Cong survived for 140 years as there is internal freedom: Revanth Reddy
Hyderabad (PTI): Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Tuesday said the Congress has survived for more than 100 years as there is internal freedom in the party with people of different mindsets acommodated in it.
Reddy, who spoke at the executive meeting of the ruling Congress in Telangana, also said a fresh case was filed against Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi to divert public attention from the 'vote chori' campaign.
Addressing the newly-appointed District Congress Committee (DCC) presidents at the meeting, he said the basic "rules of the game" in politics is that someone would try to create hurdles. Nobody in politics is immune to this, he said.
Highlighting the internal freedom in Congress, he recalled the G-23 (group of 23) leaders virtually questioning the Gandhi family leadership in 2022.
There is so much freedom in Congress that some leaders send letters even against the Gandhi family which made steller contributions to the country, he said.
"The Congress survived for 140 years because there is internal freedom. Otherwise, it would have been shut down like some regional parties or Janata party," Reddy said.
The grand old party takes everyone along and it is home to people with different mindsets, he said.
Drawing an analogy with Hindu religion, the CM said there are many gods worshipped by the devotees.
"How many gods are there for Hindus? Three crores? There is Hanuman for those who are not married. There is another god for those who marry twice," he said.
There are local deities where toddy and non-vegetarian food are served during certain events and there are gods worshipped by those who eat 'dal rice' (vegetarians), he said.
"The Congress takes along all types of individuals. One says he will worship Lord Venkateswara, another says he will worship Hanuman. When we could not bring consensus on gods, I don't think we can have consensus on political leaders and DCC presidents," he said.
The comments apparently came in response following reports of unease within Congress over the appointment of new DCC chiefs.
The new DCC chiefs should forget their past differences with other leaders and work to strengthen the party. They can go to the residences of senior leaders and seek their cooperation, he said.
Hitting out at the NDA government, he said every Congress activist in Telangana condemns the registration of the "illegal case" against Sonia and Rahul Gandhi.
"Rahul Gandhi took up the 'vote chori' campaign across the country. (They) filed cases again on Sonia and Rahul Gandhi to divert attention from that because they didn't want a debate on 'vote chori' in parliament. They filed a fresh case against Sonia and Rahul Gandhi four-five days ago to avoid debate on the defects in Bihar elections," he said.
The meeting conveys its resolution to Prime Minister Narendra Modi that it condemns the "illegal case" against the Gandhis and that 'Telangana people' stand by them, he said.
According to Reddy, senior leaders like Rahul Gandhi sought to help the employees of National Herald by extending retirement benefits to them and to revive the newspaper. Leaders like Rahul and Mallikarjun Kharge joined the board of National Herald and the funds of Congress were transferred (to the newspaper) to provide retirement benefits to employees, he said.
There are neither government funds involved nor any money taken personally by anyone in this is. But, the NDA government filed money laundering, ED and Income Tax cases and harassed Sonia and Rahul Gandhi, he alleged.
However, Sonia and Rahul Gandhi faced the cases without losing psychological strength, the CM said.
Delhi Police has filed an FIR against Sonia and Rahul Gandhi and other accused in the National Herald case on a complaint by the ED as part of the agency's money laundering probe into the high-profile case that alleges that the first family of Congress "abused" their position for personal gains.
Talking about the development initiatives, Reddy said the government got, in principle, approval from the Centre for bullet train from Hyderabad.
He said he would urge Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday to sanction various development projects proposed by the state government.
"They (Centre) agreed in principle. We are going to meet Narendra Modi tomorrow and demand its approval on paper. Because, (we say) you are taking (development projects) to Gujarat. You are not chief minister of Gujarat. You are Prime Minister of the country. You must give to Telangana all that you are giving to Gujarat. If you don't give, we will ensure collapse of BJP in this state," he said.
The CM said it is the state government's responsibility to seek development projects from the Centre and its right to "fight" if they are not granted to Telangana.
The BJP would "taste" people's dissatisfaction if the projects are not granted to the state, he added.
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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.
