Former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah criticized the rejection of Congress candidate Meenakshi Natarajan’s Rajya Sabha nomination in Madhya Pradesh, calling it a “blatant illegality.” He alleged that this action was part of a larger scheme to undermine democratic institutions. Siddaramaiah pointed out that the BJP, while celebrating Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s tenure, was involved in subverting democratic processes through electoral machinery misuse.
The rejection of Natarajan’s nomination, according to Siddaramaiah, was not a routine decision but a politically motivated move favoring the BJP. He claimed that despite the BJP having the capacity to win only two seats, they fielded a third candidate and attempted to secure support through inducements offered to Congress legislators, which failed as Congress MLAs remained united.
Questioning the basis of the nomination rejection, Siddaramaiah argued that there was no criminal case against Natarajan as per the law. He emphasized that a private complaint does not constitute a criminal case unless recognized by a court, and a court notice alone does not necessitate disclosure as a criminal proceeding. Siddaramaiah alleged that the decision to reject the nomination was politically driven to ensure a victory for the BJP dishonestly.
Siddaramaiah accused the BJP of manipulating democratic processes through actions like voter list revisions and seat theft. He claimed that the BJP’s objective was to manufacture artificial numbers in Parliament by various means, including manipulating voters and misusing institutions. He stated that these manufactured numbers were used to pass laws he deemed anti-democratic and against the Constitution’s spirit.
