BS Yediyurappa demands Minister B Nagendra's resignation over alleged scam
Shivamogga (Karnataka), May 29: Veteran BJP leader B S Yediyurappa on Wednesday demanded the resignation of Scheduled Tribes Welfare Minister B Nagendra, following allegations of embezzlement of crores of rupees from a state-run corporation in his department, and a suicide death of an official linking him to it.
"It is unfortunate that an officer has died by suicide. It should not have happened. I demand that action should be taken against those he has named (in the suicide note)," Yediyurappa told reporters here.
There is a demand that Minister B Nagendra should resign in connection with the case, he said, "I demand that he quit voluntarily..."
The alleged misappropriation of funds to the tune of Rs 87 crore came to light after an accounts superintendent at the Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation Ltd, Chandrashekhar, died by suicide on Sunday evening, leaving behind a death note.
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He has named the corporation's Managing Director J G Padmanabh, accounts officer Parashuram Durugannavar and Union Bank of India Chief Manager Suchismita Rawal in the note, while also stating that the minister had issued oral orders to transfer the funds.
The former chief minister also expressed confidence about the party winning maximum number of seats in the Lok Sabha and upcoming MLC polls.
"In the Lok Sabha polls, we will hundred percent win 20-22 seats (out of 28)....as the atmosphere is in favour of our party. We are making efforts to win the maximum number of seats in the legislative council polls, and I'm confident that we will be successful in that," he said.
Asked about former MLA K Raghupati Bhat contesting the council polls as a rebel from the South West Graduates constituency, the former CM said, "I don't want to speak anything about him. We had given him all the due positions and responsibilities. Despite that, he is adamant and is contesting. I'm confident that people will take appropriate decision."
The BJP had on Saturday expelled Bhat from the party for six years, after he refused to withdraw his candidature as an independent candidate for the MLC polls from the South West Graduates constituency.
Biennial elections to six seats (three each from graduates’ and teachers’ constituencies) of the Karnataka Legislative Council are to be held on June 3.
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Duplicate entries in voters' list: Aadhar sharing to remain voluntary
New Delhi (PTI): As the Election Commission works to purify electoral rolls of duplicate entries, sources in the government asserted on Tuesday that Aadhaar sharing by voters on a voluntary basis as prescribed in the law will remain unaltered.
They underlined that sharing Aadhaar details with poll authorities is voluntary under the Election Laws (Amendment) Act, 2021 and it will continue to remain so.
The sources also noted that there is no plan to tweak the law or related rules in this regard.
They were responding to questions on whether there was a proposal to make Aadhaar sharing compulsory as also whether voters who don't share details will have to explain before poll authorities the reasons for not giving out details.
They said the ground rules will remain unaltered and no provision is proposed to be added as of now.
Amid a debate on the purity of electoral rolls, the Election Commission had said last month that the regular updating process of the voter list will be strengthened in close coordination with the birth and death registration authorities.
Technical consultations between the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) and experts of the EC will begin soon on voter list-Aadhaar linkage, it had said, adding though an elector can only vote in the assigned polling booth and nowhere else, the poll body has resolved to remove duplicates countrywide and end a decades-long issue within three months.
"Regular updation of the voter list shall be strengthened in close coordination with the birth and death registration authorities," the EC had said.
According to the prevailing law, no entries in the electoral roll shall be deleted for inability of an individual to furnish or intimate Aadhaar number due to such sufficient cause as may be prescribed.
