Chowkidar is not only a thief but also a coward: Rahul Gandhi
Hailakandi: Continuing his tirade against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress president Rahul Gandhi Tuesday said the 'chowkidar' (watchman) is not only a "thief", but also a "coward" as he avoids having a direct debate with the opposition party chief.
Launching a volley of criticism, Gandhi said Modi and his schemes "benefited" only the rich businessmen like Anil Ambani, Mehul Choksi and Nirav Modi in the last five years.
"Chowkidar is not only chor, but also a coward. I told the Chowkidar to debate with me as he talks about corruption.
He does not have the guts and fled away," the Congress president said at a public rally here.
Reaching the venue almost two hours late by road instead of a planned chopper ride from Silchar airport due to heavy rains, Gandhi said the media reports have been of giving money to the rich people like Anil Ambani, Mehul Choksi and Nirav Modi, but not to poor people.
"Narendra Modi ran the government in five years to give benefits to only 15 people and gave non-stop money to the richest people of the country. After Congress comes to power in 2019, the headline will be poor people are given money," he added.
Gandhi alleged that Modi made false promises over giving two crore jobs, fair prices to farmers and depositing Rs 15 lakh in everyone's bank accounts.
"Chowkidar took away your money by demonetisation and GST. The keys of the banks were handed over to thieves like Anil Ambani. Once we will come to power, we will snatch that key from Anil Ambani and give it to the youths of the Barak valley," he said at the rally in Barak valley.
Gandhi also said that as soon as the Congress forms the government at the Centre, the party will work towards making 33 per cent women's reservation in Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha and Vidhan Sabhas.
He also spoke about the Congress promise of depositing Rs 72,000 annually in the bank accounts of the 20 per cent of the poorest people across the country irrespective of region, religion and caste.
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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.
