Cong leader Margaret Alva charges Modi, Amit Shah with trying to destabilise Karnataka govt.
Bengaluru, Aug 20: Senior Congress leader and former Union Minister Margaret Alva on Tuesday charged the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah with trying to destabilise the party government in Karnataka "using" the Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot.
"The Gujarat Duo are at their game again, not having learnt their lesson even after the people of India voted to curtail their power," Alva, a former Governor, said, without mentioning their names.
Gehlot on August 16 granted sanction permitting investigation against the Chief Minister Siddaramaiah under 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act and prosecution under Section 218 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, on corruption charges.
Alva added: "Determined to destabilise opposition governments they have now set their eyes on Karnataka and its Backward Class, popular Chief Minister using their 'Sevak' in Rajbhavan to play their game. But the Congress and its leadership is strong and cannot be shaken."
She recalled that the Morarji Desai government dismissed the Devaraj Urs government in Karnataka in 1978 and dissolved the Assembly through the "Governor's game." "But the same Governor had to swear him back again after the elections."
The people of Karnataka cannot be fooled -- we will fight back and win, under the leadership of Siddaramaiah, Alva said.
Siddaramaiah has termed as "trumped-up" the allegations of irregularities in the allotment of sites to his wife Parvathi 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 wrongdoing, said the Governor’s decision is legally unsustainable, procedurally flawed, and motivated by extraneous considerations.
On the petition filed by him, the High Court 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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Sanjay Raut demands re-election, alleges irregularities in EVMs during Maharashtra polls
Mumbai, Nov 25: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Monday demanded a re-election in Maharashtra using ballot papers, claiming there were irregularities with the electronic voting machines (EVMs).
Talking to reporters, Raut alleged several complaints about EVMs malfunctioning and questioned the integrity of the recently held elections.
The BJP-led Mahayuti won 230 out of 288 seats in the assembly elections, while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi managed 46 seats, with Shiv Sena (UBT) winning just 20 out of 95 seats it contested.
"We have received nearly 450 complaints regarding EVMs. Despite raising objections repeatedly, no action has been taken on these issues. How can we say these elections were conducted fairly? Hence, I demand that the results be set aside and elections be held again using ballot papers," Raut said.
Citing some instances, he said a candidate in Nashik reportedly received only four votes despite having 65 votes from his family, while in Dombivli, discrepancies were found in EVM tallies, and election officials refused to acknowledge the objections.
The Sena (UBT) leader also questioned the credibility of the landslide victories of some candidates, saying, "What revolutionary work have they done to receive more than 1.5 lakh votes? Even leaders who recently switched parties have become MLAs. This raises suspicions. For the first time, a senior leader like Sharad Pawar has expressed doubts about EVMs, which cannot be ignored."
Asked about the MVA's poor performance in the elections, Raut rejected the idea of blaming a single individual.
"We fought as a united MVA. Even a leader like Sharad Pawar, who commands immense respect in Maharashtra, faced defeat. This shows that we need to analyse the reasons behind the failure. One of the reasons is EVM irregularities and the misuse of the system, unconstitutional practices, and even judicial decisions left unresolved by Justice Chandrachud," he said.
Raut stressed that though internal differences might have existed within the MVA, the failure was collective.
He also accused the Mahayuti of conducting the elections in an unfair manner.
"I cannot call the elections fair given the numerous reports of discrepancies in EVMs, mismatched numbers, and vote irregularities across the state," Raut said.
