Hubballi: Calling Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah a ‘Pay-Double CM’ who leads a government neck-deep in corruption, former CM and BJP MP from Shiggaon, Basavaraja Bommai, has alleged that the revenue from various departments is shared between the ministers and Siddaramaiah.
Rephrasing the ‘Pay CM’ slogan of the Congress against him prior to the 2023 Karnataka Assembly elections, Bommai hit out at the current Congress government. Speaking to reporters in Hubballi, he stated that the Congress leaders had made allegations of taking commissions against his government without providing evidence. “Currently, however, their government is facing allegations of taking commissions, with people complaining about the Excise Department,” he added.
“The Finance Department is directly under the charge of CM Siddaramaiah, and personnel demand heavy commissions from people applying for licences. I urge the CM to ensure a probe into the amounts demanded as commissions from each applicant in the department,” Bommai said.
When asked to comment on the Congress leaders’ allegations that no development work has been undertaken in the Savanur constituency of Shiggaon, Bommai said the locals, who are experiencing the development work, could be asked about the matter.
“Shiggaon taluk has been provided with a 200-bed hospital and a textile park; Savanur has a new Ayurveda college and an ITI college. In addition, new homes have been provided for more than 12,000 citizens affected by the recent floods, and a well-developed road has been constructed, connecting Shiggaon to Bengaluru,” he listed out, mockingly asking whether the CM had fallen asleep while travelling through Shiggaon, if he had failed to notice such development works.
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.
Kolkata, Nov 6: Two FIRs have been lodged against actor-turned-politician Mithun Chakraborty for allegedly making provocative statements during a BJP event in Salt Lake area near Kolkata last month, police said on Wednesday.
The complaints pertain to Chakraborty's speech on October 27 at the Eastern Zonal Cultural Centre (EZCC) in Salt Lake, during a BJP programme attended by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who was in Kolkata to launch the party's West Bengal membership drive.
The first FIR was filed at the Bidhannagar South police station based on a complaint by an individual, while the second was lodged at Bowbazar police station.
"We have started an investigation into the case," a senior officer of Bidhannagar police said.
Shah was also present at the programme, which was organised to kick off the West Bengal leg of the BJP's membership drive. Shah had also felicitated Chakraborty for being honoured with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award this year.
Although Chakraborty was unavailable for comment, BJP state president and Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar described the FIRs a result of "vendetta politics.".
Majumdar alleged that the TMC government "has once again used the police to unfairly target well-known actor and senior BJP leader Mithun Chakraborty".
He accused the chief minister of employing such tactics "to serve political interests" and claimed that the state government's actions were part of an ongoing attempt to discredit political opponents.
"There is nothing provocative in his speech. These are nothing but attempts to intimidate him by using police as a political tool," he said.
TMC leader Kunal Ghosh dubbed the BJP's allegations as baseless.
"The allegations of political vendetta are baseless. He shouldn't have made such provocative remarks. The law will take its own course," he said.
Chakraborty, who received India's highest film honour, the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, earlier this year, had asserted on October 27 that the 'masnad' (throne) of West Bengal would belong to the BJP after the 2026 assembly elections, promising to do whatever it takes to achieve the goal.
While speaking at the programme, Chakraborty, a BJP leader, said, "In 2026, the 'masnad' will be ours, and we will do everything to achieve the goal."
In an apparent reference to TMC MLA Humayun Kabir's communal remarks aimed at BJP workers during the Lok Sabha elections, Chakraborty had allegedly made provocative remarks.
Chakraborty cautioned that no one should attempt to intimidate saffron party voters into abstaining from voting in the next assembly elections.
He called upon the booth-level workers of his party to resist any such attempts.