Siddaramaiah dares Modi for debate on Karnataka crime rate
Bengaluru, May 1: Accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of repeating lies for political purposes, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday challenged him to take part in an open debate with him on the issues of crime, and the law and order situation in Karnataka compared to the BJP-ruled states.
Responding to Modi's allegations that the law and order in the state under Congress rule had collapsed, Siddaramaiah tweeted: "Crime is not increasing in Karnataka abnormally. PM repeats the lie of increasing crime rate for political purposes.
"I challenge him for an open debate on a single platform on crime and law and order situation in Karnataka viz-a-viz BJP-ruled states."
The Prime Minister, addressing a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) rally in the coastal district of Udupi on Tuesday, held the Congress government responsible for the alleged murders of BJP party workers in the state.
"It is extremely shameful that the Congress government has allowed violence in the state and several BJP party workers were murdered. The Congress must provide an answer to these rising crimes," he said.
The state police, however, earlier said the killings of a few people were "neither communal nor political".
Siddaramaiah also hit out at Modi for his remarks that the Karnataka Chief Minister was contesting from two constituencies and changing his seat, fearing defeat.
"Was it fear that drove you to contest from two parliamentary constituencies (Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh and Vadodara in Gujarat) Mr. PM Narendra Modi? Of course you are a 56-inch man, you would have some clever explanation," Siddaramaiah wrote.
Modi had contested from both Varanasi and Vadodara in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.
"Forget two seats, Sir. Worry about the fact that your party (BJP) will not cross 60-70 (seats in the upcoming election)," Siddaramaiah added in his tweet.
The Congress leader also took a jibe at Modi's comments that the party was allowing kith and kin to contest the elections.
"For the Chief Minister (Siddaramaiah) the rule is '2+1', where he will contest from two seats and has given his old seat (Varuna in Mysuru district) to his son (Yathindra) and for the other ministers (in the state cabinet), the rule seems to be '1+1', allowing their relatives to fight polls," Modi said at a rally in the southern state.
Siddaramaiah has filed nominations for the May 12 election from Chamundeshwari in Mysuru district and Badami in Bagalkot district, while his son Yathindra is contesting from Varuna in Mysuru district.
Though Siddaramaiah had won from Varuna twice since the 2008 Assembly elections, he shifted to Chamundeshwari, making way for his son Yathindra to contest from his home constituency.
Reacting to the allegations, Siddaramaiah tweeted: "Today PM avoided talking about his complicity in closing CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) cases against the Reddy brothers. Instead he spoke about some '2+1' formula. Here is the explanation to his formula to win election: 2 Reddys + 1 Yeddy (referring to party's chief ministerial candidate B.S. Yeddyurappa)."
The Karnataka Chief Minister, along with his tweets posted a picture of the scam-tainted mining baron from Ballari district G. Janardhana Reddy, his brother G. Karunakara Reddy who will be contesting from Harpanahallli in the same district, along with Yeddyurappa.
Janardhana Reddy, who was the state Tourism and Infrastructure Minister between 2008-11 when Yeddyurappa was the Chief Minister, was arrested and jailed for about two years after the state's anti-graft watchdog (Lokayukta) named him in the multi-crore iron ore mining scam that rocked Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh for about a decade (2001-10).
Yeddyurappa, too, was forced to step down from the Chief Minister's post over his alleged involvement in a land scam.
The BJP is contesting from all the 224 assembly segments in the state in a bid to return to power after it lost to the Congress in the May 2013 elections.
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Two FIRs lodged against Mithun Chakraborty for 'provocative' speech
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.
