‘Hefty fare collected from Hajj pilgrims’
Minister Zameer Ahmed apprises centre
Bengaluru, July 02: Minority Welfare and Hajj and Wakf Minister BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan said that he has apprised the central government that hefty flight fare was being collected from the Hajj pilgrims of the state.
Speaking to Varthabharati on the sideline of the Assembly Session at Vidhana Soudha in the city on Monday, the Minister said that he noticed that all fares like travel expenses, accommodation in Mecca and Madina, and luggage expenses were increased. After he had become the Minister, he had discussed those issues with the officials. Instead of the government of India and Hajj Committee, if the state government made all arrangements for the Hajj pilgrims, each pilgrim would save minimum Rs 70000, he said.
Compared to the fee being charged to the pilgrims by the Indian Haj Committee, the accommodation facility being given to Azizia category was not good. Accommodation could be made near the Kaaba Bhavan. But the Indian Haj Committee has been providing accommodation far away, he said.
There was no need to get any subsidy from the Centre. If the government allotted the share in the quota being allotted to India by the Saudi Arabia for Hajj pilgrims, it would be enough. He brought to the notice of the central minister that the state government was capable of providing all facilities to the Hajj pilgrims.
Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi responded positively and asked him to come to Delhi again after completing the Hajj pilgrimage of this season. Total 18000 applications were filed from the state for Hajj pilgrimage. Among them, 6624 persons were selected through lottery and 11500 applications were in waiting list. So, he has urged the central minister to hike 2000 seats more for the state, he added.
But Naqvi said that ‘You have come for the first time after becoming the minister. If you had come two months earlier, something could have been done. But a meeting would be held within a week and after that, I would try to increase at least 1000 quota’, he added.
From Bengaluru airport, the first team of Hajj pilgrims would start on August 1. On July 31, the flight travel would be inaugurated officially, he said.
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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.
