Congress was in mourning after Balakot air strike: Amit Shah
Nagpur: BJP president Amit Shah Tuesday targeted the Congress, saying when the whole country was rejoicing over the air strikes on a terror camp in Balakot, there was mourning only in Pakistan and the Rahul Gandhi-led party.
Addressing a rally here, he said the Modi government's biggest success was that it had made India secure which was not the case when the Congress-led UPA was in power.
"During the UPA rule, there would be no response to terror attacks. After the Pulwama terror attack, there was anger and despondency all over.
"But, the present government is not that of `mauni baba' (silent PM) Manmohan Singh. On the 13th day of the Pulwama attack, the IAF (Indian Air Force) went deep inside Pakistan and destroyed terror camps," Shah said.
"When the country was rejoicing (over the air strikes), there was mourning only in Pakistan and Rahul Gandhi -led Congress. When 40 jawans are martyred, should we not bomb the perpetrators of the Pulwama attack," he asked.
Hitting out at the Congress president, he said, "Rahul baba .. you can do ILU ILU with terrorists, but we will give "eent ka jawab patthar se" (a resolute and befitting reply)."
Shah also accused the Congress of maligning Hindus by coining words like "Hindu terror and saffron terror".
Shah was campaigning for Union minister and BJP leader Nitin Gadkari, who is pitted against Nana Patole of the Congress in the Nagpur Lok Sabha constituency, which goes to the polls on April 11.
Shah said the Congress did not find a nominee against Gadkari and hence it had to "import" its candidate from outside.
Patole had won the 2014 Lok Sabha election on a BJP ticket from the Bhandara-Gondiya seat in Vidarbha. He quit the the BJP in 2017 and later joined the Congress.
Patole was earlier an MLA of the Congress.
During his speech, Shah also listed the promises made in the BJP manifesto for farmers and traders, among other sections of the society.
Nagpur is among the seven Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra that will vote on April 11. Tuesday was the last day of campaigning in these parliamentary seats.
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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.
