Cong urges SC to take on record BSY audio clip
NEW DELHI: The Karnataka Congress on Monday requested the Supreme Court, hearing the 17 MLAS’ disqualification case, to take on record a fresh audio clip in which Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa is purportedly hitting out at his party leaders for not recognising the “sacrifice” of the disqualified Congress-jd(s) MLAS, because of whom the BJP could come to power.
A bench headed by Justice N V Ramana said it will consult Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi for constituting the bench on Tuesday to consider the fresh material given by the Karnataka Congress.
A purported audio clip of Yediyurappa expressing anguish against leaders at a recent party meeting in Hubballi over their opposition to giving tickets to the disqualified Congress-jd(s) MLAS for the December 5 Assembly by-polls in 15 constituencies had surfaced last Friday.
In the audio, he is purportedly saying that the rebel Congress JD(S) MLAS, who were later disqualified, were kept in Mumbai during the final days of the coalition government under BJP national President Amit Shah’s watch.
IMPHAL: Slamming the Centre over alleged lack of transparency in the ongoing Naga peace talks, former union minister Jairam Ramesh has said that the Congress will oppose any agreement, if it changes the geography of Manipur and any other northeastern state.
A six-member Congress delegation arrived here on Sunday to take stock of the situation in Manipur arising out of the Naga peace talks and gather the opinions of people and party leaders on the National Register of Citizens (NRC).
"There is no transparency regarding Naga peace talks on the part of the central government. The progress in the ongoing Naga peace talks has not been disclosed," Ramesh told reporters at the Congress Bhawan here.
Any accord which would change the geography of any state of the northeast region, including Manipur, will be opposed by the Congress, he said.
During the tenure of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, the Centre had signed Assam, Mizoram and Tripura accords "without changing the geography of any state", the senior Congress leader said.
The former union minister was accompanied by AICC general secretary Mukul Wasnik, former union minister of state Jitendra Singh, MP Manickam Tagore, AICC secretary Ranjit Mukherjee and Mohammed Ali Khan. Last week, the Union Home Ministry had said that lot of rumours and misinformation was being spread that the final Naga settlement had been arrived at and would be announced soon.
"This is creating anxiety and concern in some parts of the country. It is clarified that before any settlement is arrived at with Naga groups, all stakeholders including states of Assam, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh will be duly consulted and their concerns will be taken into consideration. No credence needs to be given to such rumours and incorrect information," the MHA statement had said.
Former Manipur chief minister O Ibobi Singh said that the Centre, according to media reports, has rejected the NSCN-IM demand for separate flag and Constitution during the Naga peace talks.