Hyderabad: All India Majlis-e-Ittihadul Muslimeen President, Asaduddin Owaisi on Monday termed Sumitra Mahajan’s term as the speaker of Lok Sabha as the ‘worst in the Chair’s history’.
In a tweet from his official twitter handle, Owaisi slammed Mahajan and said her tenure as the speaker weakened legislative accountability and allowed partisanship.
While replying to the a tweet of senior journalist Nikhil Wagle wherein he had added that Sumitra Mahajan accused ATS Chief Hemant Karkare of having close links with Digvijay Singh, Owaisi wrote “Remember, Madam held a constitutional post for 5 years, That didn’t prevent her from insulting the memory of a martyr”.
He went on to add that such things can be expected from RSS as they’ve never sacrificed anything for the country but have “wrote multiple love letters to British”.
In another tweet where he termed Mahajan’s tenure as the ;’worst in the Chair’s history’ he hoped that after 23rd May, there will be a speaker who respects separation of powers.
Madam Mahajan’s tenure as Speaker was the worst in the Chair’s history, it weakened legislative accountability & allowed for partisanship
— Asaduddin Owaisi (@asadowaisi) April 29, 2019
Inshallah after 23rd May, there will be a Speaker who respects separation of powers
Remember, Madam held a constitutional post for 5 years. That didn’t prevent her from insulting the memory of a martyr. It’s expected from RSS, they’ve never sacrificed anything for India & in-fact wrote multiple love letters to British
— Asaduddin Owaisi (@asadowaisi) April 29, 2019
Also, reminder: Fringe is the mainstream https://t.co/VGSyKKnKqN
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
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.
