‘Bengaluru Metro unaffected by Shakti Yojana’: Minister Ramalinga Reddy refutes PM’s statement
Bengaluru: Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy has refuted Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent statement that Bengaluru Metro services will be affected by the implementation of the Shakti Yojana guarantee scheme, which gives women free travel facility in buses, calling it unscientific.
Reddy, in a statement issued on Monday, clarified that between June 11, 2023, when the Shakti Yojana was implemented in Karnataka, and May 20, 2024 up to 67.34 crore women in Bengaluru had traveled using the benefits of the scheme. Presenting the figures related to the Metro passengers, the minister said that the number of passengers had hiked from 1.65 crore in January 2023 to 2 crore in April 2024, which was a 30 per cent increase over a period of 15 months. The revenue of Bengaluru Metro had also increased from Rs 39.15 crore to Rs 51.71 crore during said period. There was an average increase of 35 lakh in the monthly passengers in the Bengaluru Metro from 2023 to 2024, while the revenue had seen an increase of Rs 1.1 crore, Reddy added in the statement.
Pointing that these figures show the Metro unaffected by the new transport scheme of the state government but thriving in spite of the Shakti Yojana, the minister questioned the validity of the PM’s statement.
Reddy added that the transport system had grown, with an addition of new buses and staff members, following the implementation of the guarantee scheme, and was receiving positive feedback from the media. All of these were evidence to the success of the Shakti Yojana, the Transport Minister has said.
Wondering openly if the PM’s statement was made with an intention of demeaning the successful implementation of the Shakti Yojana by the Congress government or if it was due to lack of data, Reddy added that it was unbecoming of the PM to criticize the project that had strengthened the transport system as well as the women passengers. The minister, however, has critically stated that it would also be unfair to blame PM Modi for making a prejudiced statement as Modi was trying desperately to develop an illusion among the people that the projects of only the BJP were beneficial for the people and was providing false information on Congress projects. Expressing confidence in the people and their knowledge about things that mattered, Reddy said governments should focus on working for the benefit of the people rather than indulging in petty politics.
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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.
