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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NIA registers case to probe recovery of 79 crude bombs in poll-bound West Bengal
New Delhi (PTI): The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Sunday registered a case to probe recovery of 79 crude bombs in poll-bound West Bengal, officials said.
The move came following a directive by the Union Home Ministry in this regard, they said.
In pursuance to the home ministry's order, the anti-terror agency on Sunday registered a case, which was originally filed at Uttar Kashi police station, Bhangar division, Kolkata on Saturday, and took up the investigation, an NIA spokesperson said in a late night statement.
"The case pertains to recovery of 79 crude bombs and other incriminating materials by Kolkata police, which were being stored at a spot, thereby endangering human life and property," the spokesperson said.
Earlier in the day, the Election Commission had directed the West Bengal Police to launch a special drive to arrest those involved in illegal manufacturing of crude bombs in the poll-bound state, an official said.
It asserted that all cases related to the making of any such explosive would be probed by the National Investigation Agency, the official said.
The directive came after the police recovered a large number of crude bombs from the house of a person, allegedly a TMC worker, at Bhangar in South 24 Parganas district, days ahead of the second and final phase of the assembly polls in the state.
The explosives were recovered during a search at the residence of Rafikul Islam following specific inputs, the official said.
The poll panel also issued a warning to senior police officers across the state over any lapse in maintaining law and order before the April 29 polling.
The first phase of the assembly elections in West Bengal was held on April 23, while the second phase will take place on April 29. Votes will be counted on May 4.
A record 93.19 per cent turnout has been recorded in the first round of polling. Bhangar will vote in the second phase.
