TRS chief continues tirade against Congress, TDP
Hyderabad, Oct 5 : Targeting the Congress and TDP, TRS chief and caretaker Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao Friday alleged Telangana had suffered in irrigation and other sectors due to negligence during their rule.
On the other hand, it was during the TRS rule that development and welfare had been taken up on a large scale in various sectors, he claimed at an election rally at Wanaparthy near Mahabubnagar.
After opting for premature dissolution of the state assembly last month for early elections, the Telangana Rashtra Samithi supremo has announced candidates for 105 segments out of the total 119 in the state.
Rao has been attacking the Congress and TDP President and Andhra Pradesh chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, who have decided to form an alliance for the coming assembly elections in Telangana, during his campaign meetings in the last few days.
He alleged that irrigation projects in the Mahabubnagar region suffered delays because of the negligence of Congress leaders.
"What is the gift given by the 60 years of Congress, TDP rule to Palamuru (Mahabubnagar) district?... When you say Mahabubnagar, it is the district of migrations, droughts, labour. Is this the gift they have given for 60 years? Pending projects district," he said.
Congress leaders from Mahabubnagar extended their support when then chief minister of undivided Andhra Pradesh late Y S Rajasekhara Reddy worked against the interests of Telangana region in the irrigation sector, he charged.
Tracing the Telangana movement, he claimed first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru merged Telangana with Andhra Pradesh against its wish.
Late prime minister Indira Gandhi was responsible for the death of about 400 agitators, who fought for separate Telangana in 1969, in police firing, he charged.
Later, the then Congress president Sonia Gandhi delayed formation of separate Telangana and the party finally agreed to the demand due to the agitation "out of compulsion", he claimed.
Training guns on Naidu, Rao alleged the TDP supremo did not actually work for development of Mahabubnagar district though he had "adopted" it for nine years in undivited Andhra.
In a blistering attack on the alliance of Congress, TDP and others for the assembly polls, he asked, "Should we handover the self-respect of Telangana to Andhraites again?...
Should we become slaves to Amaravati (Andhra Pradesh capital).
Should decisions of Telangana happen in Telangana or Delhi?".
On reported comments of Naidu that he (Rao) and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have "come together", Rao sought to know the need for such a tie-up.
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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.
