SP richest regional party with over Rs 82 crore declared income
New Delhi, May 22: With a declared income of Rs 82.76 crore, the Samajwadi Party is the richest of the 32 regional parties in India, a report by Association for Democratic Reforms said on Tuesday.
The SP was closely followed by the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) with an income of Rs 72.92 crore and AIADMK with Rs 48.88 crore.
The total income of the 32 regional parties for 2016-17 fiscal was Rs 321.03 crore.
Out of these, 14 parties claimed decline in income and 13 others an increase in income.
Five regional parties did not submitted their income tax return to the Election Commission. These are Indian National Lok Dal, Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party, Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party, All India United Democratic Front, and Kerala Congress-Mani.
The All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen and Janata Dal-Secular declared that more than 87 per cent of their total respective incomes remaining unspent, while the TDP said 67 per cent of its income remaining unspent.
The DMK declared spending Rs 81.88 crore more than its income while the Samajwadi Party and AIADMK declared spending Rs 64.34 crore and Rs 37.89 crore more than their total incomes respectively.
Apart from these 32, audit reports of 16 regional parties were unavailable. These include Aam Aadmi Party, National Conference, and the Rashtriya Janata Dal.
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Kulkarni became victim of BJP conspiracy as he grew politically in North Karnataka: Shivakumar
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Bengaluru (PTI): Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar claimed on Friday that Congress MLA Vinay Kulkarni, who was sentenced to life imprisonment in a murder case, has become a victim of a BJP conspiracy because he was growing politically in the north Karnataka region.
Stating that he has faith in Kulkarni and believes he has done nothing wrong, he said the former minister will fight the case legally by filing an appeal.
A Bengaluru court on Friday sentenced Kulkarni and fifteen others to life imprisonment in the BJP leader Yogeshgouda Goudar murder case.
On Wednesday, Santhosh Gajanan Bhat, Judge of the Special Court for cases involving elected representatives, convicted Kulkarni and others under various IPC sections, including criminal conspiracy and murder.
“I respect the court. But there was a big conspiracy in this case. When the police were about to file a B-report, the CBI was given the case to harass him (Kulkarni). Vinay Kulkarni has become a victim of a BJP conspiracy as he was growing politically in north Karnataka,” Shivakumar said.
Speaking to reporters in New Delhi, he said Kulkarni has several legal options.
“I have spoken to his family. He swore on God and told me that he had not done anything wrong. I still have faith in him. I feel that he has not done anything wrong. He has an opportunity to file an appeal,” he said, adding that he stands with Kulkarni’s family and supporters and believes he will get justice.
The case pertains to the killing of Goudar, a BJP zilla panchayat member, in Dharwad on June 15, 2016. Kulkarni was a minister at the time. Hired assailants allegedly attacked and hacked Goudar to death in his gym in Saptapur, Dharwad.
Following demands from Goudar’s family and others, the then-BJP government transferred the case to the CBI in 2019.
Veteran BJP leader and former Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa, under whose tenure the case was handed over to the CBI, told reporters in Chikkamagaluru, “I said what I needed to say when the crime happened, and what I said—that the guilty should be punished and justice should be served—has proven true.”
Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, BJP leader and MLC C T Ravi, reacting to the court order, said, “Justice delayed, but not denied.”
