BJP levelling baseless charges against me as I am pro-poor, pro-Dalits & for social justice: CM
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday accused the BJP of levelling baseless allegations against him as he was always pro-poor, pro-Dalit and for social justice.
His comments came in the backdrop of Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot granting sanction permitting investigation against him under 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act and prosecution under Section 218 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, on corruption charges.
Speaking at a programme to pay tributes to former Prime Minister late Rajiv Gandhi and former Karnataka Chief Minister late Devaraj Urs on their birth anniversary, Siddaramaiah alleged that it was "impossible for the BJP to be with poor, backward classes, Dalits and minorities."
“Congress is always pro-women, pro-poor, pro-minorities and pro-Dalit. Since I am against inequality in the society and pro-poor, the BJP is against me and doing all that which should not be done. That’s why they make baseless allegations against me,” the Chief Minister said at the state headquarters of the Congress here.
Siddaramaiah alleged that the BJP always wants the poor to remain in the same condition, and also not become socially and economically strong.
“(Prime Minister) Narendra Modi says ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’ (Together with all, Development of all). But the truth is, for him it’s ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vinash’ (Together with all, destruction of all),” he alleged.
Siddaramaiah has termed as "trumped-up" the allegations relating to irregularities in the allotment of sites by the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA).
In his writ petition challenging the Governor's order in the High Court on Monday, the Chief Minister submitted that it was issued without due application of mind, in violation of statutory mandates, and contrary to constitutional principles, including the advice of the Council of Ministers, which is binding under Article 163 of the Constitution of India.
Siddaramaiah, who has vehemently denied any wrong doing, said the Governor’s decision is legally unsustainable, procedurally flawed, and motivated by extraneous considerations.
On the petition filed by him, the High Court on Monday passed interim orders directing the trial court to defer proceedings on complaints against him and further instructing that no precipitative action be taken pursuant to the sanction till August 29.
The BJP has demanded the Chief Minister's resignation to pave way for a transparent and unbiased investigation.
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Emotional tributes paid to cops killed in blast at gunpowder dump of Maoists in Chhattisgarh
Narayanpur (Chhattisgarh) (PTI): Emotional scenes were witnessed on Sunday as wreaths were laid on the mortal remains of three of the four police personnel killed in an explosion in a gunpowder dump of Maoists in Chhattisgarh's Kanker district.
The grieving family members were inconsolable, while security personnel tried to comfort them.
Amid chants of "Bharat Mata ki Jai" and "Vande Mataram," public representatives, along with senior police and administrative officials, paid tributes to the deceased personnel.
The wreath-laying ceremony to pay homage to Inspector Sukhram Vatti (40), constables Krishna Komra (35) and Sanjay Gadhpale (29), killed in the explosion on Saturday, was held at the Police Lines in Narayanpur district, neighbouring Kanker.
The mortal remains of constable Parmanand Komra (29), who succumbed to injuries during treatment in Raipur, will be shifted to Kanker, where a separate wreath-laying ceremony will be held, police said.
Inspector General of Police, Bastar Range, Sundarraj Pattilingam, after paying homage, told reporters that the four police personnel made the supreme sacrifice while protecting the region.
"I pay my homage to them," he added.
The four personnel were killed while they were attempting to dispose of a gunpowder dump hidden earlier by Maoists in a forest near Aadnar village under Chhotebethiya police station limits in Kanker district, according to police.
It was the first explosion linked to Naxalites in the state since it was declared free from armed Maoists on March 31, and also the first instance this year in which security personnel engaged in anti-Naxal operations lost their lives.
District Reserve Guard (DRG) official Vatti, who was leading the team, hailed from Bijapur district. Constable Krishna Komra of the district force and constables Gadhpale and Parmanand Komra of the Bastar Fighters were residents of different villages in Kanker.
