The J&K Legislative Assembly Speaker Kavinder Gupta and senior Bharatiya Janata Party legislators Sunday openly participated in right-wing Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’s ‘route march’ in Jammu.
Gupta was in ‘Gavnesh’, the RSS uniform, during the rally that passed through several areas in the city. Gupta had recently said he was a “proud RSS man.”
The Speaker—in white shirt and ‘khaki’ short joined the RSS march that commenced from DPS Ground and concluded at Hari Singh Park on the banks of river Tawi after passing through several city locations including Shaheedi Chowk, Residency Road, Viveknanda Chowk and Sher-e-Kashmir Chowk.
BJP MLA Rajesh Gupta (Jammu East), senior party leader Yudvir Sethi who is the husband of Minister of State, Priya Sethi and Ajay Pargal were also part of the RSS procession. BJP MLA from Nowshehra Assembly constituency, Ravinder Raina, participated in the RSS procession in Sunderbani area.
The RSS cadres, according to witnesses, brandished swords and guns at several places.
As per section 5 B of the Indian Arms Act, “no person shall expose or display any permitted bore other than licence granted by the District Magistrate to an authorized dealer within their premises.”
Legal experts slammed participation of Assembly Speaker in the RSS procession.
“It is unbecoming of a Speaker to participate in the RSS procession,” said Advocate Anil Sethi, adding, “He (Speaker) is not elected on party lines and should remain away from such processions.”
“The Speaker should resign on moral grounds”, Sethi said.
Another expert however said: “It’s not something to cry over. Speaker has recently said in the Assembly that he is a proud RSS man.”
PTI ADDS
Wearing Khaki shorts, white shirts and worshipping the weapons, a large number of RSS activists conducted a ‘Vijay Dashmi’ procession to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the foundation of the outfit.
“It is an annual ritual that we hold pooja of the weapons on the day of Dushera which symbolises the victory of good over evil”, Alok Kumar, a RSS worker said.
Kumar said that he has been taking part in the annual ritual of ‘Shastrappojan’ (weapon worship) and ‘Pathsanchalam’ (procession) for the past several years.
He said that today’s procession was significant as this was the 90th year of the foundation of the RSS.
RSS RALLY IN KISHTWAR TOO
The right-wing RSS Sunday organised a road show in Kishtwar district of Jammu region.
RSS men, mostly teenagers, started marching from Bhartiya Vidya Mandhir Kishtwar and went through Shaheedi Road. The rally later culminated at Bhartiya Vidya Mandhir School Kishtwar.
