Will soon call first meeting of GoM set up to review GST rates: CM Basavaraj Bommai
New Delhi, Oct 8: The first meeting of the Group of Ministers set up for rationalising GST rates and to shore up revenue will be held soon, its chairman and Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said on Friday after meeting with Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
"Very soon, I will call the first meeting of GoM. I met her (Finance Minister) in this backdrop," Bommai told reporters after the meeting.
The Group of Ministers (GoM) has to submit a report in the next two months, Bommai said, adding he discussed important issues related to rationalisation of Goods and Services Tax (GST) taxes and ways to increase revenue with the Union Minister.
Earlier, Bommai was to meet the finance minister late in the evening. However, the meeting was advanced.
In September, the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council had decided to set up two Groups of Ministers (GoMs) to shore up revenues.
Bommai's seven-member group constituted by the Finance Ministry includes West Bengal Finance Minister Amit Mitra and Kerala Finance Minister K N Balagopal, as well as GST Council members from Goa, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.
Asked if the centre has released the pending GST compensation to Karnataka, the chief minister said it has been cleared till 2019-20 fiscal. For 2020-21 fiscal, the state was to get Rs 11,800 crore which is being released in phases.
For the current fiscal, the Centre has sanctioned GST compensation of Rs 18,000 crore via loan, he said, adding a higher amount was sanctioned as the state GST collection has improved when compared to the last year.
Besides GST, the chief minister also sought more support to Karnataka under programmes implemented by Nabard. "I have sought higher allocation to the state under one of Nabard's infrastructure schemes."
He also requested an increase in loan amount from the current Rs 1,500 crore given by Nabard for farmers and rural development.
Bommai said the Union Minister will visit the state and attend separate programmes of Nabard and SIDBI.
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CM Siddaramaiah alleges ‘criminal conspiracy’ in Sringeri recount, vows legal action
Bengaluru (PTI): Alleging a “criminal conspiracy” by BJP candidate D N Jeevaraj in the Sringeri Assembly poll recounting, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the outcome was manipulated after valid postal ballot votes in favour of Congress leader T D Raje Gowda were tampered with during the recounting process.
Following a Karnataka High Court order on an election petition filed by Jeevaraj, challenging Raje Gowda’s election, the reverification and recounting were conducted on Saturday.
After the reverification and recount of postal ballots for the Sringeri Assembly constituency, votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda were reduced by 255, the returning officer said.
A report on the matter has been submitted to the Election Commission of India for further action, the officer added.
Congress leader Raje Gowda had won the 2023 Assembly polls from Sringeri by 201 votes, defeating his nearest rival Jeevaraj.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said the High Court had directed the recounting of postal ballots and that irregularities were noticed during the exercise conducted on May 2.
“This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” Siddaramaiah said, alleging that valid votes cast in favour of Raje Gowda were altered after being accepted by counting agents of all parties, including Congress, BJP, and JD(S).
He claimed that during the recounting of postal ballots, 255 votes were initially accepted as valid by all agents but were later tampered with by subordinate officials.
“There is a second mark on the votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda. They had accepted these as valid votes. Subsequently, another mark was made by officials. This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” he said.
When asked who was behind the alleged conspiracy, the CM replied, “It was hatched by Jeevaraj and others. It is planned.”
Siddaramaiah further alleged that the returning officer acted improperly by declaring the result despite the presence of an Election Commission observer during the recounting.
“Immediately after the counting, the returning officer announced the result. He should not have done so; this is against the law,” he said.
He pointed out that Raje Gowda had originally won by 201 votes, but after the recounting, the BJP candidate was declared the winner by 52 votes.
“The BJP has committed a criminal act of conspiracy. This is not vote chori but vote dacoity,” he alleged.
The CM said a police complaint had already been filed by Raje Gowda’s election agent, Sudhir Kumar, and emphasised the need for electoral integrity.
“We want transparency and free and fair elections. That is what our Constitution mandates,” he added.
Stating that the government would pursue legal remedies, Siddaramaiah said, “We are preparing an appeal challenging the returning officer’s announcement in a court of law.”
Responding to a separate query on elections in other states, the CM said there appeared to be an anti-incumbency factor in West Bengal, while results in Tamil Nadu were “surprising,” adding that Vijay’s party was emerging as the largest there.
Following the victory of party candidates in Bagalkote and Davanagere South, Siddaramaiah expressed confidence about future electoral prospects in Karnataka.
“Even in 2028, we will win the Assembly elections. We will come back,” the CM said.
Siddaramaiah added that he would order a forensic examination into the alleged tampering of postal ballots.
