PM Modi heading to Varanasi on 68th birthday
New Delhi, Sep 17 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi will embark on a two-day visit to Varanasi, his Lok Sabha constituency, on Monday to celebrate his 68th birthday.
Upon reaching Varanasi on Monday afternoon, Modi will directly head to Narur village where he is expected to interact with the children of a primary school and attend the screening of a movie based on his life, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said in a statement here.
"Prime Minister Modi will arrive in the city from where he will head directly for Narur village... He will interact with children of a primary school who are being aided by the non-profit organisation, 'Room to Read'," the statement said.
"Later, at the Diesel Locomotive Works (DLW) campus, the Prime Minister will interact with students of Kashi Vidyapeeth, and children assisted by them," it added.
Meanwhile on Twitter, the hashtag #HappyBDayPMModi was trending.
In a tweet, President Ram Nath Kovind wished Modi a "long life and many years of dedicated service to the people of the country".
"Birthday greetings to Prime Minister Narendra Modi who work towards nation-building with full dedication. God give him a long life and he continues to serve the country," Kovind wrote in another tweet.
Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu also greeted Modi saying: "India is making rapid strides under his visionary leadership and taking its rightful place in the comity of nations. May he be blessed with a long and healthy life."
Modi's colleagues in the Union Cabinet also took to Twitter to wish him on his birthday.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said: "Warm birthday compliments to the dynamic & illustrious Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi ji. I wish him good health and a long life. May he continue to render for many more years his exceptional services to the nation and guide the country to its glory."
Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman called Modi a man with a vision for "New India".
"Birthday greetings to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. My prayers for your long and healthy life. An ancient civilization, India, being led into this century with a vision for a #NewIndia that is #SwachhBharat in every sense. Honoured to serve with your guidance and under your leadership," she said.
Minister of Law and Justice Ravi Shankar Prasad wished Modi to "continue guiding our country on the path of prosperity".
The Opposition Congress also extended their best wishes to Modi with party President Rahul Gandhi saying: "Happy Birthday to our PM, Narendra Modi ji! Wishing him good health and happiness always."
Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo Arvind Kejriwal said: "A very happy birthday to Prime Minister. I wish him long and healthy life."
On Tuesday, Modi will lay the foundation stone for various development projects, cumulatively worth more than Rs 500 crore at the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) amphitheatre, the PMO office said.
"Among the projects to be inaugurated are Integrated Power Development Scheme (IPDS) for Puraani Kashi; and an Atal Incubation Centre at BHU. Among the projects for which the Foundation Stone will be laid, is the Regional Ophthalmology Centre at BHU."
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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.
