Union Minister Pralhad Joshi says action taken by Governor against Siddaramaiah is justified
Hubballi (Karnataka), Aug 17: Union Minister Pralhad Joshi on Saturday endorsed the action taken by Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot against Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in connection with the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) site allotment 'scam’ stating that it is justified.
Addressing the media here, he said that those in high positions of power should have respect for the law and the Constitution. The governor has taken appropriate action in this regard.
He said the governor had granted permission for prosecution in the corruption charges against the chief minister. The investigation will be conducted either by the Lokayukta or local authorities.
Joshi said that the chief minister should fully cooperate with the investigation.
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Governor Gehlot on Saturday granted sanction for prosecution of Siddaramaiah in connection with the MUDA site allotment 'scam’.
In the MUDA 'scam', it is alleged that compensatory sites were allotted to Siddaramaiah's wife Parvathi in an upmarket area in Mysuru, which had higher property value as compared to the location of her land which had been "acquired" by the MUDA.
The MUDA had allotted plots to Parvathi under a 50:50 ratio scheme in lieu of 3.16 acres of her land, where MUDA developed a residential layout.
Under the controversial scheme, MUDA allotted 50 per cent of developed land to the land losers in lieu of undeveloped land acquired from them for forming residential layouts.
Recalling that former Chief Minister Yeddyurappa had resigned on moral grounds when allegations were made against him, the union minister suggested Siddaramaiah too must resign.
In a statement issued by his office, Joshi suggested that Siddaramaiah can pursue legal action if he wishes and noted that the Constitution, drafted by Dr BR Ambedkar, provides even a common citizen with the right to seek legal recourse.
The union minister emphasised that those in public life should maintain clean hands. Only then will people have faith in democracy. Therefore, he urged Siddaramaiah to first resign and cooperate with the investigation.
Joshi clarified that no Central agencies are conducting the investigation. Since their own government (Congress) is in power in the state, they should face an investigation by the Lokayukta.
"Chief Minister Siddaramaiah often claims to have clean hands and says his political life is an open book. If that's the case, why is he afraid of any investigation?," Joshi questioned.
The union minister warned that if Congress tries to politicise the governor's approval for prosecution against the CM, people themselves will respond and pointed out that no Central investigative agencies are attempting to arrest Siddaramaiah.
Joshi sought to know whether former Governor Hansraj Bhardwaj, who served during Yeddyurappa's tenure as CM, was a Congress agent and said it is inappropriate to casually label the current governor as a BJP. Speaking lightly about individuals holding Constitutional positions of honour was not acceptable, he added.
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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.
