Civic woes: BJP levels "tax chori" allegations against Cong govt in Bengaluru
Bengaluru (PTI): In an apparent counter to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's "vote chori" barb centered around Karnataka, the state BJP on Tuesday levelled "tax chori" allegation against the party-led government following a citizens forum's recent grievance aired to the state Chief Minister.
BJP leader R Ashoka accused the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government of "tax Chori" (tax theft) and said Bengaluru deserves action to address its infrastructure woes, not excuses and intimidation.
Ashoka, the Leader of Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly, attacked the government by highlighting a citizens forum's letter urging Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to intervene and direct the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) not to collect property tax from residents, complaining that "unscientific and incomplete" civic works in their locality have led to flooding and poor road conditions.
Ashoka's tax theft allegation is also seen as a counter to Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi's "vote chori" (votes theft) charge made against the BJP and the Election Commission, citing certain alleged irregularities in Karnataka's Aland (Kalaburagi dt) and Mahadevpura (Bengaluru) Assembly segments in the 2023 Assembly polls and 2024 Parliamentary elections, respectively.
"Mr Rahul Gandhi, Bengaluru has a new slogan: CONGRESS TAX CHOR HAI! (Congress is tax thief)," Ashoka said in a post on 'X' alleging that the government is collecting taxes, but not building roads or fixing drains.
"Thanks to the apathy of CM Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM D K Shivakumar, Bengaluru citizens are fed up and demanding: STOP THIS TAX CHORI!" he said.
Ashoka said it is 'unprecedented' in India's history, where citizens are writing to the CM saying-- "stop collecting our taxes until you stop stealing our money!"
"Bengaluru deserves action, not excuses and intimidation," he added.
In a letter dated October 13, addressed to the CM, the residents of the Varthur-Balagere-Panathur area, under the banner of the "Individual Tax Payers Forum", which represents income tax payers and advocates for their rights, alleged that they have been suffering due to "half-measured, unscientific, and poorly coordinated" road white-topping and stormwater drainage works carried out by municipal authorities in their areas.
The state government has of late come under criticism over the poor state of infrastructure like roads and traffic issues in the city, with industry veterans like former Infosys CFO Mohandas Pai and Biocon Chairperson Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw repeatedly openly urging the state government to immediately intervene.
There was no immediate response from the ruling Congress to Ashoka's charge.
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NEET student hangs self in Rajasthan's Sikar
Jaipur (PTI): A student preparing for the NEET examination allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself in a rented room in Rajasthan's Sikar on Friday, police said.
According to the police, the student allegedly hanged himself from a ceiling fan using his sister's scarf while one sister was attending coaching classes and the other was in the bathroom.
He had appeared in the NEET UG exam 2026, which was cancelled due to paper leak, they said.
Udyog Nagar SHO Rajesh Kumar said that the deceased, identified as Pradeep Meghwal, was a resident of Kanika ki Dhani village in Jhunjhunu's Gudha Gaudji area.
He had been living in a rented room in Sikar's Jaldhari Nagar area with his two sisters while preparing for NEET over the last three years.
His elder sister later found him hanging and informed the landlord and police after bringing him down, officials said.
The SHO said the body was kept at SK Hospital mortuary, and a postmortem had not been conducted.
The student's father, Rajesh Kumar Meghwal, told police that Pradeep's NEET examination had gone well and the family was expecting him to score around 650 marks.
Former Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot expressed grief over the incident and linked it to anxiety among students after reports of irregularities and paper leaks in NEET 2026.
Pilot said repeated paper leak incidents and cancellation of examinations were affecting students' mental health and demanded a time-bound investigation and strict action against those responsible.
