Humayun Kabir accuses Mamata of 'purchasing' candidates, faces 'go back' slogans in Naoda
Murshidabad (PTI): Aam Janata Unnayan Party chief Humayun Kabir on Thursday alleged the ruling Trinamool Congress bribed several of his party candidates to keep them out of the poll fray.
Kabir, who cast his vote during the early hours of polling, was met with protests from Trinamool Congress supporters who raised "go back" slogans when the leader visited a polling booth in Shibnagar village in Murshidabad's Naoda assembly constituency.
The protesters, led by local TMC leaders, surrounded Kabir's vehicle and raised slogans while branding him a "BJP agent". The demonstration sparked tension in the area around the polling station.
Kabir, an MLA from Murshidabad's Bharatpur, who has now formed his own party and is seeking re-election, was suspended from the TMC in December last year after he proposed the construction of a Babri-like mosque.
AJUP activists alleged that members of the ruling party roughed up one of their booth-level presidents at his house.
Central forces deployed at the spot intervened and brought the situation under control, officials said.
Earlier in the day, Kabir accused TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee of indulging in large-scale appeasement of Hindus.
"Mamata Banerjee has purchased 27 of our candidates from various seats across Bengal at prices ranging from Rs 9 lakh to Rs 30 lakh. I started with 142 candidates and am now down to contesting in 115 seats," he alleged.
The AJUP candidate maintained that Banerjee doesn't need the support of Muslim voters of the state since "she has spent enough money in constructing temples and giving grants to Hindu religious leaders to polarise voters".
Asked about the BJP's winning prospects, Kabir said, "Once the results are out on May 4, you will find that Amit Shah is no longer visiting the state."
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Karnataka HC stays FIR order against minister over Rs 500 bet remark
Bengaluru (PTI): The Karnataka High Court on Thursday stayed a magisterial order directing the registration of an FIR against state Home Minister G Parameshwara and the Deputy Commissioner of Tumakuru district over their alleged involvement in a Rs 500 bet.
"The context in which the alleged offence is made out prima facie lacks mens rea (guilty mind)," Justice Sunil Dutt Yadav said while granting the stay.
During a recent state-level pre-university kabaddi tournament in Tumakuru, Dakshina Kannada defeated Vijayapura 36–26 in the boys’ final.
After presenting the prize, Parameshwara jokingly remarked, "I lost Rs 500. I had placed a bet with the Deputy Commissioner that the Vijayapura team would win."
Based on a private complaint filed by H R Nagabhushan, the 42nd Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Court ordered the registration of an FIR against Parameshwara over the remark and directed the police to initiate a probe.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Parameshwara said, "It seems I cannot crack jokes."
The minister said his comment during the match was casual and not intended to promote betting.
"I said it casually during a kabaddi match. In the countryside, we sometimes speak informally. Of course, it may be wrong in the eyes of the law, but what matters is the context in which I said it," he added.
