Law equal for all, raid my house if I do anything wrong: Modi
Sidhi/Jabalpur/Mumbai, Apr 26: Dispelling the impression that recent searches by the Income-Tax department were politically motivated, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Friday said the law is equal for all and his residence should also be searched if he has done anything wrong.
Addressing a public meeting at Sidhi in Madhya Pradesh, he targeted the Congress on corruption, saying it committed the "Tughlaq Road election scam", whose money was being used for the poll campaign of its chief Rahul Gandhi.
Referring to recent I-T raids at the premises of aides of Madhya Pradesh's Congress Chief Minister Kamal Nath, Modi said, "They are crying that why were they targeted by the agencies. But they were raided as they indulged in wrongdoing.
If Modi is found to do such things then he should also not be spared."
The Central Board of Direct Taxes had said the department has also detected a trail of Rs 20 crore suspect cash allegedly being moved to the "headquarters of a major political party in Delhi" from the house of an important person who lives on Tughlaq Road, home to many VIPs.
"Agar Modi bhi gadbad kar raha hai to uske ghar bhi raid panda chahiye, kanoon sabke liye saman hona chahiye (If Modi does anything wrong, then his house should also be raided. Law should remain equal for all)," Modi said.
Slamming Kamal Nath without naming him, Modi said money sent by the Centre under different schemes, including for providing nutritious food to pregnant women, is being swindled by the Congress government in Madhya Pradesh.
"This stolen money is being sent to Tughlaq Road, where the bungalow of a big Congress leader is located, and from there it is routed to the place of `naamdar' (apparently referring to Gandhi) for funding his electioneering," Modi said.
Taking a jibe at the MP chief minister, Modi said perhaps Nath was "too busy" to share the list with the Centre due to his Switzerland visit and political grooming of his son (who is contesting the Lok Sabha election).
He criticised the Congress for the way it had dealt with the issue of terrorism while in power and remarked that the approach to tackle the menace has changed under the NDA government.
He asked the people who from among the opposition wanting to become the PM can wipe out terrorism. When they chanted his name in response, Modi said it is not him but their "one vote" that would help wipe out terrorism.
Modi said Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy had insulted soldiers with his reported remark that only those who cannot manage two square meals a day seek jobs in armed forces.
Addressing another poll rally in Jabalpur, Modi said the Congress was targeting him over demonetisation owing to the "devastation" suffered after the note ban by those who had invested that party's corruption money in the realty sector.
Because of the note ban decision, prices of housing for the common man came down, but those who had invested the money of Congress' corruption in the (realty) sector have been devastated, Modi said.
"Three lakh 'farzi' (bogus) companies which were factories creating black money have been shut down. They are also causing a lot of pain for the Congress. Modi sealed 3 lakh companies where such things were going on," he said.
Modi said a majority of Indians supported the note ban despite the difficulties which it entailed.
He said a campaign was launched when he started acting against black money and corruption and public was instigated by showing videos of people standing in queues outside banks.
Addressing a poll rally in Mumbai Friday night, Modi claimed that the Congress won't get even 50 seats in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.
Speaking at the rally in presence of Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, Modi cited a survey to support his claim.
"Dont waste your vote. Better to vote for a party that is coming to power and you can strengthen it with your vote," Modi said. "The only question now is if the BJP will better its own 2014 tally," he added.
Modi also attacked the Congress for neglecting the police forces force and turning it into a "punching bag" while the party was in power.
Modi's attack on the opposition party came in the backdrop of a raging controversy over BJP candidate Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur's remarks about 26/11 Mumbai terror attack martyr police officer Hemant Karkare.
Modi told the crowd that the Congress insulted them by calling the middle class as selfish and greedy. He underlined the contributions of the middle class and his government's initiatives for it.
"Telephone bills were once a large part in the list of expenses of the middle class. Due to our government efforts, calling is almost free now and data is also among the cheapest in the world," Modi said.
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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.
