Mamata sits overnight in 'dharna' against Centre, raises political temperature
Kolkata (PTI): West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee sat overnight in front of Dalit icon Dr BR Ambedkar's statue on Red Road in the heart of the city, surrounded by a cohort of TMC leaders and workers under television camera arclights.
The chief minister who is staging a two-day-long sit-in to protest alleged discrimination by the centre against the state, had Wednesday in a change of stance urged all political parties in the country to unitedly fight the BJP in next year's Lok Sabha election, in a departure from an earlier decision to remain equi-distant from both the Congress and the right-wing party ruling India's federal polity.
The Trinamool Congress supremo was accompanied by several party leaders including Firhad Hakim and Aroop Biswas at the protest.
Security measures in and around the venue were tightened keeping in mind the presence of high-profile leaders and the perceived threat perception to them, a senior officer of Kolkata Police said.
Banerjee started the sit-in demonstration from Wednesday noon protesting against the Centre's alleged "stoppage" of funds to the state for MGNREGA and other schemes of the housing and public works departments.
The city has been witnessing a flurry of political activity ahead of the Panchayat elections slated for this ummer, which has now received a green signal from Calcutta High Court while was responding to a petition filed by the leader of the opposition Suvendu Adhikari earlier this week on the statistics being used to determine seat reservations.
Rival rallies by Banerjee's nephew and upcoming TMC leader Abhisek, BJP's Adhikari and a march organised by the Left-Congress alliance increased the state's political temperature by a few notches along with the sit-in demonstration which has been drawing large crowds of onlookers.
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Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy questioned by Karnataka Lokayukta police in land denotification case
Bengaluru, Sep 27: JD(S) leader and Union Minister H D Kumaraswamy on Friday appeared before the Lokayukta police for questioning in connection with a land denotification case.
"He was questioned in the Gangenahalli denotification case," a Lokayukta official said.
The ruling Congress in Karnataka last week asked the Lokayukta to expedite its probe against former Chief Ministers B S Yediyurappa and Kumaraswamy, also a former CM in connection with the alleged denotification of land here.
Ministers Krishna Byre Gowda, Dinesh Gundu Rao and Santhosh Lad held a joint press conference on September 19 and released documents regarding the denotification of 1.11 acres of land at Gangenahalli in Kasaba hobli of Bengaluru North.
ALSO READ: Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy criticizes Cabinet decision opposing CBI probe in Karnataka
Kumaraswamy said he has nothing to do with the case and he has never done anything that is illegal while in power and during his tenure as CM.
"In connection with the Gangenahalli case, four Ministers had held a press conference against me. I had said that day too, I have nothing to do with it (case). Still they have spoken lightly for the sake of publicity," he told reporters after appearing before the Lokayukta.
"... there were reports in the media that Kumaraswamy faces danger from Lokayukta. I have done nothing that is illegal and that will cause me danger, while I was in power. This government cannot do anything to me."
Noting that as an opposition MLA he had raised several issues that had caused embarrassment to the then Congress government led by Siddaramaiah in 2015, Kumaraswamy said, this case was put against him then.
"Today it is 2024, already several times the statements have been taken for inquiry, once again today I was called, recently I heard from the media that Yediyurappa was also called. I have appeared and answered all their questions, let them conduct further inquiry, and this government is free to take any action in accordance with law," he said.
Kumaraswamy said he has not come before Lokayukta after having committed wrong or illegal.
"I have come voluntarily today and have answered all questions by officers...there is no need for me to come once again, I have responded to whatever they have asked for."
Alleging that a 'benami' named Rajashekharaiah, "who has nothing to do with the said land (that was notified)", gave a petition when Kumaraswamy was the Chief Minister in 2007, seeking denotification of the land, which was acquired 30 years ago, Krishna Byre Gowda had last week alleged that Kumaraswamy had then asked officials to move the file in this regard.
He had said that the original owner of the said land had 21 heirs, who gave a general power of attorney to Kumaraswamy's mother-in-law.
Further pointing out that when Yediyurappa was the CM in 2010, and despite the then principal secretary to the urban development department K Jothiramalingam noting on the file that it was not a fit case for denotification, the former ordered denotification, Gowda had claimed.
"Subsequently after the denotification of the land in June, 2010, it was registered in the name of Kumaraswamy's brother-in-law Channappa in July that year," he had said.
The land costing several crores of rupees belonged to Bangalore Development Authority and should have been used for the poor, the Minister had said, asking: "is it not a systematic fraud."
