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Ramdas Athawale
The disqualification of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi from Parliament has got nothing to do with the BJP or the NDA, Union Minister Ramdas Athawale said here on Sunday. The decision to disqualify Gandhi was taken by Lok Sabha secretariat as per the rules, the Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment said here. Athawale also announced his Republican Party of India (RPI)'s decision to back the NDA in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Gandhi, 52, was disqualified from the Lok Sabha on March 24, a day after a court in Gujarat's Surat convicted him in a 2019 defamation case. "Disqualification of Rahul Gandhi was not BJP's decision. This decision was by the Parliament. A Lakshwadweep MP was also disqualified from Lok Sabha as per rules," Athawale told reporters here. Mohammed Faizal of NCP was disqualified from the Lok Sabha in January this year after he was convicted in an attempt to murder case. He was reinstated last week by the Lok Sabha secretariat, just hours before his ple
Union Minister Ramdas Athawale said his party the Republican Party of India (Athawale) would work for the social and economic equality of all communities in Nagaland. Launching the election campaign for the Republican Party of India (Athawale) at newly created district Tseminyu in Nagaland, Athawale, the Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment said his party stands firm for the welfare of the downtrodden and minority community and also the farming community. "We have set up eight candidates for the February 27 Nagaland Assembly elections with the object of bringing more development to the state as envisioned by the founder of the Party Babasaheb Ambedkar, writer of Indian Constitution," he said. Athawale said the RPI(A) is an ally of the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre, and the party candidates after winning elections in Nagaland would work with the BJP-NDPP in the state as well. He said the RPI(A) candidate for Tseminyu assembly constituency, Loguseng Semp
Union minister Ramdas Athawale on Tuesday said the "real" Shiv Sena is the faction led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and only it has the "moral right" to hold the party's annual Dussehra rally in Mumbai's Shivaji Park. Mumbai's civic body has said it had received applications from the Uddhav Thackeray and Shinde-led factions of the Shiv Sena to "book" the sprawling Shivaji Park for the party's Dussehra rally in October. The rally, arguably the most important event in the Shiv Sena's political calendar, has been taking place at Shivaji Park for several decades, but has two claimants this time due to a split in the Sena following a rebellion by Shinde in June. Speaking to reporters in Pune, Athawale said the Shinde faction has the support of two-thirds of the Shiv Sena's elected representatives and workers, and expressed the hope the ruling camp will get decisions in its favour from the Election Commission and court in matters pending before them over the party symbol .