BKU-led farmers set to reach Rajghat
Ghaziabad, Oct 1 : Thousands of farmers from Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh are set to reach Rajghat in Delhi to press the central government to concede their demands, the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) said on Monday.
The BKU-led 'Kranti Yatra', which started from Haridwar in Uttarakhand, has reached Ghaziabad and farmer leader Naresh Tikait said the farmers were determined to enter Delhi.
Earlier, the farmers were to spend Monday night in Ghaziabad for which the district administration had made arrangements at the Kamla Nehru Nagar ground.
In view of the heavy inflow of farmers, the administration has diverted public transport on National Highway 58.
The farmers spent Sunday night in Murad Nagar near the upper Ganga canal.
Tikait told reporters that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) grabbed power in 2014 by misleading farmers that their income would be doubled. Believing the party, the farmers voted for them.
"But after grabbing power in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh, the BJP has forgotten its promises. So we have come to remind them their promises," he said.
A memorandum to be submitted to the Centre includes 21 demands including implementation of the M.S. Swaminathan Commission report, waiver of farm loan, free electricity to farmers and allowing power connections to farmers to run tube wells.
Tikait said the farmers plan to reach Rajghat on Monday night or Tuesday morning "where we will pay tributes to Chaudhary Charan Singh, Mahatma Gandhi, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi and Babu Jagjivan Ram.
"Over one lakh farmers are expected to reach Rajghat although Delhi Police have sealed all entry points... We appeal to the government not to deprive us of our basic fundamental rights to pay tributes to our leaders."
Ghaziabad Senior Superintendent of Police Vaibhav Krishna said security arrangements had been tightened and nine companies of paramilitary forces had been deployed in Ghaziabad.
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CM Siddaramaiah alleges ‘criminal conspiracy’ in Sringeri recount, vows legal action
Bengaluru (PTI): Alleging a “criminal conspiracy” by BJP candidate D N Jeevaraj in the Sringeri Assembly poll recounting, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the outcome was manipulated after valid postal ballot votes in favour of Congress leader T D Raje Gowda were tampered with during the recounting process.
Following a Karnataka High Court order on an election petition filed by Jeevaraj, challenging Raje Gowda’s election, the reverification and recounting were conducted on Saturday.
After the reverification and recount of postal ballots for the Sringeri Assembly constituency, votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda were reduced by 255, the returning officer said.
A report on the matter has been submitted to the Election Commission of India for further action, the officer added.
Congress leader Raje Gowda had won the 2023 Assembly polls from Sringeri by 201 votes, defeating his nearest rival Jeevaraj.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said the High Court had directed the recounting of postal ballots and that irregularities were noticed during the exercise conducted on May 2.
“This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” Siddaramaiah said, alleging that valid votes cast in favour of Raje Gowda were altered after being accepted by counting agents of all parties, including Congress, BJP, and JD(S).
He claimed that during the recounting of postal ballots, 255 votes were initially accepted as valid by all agents but were later tampered with by subordinate officials.
“There is a second mark on the votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda. They had accepted these as valid votes. Subsequently, another mark was made by officials. This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” he said.
When asked who was behind the alleged conspiracy, the CM replied, “It was hatched by Jeevaraj and others. It is planned.”
Siddaramaiah further alleged that the returning officer acted improperly by declaring the result despite the presence of an Election Commission observer during the recounting.
“Immediately after the counting, the returning officer announced the result. He should not have done so; this is against the law,” he said.
He pointed out that Raje Gowda had originally won by 201 votes, but after the recounting, the BJP candidate was declared the winner by 52 votes.
“The BJP has committed a criminal act of conspiracy. This is not vote chori but vote dacoity,” he alleged.
The CM said a police complaint had already been filed by Raje Gowda’s election agent, Sudhir Kumar, and emphasised the need for electoral integrity.
“We want transparency and free and fair elections. That is what our Constitution mandates,” he added.
Stating that the government would pursue legal remedies, Siddaramaiah said, “We are preparing an appeal challenging the returning officer’s announcement in a court of law.”
Responding to a separate query on elections in other states, the CM said there appeared to be an anti-incumbency factor in West Bengal, while results in Tamil Nadu were “surprising,” adding that Vijay’s party was emerging as the largest there.
Following the victory of party candidates in Bagalkote and Davanagere South, Siddaramaiah expressed confidence about future electoral prospects in Karnataka.
“Even in 2028, we will win the Assembly elections. We will come back,” the CM said.
Siddaramaiah added that he would order a forensic examination into the alleged tampering of postal ballots.
