UP bypolls: Amid violence in Muzaffarnagar, 31.21% voter turnout recorded till 1 pm
Amid reports of minor violence, polling in nine assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh is progressing peacefully with around 31.21% voter turnout till 1 pm.
Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Monday slammed Congress leader Randeep Surjewala for calling those who support the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as ‘raakshas’ (demons).
“Only a man born in a clan with demonic behaviour can think of such things. We will take strong cognisance of it,” the CM told reporters in Karnal during a Tiranga yatra. He termed the language used by Surjewala un-parliamentary.
State Home Minister and BJP leader Anil Vij also condemned the remarks. “Optical nerve of Randeep Singh Surjewala appears to have been damaged, he is seeing a demon in devta (gods),” he said.
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The Congress leader from Haryana, Surjewala, stoked a major controversy while speaking at a public meeting in Kaithal on Sunday when he termed the BJP and those who vote for it as “raakshas”. “The people of BJP and Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) are ‘raakshas’ and those who vote for the party and support them are ‘raakshas’ too. Today, on this land of the Mahabharata, I curse them (BJP-JJP),” the Rajya Sabha member said.
Following uproar over his remarks, Surjewala issued a clarification, defending his comments and accusing the BJP of clinging onto words to murder the issues raised by him. “This government repeatedly tries to hide its failures behind emotional issues,” he alleged.
Citing several alleged failures of the government, including communal violence in Nuh, he said, “Are those who have thrown society into the fire of hate and killed the dreams of youngsters are any less than demons,” he asked.
“In my view, violence and injustice is the work of a demonic nature. Haryana, the country’s most peaceful state, has witnessed violence three times during nine and a half years of BJP’s misrule. For the first time after Independence, the BJP government has had caste riots take place several times, dozens of innocent people were killed by police bullets and then the firing in Panchkula and people were killed, that firing incident still gives goosebumps. Are all these misdeeds divine forms,” Surjewala asked.
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