Upset over crackdown on farmers, BKU (Ugrahan) to skip meeting called by Punjab govt
Chandigarh (PTI): Amid the crackdown on the protesting farmers by Punjab Police, Bharti Kisan Union (Ugrahan) has said it would not be part of a meeting with farmers leaders called by the Punjab government on Friday.
On Thursday, leaders of Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) said the Punjab government has invited them for a meeting with state Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khuddian on Friday.
BKU (Ugrahan) was also invited to the meeting. The invitation came ahead of the SKM's call for a march to the Punjab Vidhan Sabha on March 26.
BKU (Ugrahan) said while it favours dialogues to resolve any issue, "the question arises whether having the meeting under these circumstances (detention of farmers) is right".
"What is the guarantee that those invited for the talks will not be arrested later," BKU (Ugrahan) president Joginder Singh Ugrahan asked in a video message.
"...So, we have decided that we will not be part of the meeting," the BKU chief said.
The SKM and the BKU (Ugrahan) were not part of the over a year-long farmers' protests at the Shambhu and Khanauri border points between Haryana and Punjab.
The SKM (Non-Political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) spearheaded the protests since February last year before Punjab Police cleared the two protest sites on Wednesday.
The police also detained several protesting farmers, including some prominent leaders such as Sarwan Singh Pandher and Jagjit Singh Dallewal in Mohali, and demolished all the temporary structures at both the border points, leading to traffic restoration on the busy Shambhu-Ambala highway after more than a year.
Vehicular movement on the Khanauri border point is also set to resume.
The BKU (Ugrahan) chief also claimed that many farmers owing allegiance to the SKM were taken into custody on Thursday during protests at some parts of Punjab against the police action.
It is still not clear how many farmers have been arrested by the police, he said.
The SKM is demanding implementation of the state's agricultural policy, purchase of six crops at MSP by the state government, a legal framework for debt relief after coordinating with the Centre, ownership rights of land tillers, and payment of sugarcane arrears.
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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.
