Maharashtra: Solapur BJP MP's caste certificate invalid

KOLHAPUR: In a major setback to BJP MP Dr Jaysiddheshwar Shivacharya Mahaswami, Solapur district caste verification committee has termed his caste certificate as invalid, which he had submitted at the time of filing nomination papers to contest the election.
A three-member committee, headed by Dnyandeo Sul, has passed some strictures against BJP MP and has held that he had tampered with government documents to submit the caste certificate. The committee has ordered Akkalkot Tehsildar in Solapur district to file a complaint in the court against Dr Jaysiddheshwar Shivacharya Mahaswami.

Committee decision assumes significance as Solapur Lok Sabha constituency is reserved for Scheduled Caste and sitting BJP MP may be announced disqualified. However, Dr Jaysiddheshwar’s lawyer Santosh Nhavkar said that he would challenge the decision in High Court, which is legally permissible.
Pramod Gaikwad, Vinayakr Kandkule and Milind Muley had filed complaint with caste verification committee. Gaikwad was one of the contestants in Lok Sabha election. He had filed same complaint with returning officer, but it was turned down.
In 30 pages ruling, copy of which was handed over to the complainant on Monday, committee has said that Dr Jaysiddheshwar Maharaj belongs to Jangam community and not to Beda Jangam, as per the documents brought before it. The committee has further noted that Dr Jaysiddheshwar Maharaj had produced some evidence by tampering official government documents. Committee has said that caste certificate produced by him was ‘fake’.
The caste verification committee had appointed vigilance committee, which was asked to cross check documents submitted by Dr Jaysiddheshwar Maharaj. The caste verification committee, in its ruling had stated that the vigilance committee found several irregularities like pasting of another page in the register and change in the ink in the record book.
The committee has observed that Dr Jaysiddheshwar Maharaj did not produce documents despite being given opportunity for several times. The committee had scheduled final hearing on February 15, when BJP MP’s lawyer raised several objections. However, all of them were turned down by the committee. The committee, however, made it clear that Dr Jaysiddheshwar can challenge the decision in High Court.
Solapur Lok Sabha election had generated much heat in political circles because of presence senior Congress leader Sushilkumar Shinde and Vanchit Bahujan Aaghadi leader Prakash Ambedkar, grandson of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar. While Solapur has been home turf for Shinde, Ambedkar was contesting from Solapur for the first time and Dr Jaysiddheshwar was mainly known as religious and spiritual personality.