Meenakshi Natarajan blames EC over nomination rejection:Congress leader says, ‘Party made no mistake while filing papers’

Senior Congress leader and former MP Meenakshi Natarajan has, for the first time, openly criticised the Election Commission over the rejection of her Rajya Sabha nomination. She said neither Congress leaders nor those involved in filing the nomination made any mistake. According to Natarajan, a “carefully crafted narrative” was created to portray the rejection as a result of the party’s negligence in order to shield the Election Commission from scrutiny. She said the Congress will file an election petition in the High Court within the prescribed time limit and challenge the entire matter legally. ‘Grounds for rejection were legally invalid’ Natarajan argued that the basis on which her nomination was rejected does not stand legal scrutiny. She said the Returning Officer claimed she had failed to disclose details of a pending case against her. However, she pointed out that Form 26, used for filing nomination papers, contains no column requiring such information. She further stated that a Hyderabad court later clarified that it had not even taken cognizance of the matter, making the basis for rejecting her nomination legally untenable. ‘Blaming Congress leaders was a deliberate campaign’ Rejecting allegations of negligence by Congress leaders or legal advisers, Natarajan said she has contested several elections and that the party’s senior legal experts have been handling nomination papers for years. She maintained that such a basic procedural mistake was highly unlikely and alleged that the narrative was deliberately spread to prevent questions from being raised about the Election Commission’s conduct. ‘Different rules applied in Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh’ Natarajan accused the Election Commission of applying different standards in similar cases. She cited the example of Rajya Sabha candidate Parimal Nathwani in Jharkhand, who was reportedly given 24 hours to rectify errors in his nomination papers. In contrast, she said she was not given any such opportunity in Madhya Pradesh, despite comparable circumstances. According to her, this demonstrated that uniform rules were not applied consistently. Congress to file election petition in High Court Natarajan said the Congress will file an election petition before the High Court within 45 days. She added that the party’s legal cell is preparing the case under the supervision of senior advocates. She also said that experienced lawyers had represented the party before both the Election Commission and the Supreme Court, and that the legal battle would now continue in the High Court. ‘Election Commission failed to act impartially’ Natarajan alleged that the Election Commission did not function as an impartial institution during the entire episode. She claimed that senior Congress leaders and lawyers reached the Commission on time to present their arguments, but the Commission deliberately delayed proceedings. According to her, the Commission had the authority to overturn the Returning Officer’s decision but chose not to do so, raising serious questions about its neutrality. Raises concerns over NEET, paper leaks Natarajan also criticized alleged irregularities in competitive examinations, including NEET, saying repeated paper leaks and flaws in the examination system have jeopardized the future of young students. She claimed that several students had died by suicide due to the stress caused by examination-related irregularities. She announced that the Congress would raise the issue across Madhya Pradesh through a bicycle rally from Indore to Bhopal on July 14–15, followed by a nationwide protest on August 9. Criticizes trade and agricultural policies The Congress leader alleged that trade agreements with the United States and policies related to pulse imports have adversely affected farmers. She demanded adequate relief for moong growers, a review of import policies, and measures to safeguard the interests of soybean farmers. According to her, the government’s policies appear to favour large corporate houses rather than farmers. Calls for transparent probe into CM family’s land holdings Natarajan also called for a transparent investigation into the alleged increase in land holdings owned by the Chief Minister and his family. She said farmers continue to face hardships while the number of land parcels and plots owned by certain individuals has reportedly increased, and insisted that the government should answer questions regarding the matter. Digvijaya Singh’s Ayodhya visit is personal, not political Commenting on senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh’s journey from Ujjain to Ayodhya, Natarajan said it is a personal programme. She noted that Singh himself has described the visit as non-political, and therefore she believes it would be inappropriate to attach any political significance to it.