Mangaluru: Amidst the recent controversy surrounding the arrest of Hindutva activist Chaithra Kundapura for allegedly defrauding an Udupi businessman of Rs 5 crore by promising him a BJP ticket for the last Assembly election, senior BJP leader CT Ravi clarified in a press conference that the party does not engage in the practice of selling tickets for monetary gain.

Addressing reporters at the Sangha Niketana Hall in Mangaluru, CT Ravi, who is in the city to prepare for the upcoming elections, stated, "Unlike the incident involving Chaithra Kundapura, the BJP does not have a system of accepting money from individuals in exchange for party tickets. Many of our elected representatives, including BJP legislators from Byndoor and Sullia, come from financially disadvantaged backgrounds. In the current case, the truth will only emerge after a thorough investigation."

Ravi also offered his perspective on the matter, suggesting that Udupi businessman Govinda Babu Poojary should have exercised caution and conducted inquiries to avoid falling victim to deception.

Regarding the party's election preparations, Ravi mentioned, "We are gearing up for the Assembly elections in five states and the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. While discussions with JD(S) leaders have taken place, the BJP has yet to make a final decision on forming an alliance."

He further noted that the delay in selecting the Leader of the Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly could be seen as a political strategy employed by the BJP.

The press conference in Mangaluru was attended by Dakshina Kannada District President of the BJP Sudarshan Moodbidri, former minister Kota Srinivas Poojary, former MLA Monappa Bhandary, MCC Mayor Sudhir Shetty, party spokesperson Ravishankar Mijar, and member Randeep Kanchan.

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Islamabad (AP): President Donald Trump says he told top US envoys not to travel to Pakistan to negotiate with Iran, telling Fox News that "they can call us anytime they want.”

In a brief phone interview Saturday, Trump told Fox News that he told US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner “you're not going to be making any more 18 hour flights to sit around talking about nothing.”

Trump also said of the US side “we have all the cards.”

His comments came after the White House said Friday that Witkoff and Kushner would be heading to Pakistan for another round of negotiations with Iran.