Bypoll fallout: CM Siddaramaiah's political secretary Ahmed 'relieved with immediate effect'
_vb_87.jpeg)
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's political secretary Naseer Ahmed has been 'relieved with immediate effect'.
According to party sources, the MLC has been accused of working against the party candidate in the Davangere South Assembly bypolls.
The party had fielded Samarth Shamanur, the grandson of 94-year-old MLA Shamanur Shivashankarappa, whose death necessitated the bypoll.
Samarth is the son of Karnataka Mines and Geology Minister S S Mallikarjun.
"Naseer Ahmed is relieved from the post of political secretary to the chief minister with immediate effect," a government notification dated April 13 said.
Three days ago, Congress MLC Abdul Jabbar resigned as president of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) Minority Cell.
Siddaramaiah on Tuesday summoned the Housing, Minority Welfare and Waqf Minister, B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan, to his office residence.
"Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has asked me to come to his residence in half an hour. I am going there now," Khan told reporters here.
These Muslim leaders were accused of working against Samarth Shamanur. Ever since Samarth's name was announced, there was rumbling in the ruling Congress.
A rebel Congress candidate, Sadiq Pailwan, had filed nomination papers from Davangere South but later withdrew his nomination after Siddaramaiah persuaded him.
However, the dissent in Congress continued as most of the Muslim leaders refrained from campaigning.
Davangere South has a substantial Muslim population, and Muslim leaders wanted a candidate from their community, but the Congress preferred Samarth Shamanur.
According to Khan, it was not a hidden fact that Muslim leaders had demanded a ticket for someone from the community.
The minister said that on March 20, Congress general secretary and Karnataka in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala and Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar had called a meeting at the Congress office, where more than 200 leaders from Davanagere had participated, including a large number of minority leaders.
"I said in an open meeting: Please give us a Muslim candidate, sir. Give Davanagere to anyone (from the Muslim community). I said this openly in the meeting. Nothing was said behind closed doors," Khan said.
The Minister said that he had even said in the meeting that if the candidate does not win, he will resign from the ministerial post.
Regarding Ahmed's removal, Khan said, "I only came to know that he (Ahmed) has resigned. I don't know the reason. I came to know that the CM had asked him to go to Davanagere, and since he didn't go, a decision has been taken. Right now, I am on my way to the CM's residence," the Minister said.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Two incidents of betting over IPL cricket matches in Mysuru: Five men arrested
Mysuru: Police have arrested five people in two separate cases where betting for the IPL cricket matches was going on, and have confiscated various equipment used by the arrested men for the illegal activity.
In the first case, Hebbal Police arrested two men who were reportedly found betting during the IPL cricket matches, and have confiscated one laptop and three mobile phones from the arrested men.
The arrested men are identified as Pradeep (39) and Praful (21) of Naidu Nagar.
The police team is learned to have conducted the operation on the third floor of a hotel within the Hebbal Police Station limits on getting information of betting over the IPL matches going on. The gamblers allegedly were getting citizens to invest money online and betting illegally on IPL matches over mobile phones and laptops in order to illegally earning money from them.
Pradeep and Praful were taken into custody by the police who have filed a case and are investigating it.
The second incident occurred near the Town Hall on Thursday, May 7, when Devaraja Police arrested three men who were gambling.
The police have arrested Kumar (33) of Mandimohalla, PV Vinod (32) of Ilava and Likhith Kumar (27) of Paduvarahalli.
The three men were reportedly carrying out their criminal activity inside a car parked behind the Town Hall on Thursday, in order to earn money from the IPL tournament through a mobile phone. They were also found to have gotten citizens to invest money online and off-line in the cricket matches.
They were found and arrested by policemen who were on beat in the area near the Town Hall. In addition, one car, Rs 15,900 in cash and three mobile phones were seized from them.
A case has been registered by the Devaraja Police officers, who are investigating the case.
