Rahul calling 'Statue of Unity' Made in China shows disliking for Patel: Modi
New Delhi, Sep 29: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday attacked the Congress for "spreading falsehood to mislead people" and accused it of insulting India's first Home Minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel by calling his "Statue of Unity" as one Made in China.
"The Congress as government was corrupt and a failure, which is known to every citizen. In the last four years, the Congress has only spread lies, it has become arrogant, it has drifted away from the people, it has become insensible and it has failed to perform as an opposition," Modi said during his interaction with BJP workers through video conferencing via NaMo app.
Modi remarks came while responding to a question of a party worker from Uttar Pradesh's Basti parliamentary constituency. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader was asked what the party workers should do to deal with the false and baseless allegations being made by the opposition.
The Prime Minister said the Congress' only agenda is to throw muck on others, spread lies and repeat them loudly and mislead people.
Slamming the Congress for spreading lies over the world's largest statue of Sardar Patel named "Statue of Unity" being built in Gujarat was Made in China, he said: "They spread lies on Statue of Unity that it is Made in China. I saw false information in which the Congress President (Rahul Gandhi) equated the Sardar Patel statue with shoes Made in China," he said.
"They are taking Sardar Patel's name like this. All these years, they have disrespected Sardar Patel," he said, adding: "How far they will to express their disliking for Sardar Patel?"
Modi's remarks came two days after Gandhi while addressing a public rally in Madhya Pradesh's Satna on Thursday said that the statue being built for him in Gujarat is "Made in China" like the Made in China written on mobile phones, shirts and shoes.
"Modiji had promised to build the world's largest statue of Sardar Patel in Gujarat. But later it was revealed that on the back of the statue it was written Made in China," Gandhi said.
The Statue of Unity, which is 182 metres from the ground and 240 metres from the river base of Narmada, has been completed. The inauguration of the statue will be done on Vallabhbhai Patel's 143rd birth anniversary on October 31 by the Prime Minister.
"If you look at their behaviour over the last few days, you will all canard they are spreading. Remember, when the government brought the poor of the country closer to bank and banking services, they spread the lie that their money is not safe in banks.
"Everyday they plan and everyday they spread lies. Their motive is to mislead the people of the country, they want to create an atmosphere of fear to do politics," he alleged.
Modi also asked his party workers to do in-depth research on the issues raised by the Congress to give them befitting reply. He asked them to defend the government and party works through social media platforms and the NaMo app.
Modi would also interact with the party workers from Rajasthan's Chittorgarh, Uttar Pradesh's Basti, Jharkhand's Dhanbad and Chhattisgarh's Bilaspur parliamentary constituency.
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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.
