We are not anti-Muslims: Former PM Deve Gowda
Bengaluru, December 24: Former prime minister HD Deve Gowda said that as there was no difference in Congress party, the coalition government in the state would function safely.
Speaking to reporters at the party office here on Monday, the JDS supremo said that no Congress MLA would resign from their membership. So, the coalition government would not have any problem, he said.
Preparations were being made for the next Lok Sabha elections. They have come together to keep BJP away from power. Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy has been touring the state to prepare for the election. Discussion was going on regarding panchayat elections in Chikmagalur, he said.
“Party leaders and Congress leaders would expand the Cabinet. JDS was a small regional party. We will also expand the Cabinet, but not now. Our regional party had given various programmes in 1998. Then we had won 16 Lok Sabha seats. But unfortunately, we have only two seats now”, he said.
Leaders have been working to strengthen the party. Every day, Kumaraswamy would discuss the issue with him and party meetings were being conducted after getting his approval, he said.
‘We aren’t anti-Muslims’
“We are not anti-Muslims. It is Janata Dal which brought reservation to women in this country. We have been running the government keeping in mind the political reservation, women reservation and Muslim community. But some people have been branding our party as caste-based party which is not true”.
- HD Deve Gowda, former prime minister
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Followed poll processes transparently, will review all legitimate concerns: EC to Cong
New Delhi (PTI): The Election Commission on Saturday asserted that all poll procedures it followed in Maharashtra were transparent and assured that it would review all legitimate concerns flagged by the Congress, which alleged serious inconsistencies.
In its interim response to the party, the poll authority invited a Congress delegation on December 3 to discuss concerns expressed by it.
The Congress on Friday raised with the Election Commission "serious and grave inconsistencies" which it said were being revealed in the data relating to the polling and counting processes for the recently-concluded Maharashtra Assembly polls and sought an in-person hearing to present relevant evidence.
In the response, the EC reiterated that the process was transparent with the involvement of candidates or their agents at every stage.
The commission also assured of a review of the Congress' legitimate concerns and a written response after hearing the party's delegation in person.
It asserted that a transparent electoral roll updation process was undertaken with the involvement of all political parties.
Responding to the issue regarding the voter turnout data, the EC asserted that there was no discrepancy in it and the data was available with all candidates polling station-wise and is verifiable.
The gap in the 5 pm polling data and the final voter turnout was due to procedural priorities, as presiding officers perform multiple statutory duties near the close of polling before updating the voter turnout data.
As an additional disclosure measure, an EC press note at around 11:45 pm was introduced during the 2024 Lok Sabha election and followed subsequently during all assembly polls thereafter, the poll body told the Congress.
