ACB sleuths raids Udupi RTO office; arrests two while accepting bribe
Udupi: Deputy Transport Commissioner and District Senior Regional Transport Officer RM Vernekar was on Saturday afternoon arrested by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) of Udupi. He was arrested along with another person for allegedly asking bribe from a client for clearing his taxes of car that was burnt in Bengaluru air show last month.
Another accused has been identified as Munaf, a contractor at the RTO office in Udupi.
The government had decided to refund the taxes of the burnt cars at the Bengaluru air show be refunded. Vignesh, whose new car had burnt in the fire that charred down over 300 cars, had applied for the refund of Rs. 65000/- he had paid for the car to the RTO for taxes.
Vernekar and Munaf allegedly asked them 10% of the amount to be given to them. Vignesh refused to pay bribe and brought the matter to the ACB on March 15.
On Saturday morning a case was registered in this matter. ACB raided the RTO office at about 3.pm and caught the duo red-handed while accepting bribe from Vignesh. The duo was then taken into the custody.
Udupi ACB DYSP Manjunath, Police Inspector Jayaram Gowda, Yogish, Satish were part of the raiding team.
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If you have a conscience, apologize to the people: R Ashoka slams Yathindra over Nalwadi comparison
Bengaluru: Leader of the Opposition R. Ashoka launched a scathing attack on MLC Dr. Yathindra, demanding that he retract his controversial statement comparing Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to the late Maharaja Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar. Ashoka urged Yathindra to apologize to the people of Karnataka if he had even a shred of conscience and any respect for the Mysuru royal lineage.
In a strongly worded social media post on Sunday, Ashoka stated, “Comparing Siddaramaiah to Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar is nothing short of absurd. Where is Nalwadi, who was bestowed the title of ‘Rajarshi’ by Mahatma Gandhi himself, and where is Siddaramaiah, who has stooped to being a puppet in the hands of fake Gandhis for the sake of power?”
He continued his critique by contrasting the enduring legacy of Nalwadi, remembered fondly by Kannadigas for his people-centric development, with what he termed as Siddaramaiah’s failure to manage Karnataka’s economy, burdening every household with debt.
Ashoka highlighted several stark differences, while Nalwadi built Mysore University over a century ago, Siddaramaiah is shutting down nine universities due to lack of funds. Nalwadi famously sold his family’s gold to build the KRS dam, whereas Siddaramaiah is accused of grabbing 14 sites meant for the public. Nalwadi established Bhadravati Iron & Steel Plant, Sandalwood Soap Factory, and Mysore Paper Mills. In contrast, Ashoka claimed Siddaramaiah's governance drove away industries, investors, and entrepreneurs. Nalwadi pioneered reservations for the backward classes long before it became mainstream. Siddaramaiah, Ashoka alleged, is reducing social justice to a gimmick by sticking labels on doors in the name of surveys.
While acknowledging Yathindra’s emotional attachment to his father, Ashoka emphasized that comparing Siddaramaiah to a visionary like Nalwadi was “laughable, baseless, and a gross insult” to the late king.
In his concluding remarks, Ashoka slammed the government for ignoring farmers’ needs despite an early monsoon. He accused the administration of being caught up in internal power struggles and negligence, forcing farmers into despair. “This government will not be spared from the curse of the farmers,” he warned.
