Conspiracy to defame Maharashtra govt: NCP on Param Bir Singh's letter
Mumbai: Alleging a "conspiracy" to defame the Maharashtra government, senior NCP leader and state minister Nawab Malik on Monday questioned "timing" of former Mumbai police chief Param Bir Singh's letter in which he accused state Home Minister Anil Deshmukh of corruption.
Malik, who is national spokesperson of the NCP, also said the party has decided that Deshmukh need not resign at this juncture. "A call on Deshmukh's fate will be taken once probe is completed".
On Sunday, NCP president Sharad Pawar said Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray will decide the fate of Deshmukh. The allegations levelled by Param Bir Singh against Deshmukh are serious and require an in-depth probe, he had said.
A major political storm erupted in Maharashtra after Singh, who was recently shunted out as Mumbai police commissioner, wrote a letter to CM Thackeray last week claiming Deshmukh had asked Sachin Waze, currently in the NIA custody, and other police officers to collect Rs 100 crore monthly, including Rs 50 to Rs 60 crore from bars and hotels in Mumbai.
Deshmukh had denied these allegations.
"Why Singh did not issue the letter before he was transferred to the Home Guard department. He (Singh) has claimed that (Sachin) Waze met Deshmukh in the last week of February. Deshmukh was in hospital till February 15. He was in home quarantine till February 27," Malik told a news channel.
He said Deshmukh started meeting people from February 28 after testing negative for coronavirus on February 27. "So, this letter raises doubts," Malik added.
"The NCP has decided that any decision on the fate of Deshmukh will be taken based on outcome of probe," he said.
Malik alleged Singh had been to Delhi and that NCP leaders have information regarding whom he met in the national capital and what discussion took place.
"......All this will definitely come up in the discussion in the time to come. A conspiracy was hatched to defame the state government," he alleged.
On Sunday, senior NCP leaders Ajit Pawar and state unit president Jayant Patil met Sharad Pawar at his residence in Delhi when it was decided that Deshmukh will not step down.
After that meeting, Patil said there was no need to divert attention from the main incident of bomb scare outside Mukesh Ambani's residence and the killing of Mansukh Hiran, a Thane-based businessman.
The focus is on these two events and after that appropriate steps will be taken, he had said.
The NIA is probing Waze's alleged role in placing an explosives-laden SUV outside Ambani's residence on February 25. The federal agency was handed over the Hiran murder case on Saturday. Hiran was the purported owned of that SUV, a Scorpio.
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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.
