Hope state govt, Centre will compensate farmers soon for crop loss due to rains: Yediyurappa
Bagalkote(PTI): Former Karnataka Chief Minister and senior BJP leader B S Yediyurappa on Saturday expressed the hope that the state government and Centre would compensate farmers soon for their crop loss due to heavy rains.
"There is severe damage to the crops in many parts of the Karnataka. I hope that the state government and the Central government will soon compensate farmers for their crop loss", he said, addressing a gathering here.
The Lingayat strongman was taking part in the 'Jan Swaraj Yatra', a four-day event organised by the BJP in view of the December 10 MLC elections for 25 seats.
He welcomed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's announcement to withdraw the three contentious farm laws.
"The welfare of farmers is important for our Prime Minister. His wish is to see that the farmers' income double in short time. In this regard, he has introduced various schemes for the farmers, Yediyurappa said.
Stating that Modi had implemented the Swaminathan Committee report, Yediyurappa said the BJP government's intention was that the farmers should get proper price for their produce.
He pointed out that the Centre gives Rs 6,000 under the Prime Minister's Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme and the state adds another Rs 4,000 to it. This way, farmers of Karnataka gets Rs 10,000.
Yediyurappa also said that the Centre has introduced many schemes for women's empowerment to ensure that they become entrepreneurs and provide jobs.
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CM Siddaramaiah alleges ‘criminal conspiracy’ in Sringeri recount, vows legal action
Bengaluru (PTI): Alleging a “criminal conspiracy” by BJP candidate D N Jeevaraj in the Sringeri Assembly poll recounting, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the outcome was manipulated after valid postal ballot votes in favour of Congress leader T D Raje Gowda were tampered with during the recounting process.
Following a Karnataka High Court order on an election petition filed by Jeevaraj, challenging Raje Gowda’s election, the reverification and recounting were conducted on Saturday.
After the reverification and recount of postal ballots for the Sringeri Assembly constituency, votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda were reduced by 255, the returning officer said.
A report on the matter has been submitted to the Election Commission of India for further action, the officer added.
Congress leader Raje Gowda had won the 2023 Assembly polls from Sringeri by 201 votes, defeating his nearest rival Jeevaraj.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said the High Court had directed the recounting of postal ballots and that irregularities were noticed during the exercise conducted on May 2.
“This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” Siddaramaiah said, alleging that valid votes cast in favour of Raje Gowda were altered after being accepted by counting agents of all parties, including Congress, BJP, and JD(S).
He claimed that during the recounting of postal ballots, 255 votes were initially accepted as valid by all agents but were later tampered with by subordinate officials.
“There is a second mark on the votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda. They had accepted these as valid votes. Subsequently, another mark was made by officials. This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” he said.
When asked who was behind the alleged conspiracy, the CM replied, “It was hatched by Jeevaraj and others. It is planned.”
Siddaramaiah further alleged that the returning officer acted improperly by declaring the result despite the presence of an Election Commission observer during the recounting.
“Immediately after the counting, the returning officer announced the result. He should not have done so; this is against the law,” he said.
He pointed out that Raje Gowda had originally won by 201 votes, but after the recounting, the BJP candidate was declared the winner by 52 votes.
“The BJP has committed a criminal act of conspiracy. This is not vote chori but vote dacoity,” he alleged.
The CM said a police complaint had already been filed by Raje Gowda’s election agent, Sudhir Kumar, and emphasised the need for electoral integrity.
“We want transparency and free and fair elections. That is what our Constitution mandates,” he added.
Stating that the government would pursue legal remedies, Siddaramaiah said, “We are preparing an appeal challenging the returning officer’s announcement in a court of law.”
Responding to a separate query on elections in other states, the CM said there appeared to be an anti-incumbency factor in West Bengal, while results in Tamil Nadu were “surprising,” adding that Vijay’s party was emerging as the largest there.
Following the victory of party candidates in Bagalkote and Davanagere South, Siddaramaiah expressed confidence about future electoral prospects in Karnataka.
“Even in 2028, we will win the Assembly elections. We will come back,” the CM said.
Siddaramaiah added that he would order a forensic examination into the alleged tampering of postal ballots.
