BJP MP Pratap Simha's brother Vikram framed in tree felling case: H D Kumaraswamy
Bengaluru: Former Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy on Friday alleged that BJP MP Pratap Simha’s brother Vikram Simha was 'framed' in the tree felling case.
Vikram Simha was recently arrested and granted bail in the tree felling case in a farm where he intended to grow ginger.
Pratap Simha has alleged that his brother is being framed to defame him so that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah can field his son Yathindra Siddaramaiah from the Mysuru-Kodagu Lok Sabha constituency on a Congress ticket.
The JD(S) second-in-command charged that the Forest officials brought rosewood from Gendekere forest and dumped it in the land, which Simha has taken on lease, on Siddaramaiah's directions.
ALSO READ: Congress govt in Karnataka spent public money in 5 states' recent polls, alleges Deve Gowda
According to him, the lease agreement started from January 1 but he was framed even before that.
Coming to the defence of Pratap Simha's brother, Kumaraswamy said the 'Gomala' (pasture land) was granted to Rakesh Shetty, who is now dead. His daughter Jayamma is taking care of it.
Jayamma had entered into the lease agreement with Vikram Simha to grant the land from January 2024 to 2027.
The case was initially registered against Jayamma as accused number one and Ravi as accused number two, the former chief minister said.
''The A-3 (Vikram Simha) was not there (in the FIR). There is a miscreant from Bengaluru who contacted CM and told him that he has brought a case to fix Vikram Simha. CM called the PCCF (Principal Chief Conservator of Forest). If we get the call list then we will get to know. This is a misuse of power,” Kumaraswamy charged.
The JD(S) leader said Jayamma and Ravi were granted bail at the forest officer's office but took the accused number three - Vikram Simha- to the court.
He claimed that the magistrate directed the forest officials to grant him bail from the Forest officer’s office as they did with two other accused.
''The CM directed the Forest officials to include Pratap Simha in the case. He (Siddaramaiah) being a lawyer knows how to create evidence. The rosewood trees from Gendekere forest were taken to the spot. The CM did this. This is how the state is being governed,'' Kumaraswamy alleged. Claiming that he has information that Siddaramaiah ordered dumping the trees on the spot, he said the call list will provide all the details. ''Will you (Chief Minister) give this case to Justice Nagamohan Das committee or constitute another commission? I never discuss without knowing the facts. This is what has happened in this case,'' Kumaraswamy said. He also said that no rosewood was cut in the farm which Simha had taken on lease. ''It was brought from Gendekere Forest and dumped in Vikram Simha's leased land to fix him. The trees that were felled in Vikram Simha's land were forest trees and not rosewood,'' the former chief minister claimed. The JD(S) joined the BJP-led NDA in September last year after a meeting Kumaraswamy, former Prime Minister Deve Gowda's son, had with Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP national President J P Nadda in New Delhi.
The two parties have said they would fight the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections in Karnataka together. In the elections to the 224-member Karnataka Assembly in May last year, the JD(S) put up a poor show, winning only 19 seats. The Congress bagged 135 to wrest power in the state and the BJP won 66 seats.
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.
Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
