Congress demands PM's briefing on West Asia conflict; flags LPG shortage, inflation
New Delhi (PTI): The Congress on Monday demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi inform the citizens about the outcome of a high-level meeting he chaired a day earlier on the West Asia conflict, and spell out the steps taken to tackle the LPG shortage and rising inflation in the country.
Claiming that the Iran-Israel-US conflict has entered its “most dangerous phase”, the opposition party called for de-escalation and diplomacy.
Chaired by Modi, the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) on Sunday reviewed the situation arising out of the conflict in West Asia, and made a detailed assessment on the availability of critical items, including food, energy and fuel, an official statement said.
Congress MP Ujjwal Raman Singh said the government must explain the outcome of the meeting and reassure the people of the country.
“Look, while the meeting did take place, people do not know what its outcome was. Parliament is in session – he (Modi) should come to the House and reassure the people of the country about how, in the coming days, relief will be provided from the LPG crisis and rising inflation. The government must answer,” Singh told reporters inside the Parliament House complex.
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Congress whip in the Lok Sabha, Manickam Tagore, criticised Modi for the “delay” in addressing the issue.
“After 14 days of silence and after 14 days of election campaign in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Bengal and Assam, the prime minister has found time to speak about the energy crisis now.
“There is no clear-cut plan. By this time, the LPG shortage has increased. The commercial price of LPG has gone up by 40 per cent. Airfares are going to increase. What was the outcome of the meeting? Only tea, biscuits and discussions,” Tagore said.
Congress MP Manish Tiwari warned that the escalating hostilities in West Asia could disrupt global supply chains and impact essential commodities.
“There has been an escalation since Sunday to an unprecedented level. Iranians have ostensibly attempted to hit the Israeli nuclear research reactor. President (Donald) Trump has issued a warning which is going to expire this evening. So, the conflict has perhaps entered its most dangerous phase,” Tiwari said.
The Congress MP also claimed that around 3,000 ships are currently idling in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, indicating a major disruption in maritime movement.
“There is a need to give diplomacy a chance. For the consumers, the criticality of the situation only gets more dire every moment because it is not only about crude oil, but also about fertiliser, food, pharmaceuticals and essential life-saving drugs,” he said.
“So there is a whole supply chain which has been disrupted. We have entered a very sensitive phase in this conflict after three weeks of hostilities,” he added.
Chairing the CCS meeting on Sunday, Modi directed that a group of ministers and secretaries be created to work dedicatedly in a whole-of-government approach to deal with the effects of the West Asia conflict, the official statement said.
The prime minister said the conflict is an evolving situation and the entire world is affected in some form.
In such a situation, he said, all efforts must be made to safeguard the citizens from the impact of this conflict.
Modi instructed that all arms of the government should work together to ensure the least inconvenience to the citizens.
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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.
