By Special Correspondent
Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee president Jeetu Patwari on Tuesday levelled serious allegations against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the court verdict that declared the election of Congress leader Mukesh Malhotra from the Vijaypur Assembly constituency void.
Addressing journalists in Bhopal, Patwari claimed the episode exposed what he described as the BJP’s “conduct, character and face”, alleging that the ruling party was uncomfortable with the election of a tribal representative to the Assembly. He criticised certain remarks by BJP leaders questioning how a tribal legislator could reach the Assembly, terming them reflective of an anti-tribal mindset.
Patwari announced that the Congress would move the Supreme Court on Wednesday against the verdict. Senior advocate and Rajya Sabha MP Vivek Tankha will represent the party in the apex court. Patwari said the Congress had full faith in the judiciary and expressed confidence that Malhotra would ultimately regain public mandate.
He also appealed to BJP leaders and workers belonging to the tribal community to clarify whether they supported such developments. Patwari further accused the BJP government of ignoring issues such as inflation, deaths linked to alleged administrative lapses and the rising cost of cooking gas, while failing to address farmers’ concerns and the state’s worsening economic situation.
