Became finance minister first time at Deve Gowda's insistence: Siddaramaiah
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who recently presented his record 17th Budget as the state's finance minister, recalled on Tuesday that he first took on the responsibility in 1994 at the insistence of then CM H D Deve Gowda.
Speaking in the Legislative Assembly, he said that if he had not accepted the responsibility then, he wouldn't have presented the record number of budgets.
"Deve Gowda was the chief minister. I asked for the Revenue Department during the meeting at senior leader R L Jalappa's office at his medical college.... But Jalappa said he wanted the Revenue portfolio, so that department went to him. When I asked what would be given to me, Gowda said to take the Finance Department. I told him I didn't want Finance, but Gowda insisted, saying that they wanted a trusted person," Siddaramaiah said.
He said, "I did not know economics, nor had I studied it, so I said I didn't want that department. But Gowda forcefully gave that portfolio to me."
At this point, Leader of Opposition R Ashoka, quipped that Gowda might have had farsightedness. "Since you (Siddaramaiah) became finance minister then, today you have presented 17 budgets. If not, I'm not sure what would have happened....you should thank him (Gowda) for it."
Siddaramaiah replied to Ashoka, saying, "If not then, he would never have become (the finance minister)."
The issue arose as Ashoka, while comparing the first Budget presented by Siddaramaiah for 1995-96 to the one presented by him last week said, "it (the first budget) had weight....there is nothing in this budget compared to it."
Noting that Siddaramaiah himself previously stated that he faced criticism when he first became the finance minister with comments like, "How can a person who cannot count a hundred sheep present a state budget?", Ashoka said, "It was Gowda who made such a person the finance minister."
Siddaramaiah hails from the Kuruba (shepherd) community.
Siddaramaiah's relationship with JD(S) patriarch and former Prime Minister Deve Gowda is now considered as "friends-turned-foes" in Karnataka's political circles, after the former was thrown out of the JD(S) in 2005 for anti-party activities.
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Alleging unauthorised sorting of postal ballot covers, TMC files complaint with EC
Kolkata (PTI): The TMC on Saturday said it has filed a complaint with the Election Commission, alleging unauthorised sorting of postal ballot covers at an EVM strongroom in Kolkata.
TMC workers, who have been camping outside the Khudiram Anushilan Kendra, alleged that eight trunks of postal ballots were brought in at 4 am and were taken to a room, which has no CCTV coverage.
"We have been demanding that every single millimetre of space where EVMs and postal ballots be under CCTV surveillance. But as these trunks were taken inside, it was clear that they were taken to a room not under CCTV cover. Why should this happen," a TMC member asked.
Voting machines from several assembly segments of northern and eastern Kolkata are stored at the strongroom at Khudiram Anushilan Kendra.
As TMC activists were demonstrating, BJP's Shyampukur candidate Purnima Chakraborty reached the spot with her supporters, escalating tensions.
Both sides started shouting slogans as police stood between them, attempting to bring the situation under control.
Chakraborty claimed that sensing defeat, TMC workers were creating chaos outside the strongroom.
Later, the TMC said it filed a complaint with the EC over the issue.
Similar scenes were witnessed outside the strongroom at the Barasat Government College in North 24 Parganas district, where TMC workers demonstrated, alleging that the CCTV was switched off for 17 minutes in the morning.
TMC's Ashoknagar candidate Narayan Goswami reached the spot, demanding that he be allowed inside the building.
An election official said the CCTV cameras were working fine, but the power cables of the monitors installed outside the centre snapped.
"The 17-minute footage will be shared with TMC or whichever party wants it," he said.
In Purba Bardhaman district, the BJP shared a purported video that showed a person scaling the walls of the University Institute of Technology, where EVMs had been stored.
The EC said the video was old and the person seen in it was engaged for the installation of CCTV cameras and ACs.
