hyderabad. Photo: ANI.
According to sources, Kavitha will be made to sit face-to-face with Hyderabad-based businessman Arun Ramchandra Pillai, who was arrested in connection with the liquor policy case on Monday night.
The MLC termed the summons as “tactics of intimidation” by the Centre against the Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao and the BRS, adding that the party will continue to fight and expose the Centre’s failures and will raise its voice for a brighter and better future for India.
“I would also like the ruling party at the Centre to know that these tactics of intimidation against the fight and voice of our leader, CM KCR, and against the entire BRS party will not deter us. Under the leadership of KCR Garu, we will continue to fight to expose your failures and raise voice for a brighter and better future for India,” Kavitha said in a tweet.
On March 8, the BRS came down heavily on the Centre after the ED summoned Kavitha in connection with its ongoing probe in the Delhi excise policy case, saying that the central probe agencies have become an extended arm of the BJP.
Referring to the summons as “politically motivated”, BRS leader Ravula Sridhar Reddy had said that except ED and BJP, nobody really understands the case registered in connection with the new-withdrawn new Delhi excise policy.
In its investigation, ED has come to know that Pillai is one of the key persons in the entire scam involving payments of huge kickbacks and the formation of the biggest cartel of the South Group.
South Group comprises Telangana MLC Kavitha, Sarath Reddy (promoter of Aurobindo Group), Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy (MP, Ongole), his son Raghav Magunta, and others. The South Group was being represented by Pillai, Abhishek Boinpalli and Butchi Babu, the federal agency investigation has revealed.
Pillai along with his associates was coordinating with various persons to execute the political understanding between the South Group and a leader of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Pillai has been an accomplice and was involved in the kickbacks from the South Group and the recoupment of the same from the businesses in Delhi, ED investigation reveals.
The ED had earlier said that the South Group gave kickbacks of Rs 100 crore to AAP leaders.
Pillai is learnt to be a partner of 32.5 per cent in Indo Spirits, which had got an L1 licence. Indo Spirits is a partnership firm of Arun Pillai (32.5 per cent), Prem Rahul (32.5 per cent) and Indospirit Distribution Limited (35 per cent), wherein Arun Pillai and Prem Rahul represented the benami investments of Kavitha and Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy and his son Raghava Magunta.
Kavitha, who is a member of the Telangana Legislative Council, was questioned by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the same case in December last year.
The excise policy was passed in Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi Cabinet in the middle of the deadly Delta Covid-19 pandemic in 2021.
The Delhi government’s version is that the policy was formulated to ensure the generation of optimum revenue, eradicate the sale of spurious liquor or non-duty paid liquor in Delhi, besides improving user experience.
The CBI had filed a case against alleged corruption in the 2021-22 excise policy. The excise policy was subsequently withdrawn by the AAP government.
Sisodia was among 15 others booked in an FIR filed by the CBI. Excise officials, liquor company executives, dealers, some unknown public servants and private persons were booked in the case.
It was alleged that irregularities were committed including modifications in the Excise Policy and undue favours were extended to the license holders including waiver or reduction in licence fee, an extension of L-1 license without approval etc
