BJP will face Karnataka polls with report card: BJP chief JP Nadda
Tumakuru (PTI): BJP national president J P Nadda on Thursday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has created "politics of report card" in the country, and the party will face Karnataka polls, with a report card on its performance.
Congress' other name is "corruption, commission and casteism" and they should be made to sit at home, he said as he urged his party cadres to take the message of BJP's inclusive politics, and its belief in taking all sections of the society irrespective of religion, caste, gender together.
"When we go for election we will go with a report card, every single of our leaders, thumping their chests with pride, will say we had promised this and we have done it, we had not promised something, but still we have done it," Bommai said.
He called on party workers to tell people that neither former Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa nor incumbent Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has left any stone unturned to take Karnataka ahead.
Nadda was addressing BJP's "Shakti Kendra" heads meeting of Tumakuru and Madhugiri Assembly segments here, as the party prepares for Assembly polls likely by April-May.
He said he has come to the meeting to meet the workers, who work at the ground level and take the message of the party and the government to the people. "I have decided to visit all parts of Karnataka and directly speak to karyakartas as we prepare for upcoming elections."
Further asking party workers to organise "tiffin meetings" at Shakti Kedras and booth-level to unify the society and ending casteism, Nadda said exchange food, send out a message of togetherness and party's ideology.
State BJP president Nalin Kumar Kateel, party's national General Secretary in-charge of Karnataka Arun Singh, Ministers J C Madhuswamy, B C Nagesh, Araga Jnanendra among were present at the event.
Accusing the Congress party of votebank politics, dividing the people in the name of caste, creating regional divide, also indulging in casteism, dynasty and appeasement politics, the BJP president said from the time PM Modi took over, dynasty and caste politics has ended and with the mantra of 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas', he is taking everyone ahead together.
From the time when Modi took over the responsibilities as the Prime Minister, he has changed the culture, conduct and the character of India's polity, he said, adding that "The political culture has totally changed."
Urging BJP karyakartas to strengthen the party's roots along with the agenda of development, Nadda said this has to be done to strengthen Karnataka, if the State has to be strengthened, the ideology of the BJP should be strengthened here.
Work towards creating an "able booth", he said, "our booth should not be weak, it should take all sections of the society together like religion, caste, age, gender. Unify everyone under BJP's symbol, and we have to work towards it. So give representation to all sections in your booth and shakti kendra, also ensure that Dalits are associated with the party, no caste should be left out."
Pointing out that several major economies like the US, China and Europe are in financial distress due to COVID and Ukraine war, the BJP president said, "Under Modi, India as a sound and stable economy, by maintaining stability it has overtaken Britain, which had once ruled us, to become fifth largest economy in the world."
Listing out various work and programmes of the BJP government in Karnataka, he also highlighted the decisions taken to meet the reservation demands by various communities.
Taking a dig at Congress leader and former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah for his Puppy' jibe at CM Bommai, Nadda said,
"I was pained because with such a statement, he has brought down the standard of Karnataka's politics. A leader is known by the statement he gives."
BJP respects its political opponents and under Modi it is strengthening cooperative federalism, he said, "They (Congress leaders) fight here, they don't get opportunity to meet their high command, today speak lightly about others."
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SC registry refuses to accept Centre’s plea on 2G spectrum verdict
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court Registry is learnt to have refused to accept the Centre’s plea seeking modification of its 2012 verdict in the 2G spectrum case which had said the State was duty bound to adopt the auction route while transferring or alienating the country's natural resources.
Sources said the apex court registry termed the plea of the government as “misconceived” and an attempt to seek a review of the judgement in the guise of seeking clarification.
The Registrar refused to receive it as per the provisions of Order XV Rule 5 of the Supreme Court Rules, 2013.
“The Registrar may refuse to receive a petition on the ground that it discloses no reasonable cause or is frivolous or contains scandalous matter, but the petitioner may within 15 days of the making of such order, appeal by way of motion, from such refusal to the Court,” the SC rule reads.
As per it, the Centre may appeal against the order of the Registrar.
In its judgement delivered on February 2, 2012, the apex court had quashed 2G spectrum licences given to various firms during the tenure of A Raja as the telecom minister in January 2008.
On April 22, Attorney General R Venkataramani, appearing for the Centre, had mentioned the application before a bench of Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justice J B Pardiwala.
While seeking urgent listing of the application, the top law officer had told the bench that the plea seeks modification of the 2012 verdict as the Centre wanted to grant 2G spectrum licences in some other cases also.
The Centre, in its plea, has sought exemption from auctioning the 2G spectrum for non-commercial purposes in discharge of sovereign functions of the state.
"Issue appropriate clarifications that the Government may consider the assignment of spectrum through administrative process if so determined through due process in accordance with law, and if such assignment is in pursuit of governmental functions, or public interest so requires, or auction may not be preferred due to technical or economic reasons,” it said.
Advocate Prashant Bhushan, who appeared for NGO Centre for Public Interest Litigation which was one of the petitioners on whose plea the February 2012 verdict was delivered, opposed the application and said the issue has been well-settled by the apex court in its judgement that auction is the only mode for granting licences for natural resources like spectrum, the radio frequencies allocated to the mobile phone industry for communication over the airwaves.
"We will see, you please move an email," the CJI had told the attorney general for India.
In its 2012 judgement, the apex court had said, "When it comes to alienation of scarce natural resources like spectrum etc, it is the burden of the State to ensure that a non-discriminatory method is adopted for distribution and alienation, which would necessarily result in protection of national/public interest”.
The top court had said in its view, a duly publicised auction conducted fairly and impartially was perhaps the best method for discharging this burden.
"In other words, while transferring or alienating the natural resources, the State is duty bound to adopt the method of auction by giving wide publicity so that all eligible persons can participate in the process," it had said.
On March 22 this year, the Delhi High Court had admitted a CBI appeal against the acquittal of Raja and 16 others in the 2G spectrum allocation case, paving the way for hearing the matter six years after the plea was filed by the agency.
Admitting the Central Bureau of Investigation's appeal, the high court had said there were "some contradictions" in the trial court's judgment which require "deeper examination".
A special court had on December 21, 2017, acquitted Raja, DMK MP Kanimozhi and others in the CBI and ED cases related to the 2G spectrum allocation.
On March 20, 2018, the CBI had approached the high court, challenging the special court's judgment.
The CBI had alleged there was a loss of Rs 30,984 crore to the exchequer in allocation of licences for 2G spectrum which were scrapped by the top court on February 2, 2012.
