Kamal Haasan meets Karnataka CM on Cauvery issue
Bengaluru, June 4: Tamil actor-turned-politician Kamal Haasan on Monday met Karnataka Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy and discussed the issue of Cauvery river water sharing with neighbouring Tamil Nadu.
Kumaraswamy told reporters here: "We (Kamal and I) discussed the issue of the (Cauvery) Water Management Board. Both Karnataka and Tamil Nadu maintain a cordial relationship over the Cauvery issue and it will be solved through mutual understanding."
The Central government on June 1 notified the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) to implement the sharing of water between the southern states.
"Farmers of both Karnataka and Tamil Nadu are equally important," the Chief Minister said after meeting the Makkal Needhi Maiam party chief at his home office.
Kamal said the water sharing issue can be resolved if the states come together for dialogue.
"Court should be the last resort. If the people of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka come together, the issue can be resolved," he said.
Tamil Nadu would like to see the setting up of the CWMA expedited, he added.
Kamal's visit to Karnataka comes after the state's film distributors voluntarily decided to not screen Tamil actor Rajinikanth's "Kaala" in theatres across the state protesting against the superstar's stand on the Cauvery river row.
Asked about the Tamil film not being screened in Karnataka, he said the discussion with the Chief Minister did not include the subject of movies.
"This discussion (with Kumaraswamy) was not about films. There is a film chamber to look into the issue. This issue (of Cauvery water) is more important," he added.
In a related development, Kannada actor Prakash Raj said the film fraternity was being targeted. "What has the film 'Kaala' got to do with the Cauvery issue? Why is film fraternity targeted always?
"Will the JD-S-Congress government let fringe elements take law into their hands... like the BJP did with 'Padmavat' or will you step in to assure common man his right for choice?" Raj tweeted.
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Sanjay Raut demands re-election, alleges irregularities in EVMs during Maharashtra polls
Mumbai, Nov 25: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Monday demanded a re-election in Maharashtra using ballot papers, claiming there were irregularities with the electronic voting machines (EVMs).
Talking to reporters, Raut alleged several complaints about EVMs malfunctioning and questioned the integrity of the recently held elections.
The BJP-led Mahayuti won 230 out of 288 seats in the assembly elections, while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi managed 46 seats, with Shiv Sena (UBT) winning just 20 out of 95 seats it contested.
"We have received nearly 450 complaints regarding EVMs. Despite raising objections repeatedly, no action has been taken on these issues. How can we say these elections were conducted fairly? Hence, I demand that the results be set aside and elections be held again using ballot papers," Raut said.
Citing some instances, he said a candidate in Nashik reportedly received only four votes despite having 65 votes from his family, while in Dombivli, discrepancies were found in EVM tallies, and election officials refused to acknowledge the objections.
The Sena (UBT) leader also questioned the credibility of the landslide victories of some candidates, saying, "What revolutionary work have they done to receive more than 1.5 lakh votes? Even leaders who recently switched parties have become MLAs. This raises suspicions. For the first time, a senior leader like Sharad Pawar has expressed doubts about EVMs, which cannot be ignored."
Asked about the MVA's poor performance in the elections, Raut rejected the idea of blaming a single individual.
"We fought as a united MVA. Even a leader like Sharad Pawar, who commands immense respect in Maharashtra, faced defeat. This shows that we need to analyse the reasons behind the failure. One of the reasons is EVM irregularities and the misuse of the system, unconstitutional practices, and even judicial decisions left unresolved by Justice Chandrachud," he said.
Raut stressed that though internal differences might have existed within the MVA, the failure was collective.
He also accused the Mahayuti of conducting the elections in an unfair manner.
"I cannot call the elections fair given the numerous reports of discrepancies in EVMs, mismatched numbers, and vote irregularities across the state," Raut said.
