Election Commission transfers SP of Hassan, where Deve Gowda's grandson is in fray
Bengaluru:The Election Commission Thursday transferred the superintendent of police of Hassan and changed an election observer in Mandya-- the two sensitive constituencies from where former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda's grandsons are contesting the Lok Sabha polls.
Hassan SP A N Prakash Gowda has been transferred and Chethan Singh Rathor has come in his place, while Mandya election observer Ranjit Kumar has also been changed, a senior electoral officer said.
The EC has informed the state chief electoral officer Sanjiv Kumar that it has, in response to his letter, approved the proposal for posting of Rathor in place of Gowda.
"The ECI has transferred A N Prakash Gowda. Similarly, Mandya election observer Ranjit Kumar has also been changed," chief electoral officer Sanjiv Kumar told PTI.
The transfer of Prakash Gowda comes barely four days after the transfer of the deputy commissioner of the district Akram Pasha who has been replaced by Priyanka Mary Francis.
The BJP had alleged misuse of official machinery and hadrequested the Election Commission to transfer the two officers to conduct free and fair elections in Hassan.
Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy's nephew and Karnataka public works minister H D Revanna's son, Prajwal Revanna is contesting from Hassan.
Prajwal is the grandson of former prime minister H D Deve Gowda.
Kumaraswamy's son Nikhil is fighting a tough battle in Mandya, where he is pitted against multi-lingual actress Sumalatha, widow of former minister and actor Ambareesh.
BJP MP Rajeev Chandrasekhar and MLA S Suresh Kumar hadsubmitted a memorandum to the election commission on March 28 with a list of 13 officers, including Pasha and Gowda, asking it to remove them from theirrespective districts.
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K'taka Cong to protest against replacing MGNREGA, 'hate politics' in National Herald case
Belagavi (Karnataka) (PTI): Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Tuesday said that the ruling Congress in the state will hold protests against the central government's move to replace the existing rural employment law MGNREGA, and the alleged "hate politics" against the party leadership in the National Herald case on December 17.
The state Congress president said that the protest led by him and CM Siddaramaiah will be held in front of Gandhi state at Suvarna Vidhana Soudha here on Wednesday, and similar protests will also be held at all district and taluka centres of the state.
The party also plans to raise the issues in the state legislature here.
"The agitation has become necessary. Tomorrow at 9.30 am, the chief minister, myself, all ministers, MLAs and MLCs will stage a protest in front of the Gandhi statue. Everyone will participate," Shivakumar said.
Speaking to reporters here, he said the protests will also be held in all district and taluk centres including Bengaluru, and there is also a plan for a programme on Saturday, details of which will be shared later.
"In Assembly too there is a need to discuss this and for it to go into records, we are making preparations for it....the protest is against removing Mahatma Gandhi's name from MGNREGA, and against the hate politics towards Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Congress leaders," he added.
The Congress' move, came as the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Bill, 2025, that seeks to replace the existing rural employment law MGNREGA, was introduced in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday amid strong objections by the opposition to the "removal" of Mahatma Gandhi's name from it.
Also, a court in Delhi on Tuesday refused to take cognisance of the Enforcement Directorate's money laundering charge against Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, and five others in the National Herald case.
Alleging that Congress leaders, including Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi were "harassed" in connection with the National Herald case, Shivakumar said several people, including him, had given funds to help the party related organisation, and they too were being troubled.
"My brother D K Suresh (former MP) and I were supposed to appear before the Delhi police in connection with the National Herald case. We had written a letter to them seeking a FIR copy. Chargesheet was filed by ED in the case without an FIR," he claimed.
Pointing to the Delhi Court's decision, the Deputy CM said, "This is proof that the legal system in the country is still alive. This also proves that the power is being misused (by those in the central government) to harass political opponents."
Highlighting that former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru started the National Herald in 1937, and that it is Congress' property, Shivakumar, questioning the validity of the ED case, said, "As Congress presidents (in past) Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi had their shares, it was not their own. Similarly, if we as Congress workers don't donate to the party organisation, who else will?"
Shivakumar also said that the move to rename MNREGA is with an intention to "insult" Gandhi and to weaken the scheme by reducing its funding.
