CM Bommai dismisses Congress charge of corrupt electoral practice
Bengaluru, Nov 17: Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Thursday dismissed the Congress party's charge of any electoral fraud committed by him in Bengaluru and said he was ready to face enquiry over the matter.
The CM was responding to Congress national general secretary and Karnataka in charge Randeep Surjewala demanding his resignation, alleging he is directly responsible for a corrupt electoral practice by assigning a private entity to collect door-to-door voter information in the city.
Terming it as a baseless charge, Bommai said the opposition Congress has got "bankrupt ideas" due to which it was making such allegations without any proof.
He said he was ready to get the matter investigated.
"What I feel is that the Congress has got bankrupt ideas. It is a matter between the Election Commission of India, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) and the NGO (concermed)," Bommai said.
He added if the NGO has misused its position, then it will be inquired and action will be taken.
"What is the proof that which private information has been given to whom. There is nothing on paper. It is a baseless allegation. I am really astonished the way Congress is bankrupt with ideas...there is no proof at all," Bommai said.
He said he was ready for an inquiry.
"Let an inquiry be done and the truth come out. We are not shying away from any inquiry. I ask the BBMP commissioner to file a case," the Chief Minister said.
Surjewala had alleged the BBMP authorised a private firm in August this year to carry out a door-to-door survey of voters 'free of cost' and it had gathered details such as their gender and mother tongue, besides collecting voter ID and Aadhaar details.
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Heavy rain, hailstorms likely to lash Uttarakhand on Tuesday; IMD issues warning
Dehradun/Pithoragarh (PTI): The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a warning for heavy rain and hailstorms across several districts of Uttarakhand on Tuesday, as temperatures remained markedly below normal in the region.
Heavy rainfall is likely at isolated places in Dehradun, Haridwar, Tehri, Pauri, Nainital, Champawat, and Udham Singh Nagar districts. Most places across all districts are expected to receive light to moderate rain or thunderstorms, while higher reaches are likely to witness snowfall, officials said on Monday.
The weather department warned of thunderstorms accompanied by lightning, hail and intense spells of rain in six districts, including Dehradun and Nainital. Gusty winds with speeds reaching 40-50 kmph are also expected at isolated locations in these areas and other hilly districts.
In the state capital, Dehradun, the sky is forecast to remain partly cloudy with light rain and thunderstorms accompanied by gusty winds of 30-40 kmph.
The maximum and minimum temperatures in the city are expected to hover around 31 degrees Celsius and 19 degrees Celsius, respectively.
Maximum temperatures during the past 24 hours remained markedly below normal in the hills and appreciably below normal in the plains. While no significant change in temperature is expected over the next 2-3 days, the IMD predicts a rise of 3-5 degrees Celsius during the subsequent 3-4 days.
Rainfall was recorded in several areas after 8.30 am today, with Ramnagar receiving 31.5 mm and Nainital recording 26.5 mm. Other areas, including Pithoragarh, Khatima and Champawat, also reported moderate precipitation.
Authorities have stopped a batch of 36 Adi Kailash pilgrims at the Dharchula base camp and placed the high-altitude yatra route on high alert following heavy rains and hailstorms in the district on Monday.
Dharchula SDM Ashish Joshi said the pilgrimage was halted due to adverse weather conditions. The issuance of new inner-line passes has been suspended until the weather normalises.
With 1,700 passes issued so far, pilgrims already at higher camps are being monitored for safety, the official added.
