JD(S) pulls out of foot march over 'MUDA' scam, in setback to BJP in Karnataka
Bengaluru (PTI): JD(S) on Wednesday pulled out of the proposed foot march against the alleged irregularities in the distribution of sites by the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA), including to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's wife, as party leader H D Kumaraswamy hit out at the BJP.
The Union Minister said that his party was not taken into confidence on the foot march and lashed out at the BJP for allegedly picking a leader from Hassan district to be among those given responsibility to spearhead the protest.
Leaders of the opposition BJP had said that the party and JD(S) have decided to hold the foot march from Bengaluru to Mysuru from August 3 to 10 in protest against the alleged fraudulent allotment of sites to land losers by MUDA, including to Chief Minister's wife Parvathi, and demanding his resignation.
Kumaraswamy also ruled out the JD(S) extending "moral support" to the BJP vis-a-vis the foot march.
"We will not give (moral support) for any reason", he told reporters in Delhi, adding that his party was not taken into confidence by the BJP despite the fact that areas, where the foot march was slated to pass through, are JD(S) strongholds.
JD(S), headed by former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda, joined the BJP-led NDA last year. The two parties fought the recent Lok Sabha elections in the State together.
He contended that when people are facing several problems following heavy rains, with many becoming homeless and hundreds of villages marooned, it's not an "appropriate time" to hold such a foot march. "So, we have stepped back."
"Now, we have to respond to people's pain. I don't know who would appreciate (the foot march in these circumstances)."
He said he was hurt by BJP's move to pick former BJP MLA from Hassan Preetham Gowda to lead the protest, among others.
"Who is that Preetham Gowda ? Preetham Gowda ventured to finish off the family of Deve Gowda. They (BJP) call a meeting with him (Preetham Gowda to discuss preparations for the march) and ask me to sit next to him...the person who put poison to my family.. Who is responsible for distribution of pen-drives? There is a limit to my tolerance.
Are they seeking support for this ? Do they not know what happened in Hassan ? Who is responsible ?" a visibly angry Kumaraswamy asked.
He was referring to large-scale distribution of pen-drives, allegedly containing explicit videos involving his nephew Prajwal Revanna, ahead of the recent Lok Sabha elections in Hassan.
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Supreme Court rejects plea for reverting to ballots in elections
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed a petition seeking to revert to ballot paper voting in elections in the country.
"What happens is, when you win the election, EVMs (electronic voting machine) are not tampered. When you lose the election, EVMs are tampered (with)," remarked a bench of Justices Vikram Nath and P B Varale.
Apart from ballot paper voting, the plea sought several directions including a directive to the Election Commission to disqualify candidates for a minimum of five years if found guilty of distributing money, liquor or other material inducement to the voters during polls.
When petitioner-in-person K A Paul said he filed the PIL, the bench said, "You have interesting PILs. How do you get these brilliant ideas?".
The petitioner said he is the president of an organisation which has rescued over three lakh orphans and 40 lakh widows.
"Why are you getting into this political arena? Your area of work is very different," the bench retorted.
After Paul revealed he had been to over 150 countries, the bench asked him whether each of the nations had ballot paper voting or used electronic voting.
The petitioner said foreign countries had adopted ballot paper voting and India should follow suit.
"Why you don't want to be different from the rest of the world?" asked the bench.
There was corruption and this year (2024) in June, the Election Commission announced they had seized Rs 9,000 crore, Paul responded.
"But how does that make your relief which you are claiming here relevant?" asked the bench, adding "if you shift back to physical ballot, will there be no corruption?".
Paul claimed CEO and co-founder of Tesla, Elon Musk, stated that EVMs could be tampered with and added TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu, the current chief minister of Andhra Pradesh, and former state chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy had claimed EVMs could be tampered with.
"When Chandrababu Naidu lost, he said EVMs can be tampered with. Now this time, Jagan Mohan Reddy lost, he said EVMs can be tampered with," noted the bench.
When the petitioner said everybody knew money was distributed in elections, the bench remarked, "We never received any money for any elections."
The petitioner said another prayer in his plea was the formulation of a comprehensive framework to regulate the use of money and liquor during election campaigns and ensuring such practices were prohibited and punishable under the law.
The plea further sought a direction to mandate an extensive voter education campaign to raise awareness and importance of informed decision making.
"Today, 32 per cent educated people are not casting their votes. What a tragedy. If democracy will be dying like this and we will not be able to do anything then what will happen in the years to come in future," the petitioner said.
