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The spat broke out over the Rajasthan Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Bill (2025) that was passed by the BJP-controlled Assembly amid uproar by the Congress. Read Time:3 mins Share BJP MLA Gopal Sharma (L) and the Congress’ Rafeek Khan (File). Jaipur: A crass comment by Rajasthan BJP MLA Gopal Sharma in the context of an ‘anti-conversion bill’ – that Congress leaders Rafeek Khan and Amin Kagazi should ‘return to their original religion’ – has triggered a storm in the desert state’s political landscape. Mr Khan responded with an Urdu couplet and a sharp remark, “If you’re serious about tackling forced conversions, start with Gopal Sharma himself.” The couplet Mr Khan, also the opposition’s Chief Whip quoted – “One owl is enough to destroy a garden, and now every branch has an owl perched on it – what will be the fate of the garden?” The Congress leader’s poetic rebuttal did not deter the BJP MLA, who persisted with his argument, that ‘most Muslims are converts and should return to their (original) religion’. “If they return… their ancestors’ souls will find peace,” he declared. The unseemly spat broke out over the Rajasthan Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Bill (2025) that was passed by the BJP-controlled Assembly amid uproar by the Congress.

Leader of the Opposition Tikaram Jully alleged that not only Congress MLAs but even former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje was under BJP surveillance Read Time:2 mins Share The Congress staged a protest outside Rajasthan Assembly, demanding an inquiry. Show Quick Read Summary is AI-generated, newsroom-reviewe Let us know. Did our AI summary help? Switch To Beeps Mode Jaipur: The Monsoon Session of the Rajasthan Assembly might have concluded, but it has left behind a fresh political storm. The Opposition has accused the ruling BJP of “spying” on legislators by installing additional CCTV cameras inside the Assembly premises. The Congress staged a protest outside the House wearing “Jagga Jasoos” caps and demanded an inquiry by a joint committee. The Leader of the Opposition Tikaram Jully termed it a violation of privacy.  He went a step further, alleging that not only Congress MLAs but even former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje was under surveillance.  He claimed that when Ms Raje attended the House two days ago, it was monitored who went to meet her. Former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot also launched a scathing attack, saying governance has completely collapsed since the BJP came to power.  He said the government doesn’t want assembly sessions to function and is now using cameras to keep tabs on the Opposition. “This is dangerous for democracy,” Mr Gehlot added.

Amit Shah said in Assam, the decadal growth rate of Muslim population in 2011 census was 29.6% and added, “This is not possible without infiltration.” Read Time:2 mins Share Union Home Minister Amit Shah Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday claimed that some political parties were treating infiltrators as a vote bank and questioned why infiltration does not take place along the Gujarat and Rajasthan borders. Shah said this while delivering a lecture in memory of Dainik Jagran’s former editor-in-chief Narendra Mohan on the topic “Infiltration (ghuspaith), demographic change and democracy”. He said infiltration was not a political issue but a national issue, which is a threat to democracy. The opposition says it is the responsibility of the Centre to stop infiltration as the Border Security Force (BSF) is under its control, but there are certain areas on the border which cannot be fenced due to topography, he said. “Centre alone cannot stop infiltration. State governments protect such infiltrators as some parties see a vote bank in them,” he said. The minister asked if a person illegally enters the country and the district administration fails to identify them, then how can infiltration be stopped? He said that when a person does not understand the difference between a refugee and an infiltrator, they are deceiving their own soul.

Political circles believe that if the BJP had given the ticket to someone from the family of the previous winner, Kanwarpal Meena, or to Prabhulal Saini, the outcome might have been different. Read Time:4 mins Share Better booth management could have also changed the result. The by-election results in Rajasthan’s Anta have dealt a major blow to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), while giving the Congress fresh energy ahead of the upcoming panchayat and municipal elections. Especially after its defeats in recent by-elections, this victory has come as a lifeline for the Congress. More than Congress’s win, the political chatter is focused on the BJP’s loss. Political analysts believe that had the BJP won, all the credit would have gone to Vasundhara Raje – so now the blame for the defeat is being placed on her. It is being said that Hadoti’s power politics and the behind-the-scenes power game outweighed Raje’s strategy this time. Vasundhara Raje had kept the entire election campaign in her own hands. Her Jhalawar team was on the ground. Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma and BJP MP Madan Rathore held roadshows, but the overall election management remained with Raje and her son Dushyant. As a result, the micro-management by the government and the organisation – visible in previous elections – was missing this time. There was prolonged infighting in the BJP over ticket distribution. After several rounds of meetings, the party eventually gave the ticket to local leader Morpal Suman, Raje’s preferred choice. But this move backfired.  Political circles believe that if the BJP had given the ticket to someone from the family of the previous winner, Kanwarpal Meena, or to Prabhulal Saini, who had defeated Pramod Jain Bhaya earlier, the outcome might have been different.