CM Siddaramaiah condemns Tejasvi Surya for distorting statements on Martyr Pranjal, demands apology
CM shares full video of his statement on Martyr Pranjal
Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has expressed his outrage over BJP MP Tejasvi Surya allegedly misrepresenting his statements regarding Martyr Captain M V Pranjal who was killed during an encounter with terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir. Addressing the press in the city, he stated, “ It has come to my notice that a BJP MP named Tejaswi Surya has distorted my statement by misrepresenting it, giving it a wrong angle and spreading it on social media.”
The CM further clarifying regarding the trimmed clip, stated, “I could not hear the reporter’s question initially due to noise, however, later after understanding the reporters question which was concerning the Martyr brave warrior Pranjal, I have not only responded to the reporter by stating that the state government is committed to providing compensation but also informed him that if it is learned that any other state has given compensation of one crore rupees to the martyred soldiers, I am ready to give the same amount. Today, our officials handed over a compensation cheque to the family of Martyr Pranjal..”
The Chief Minister shared the full video of his statement in front of Journalists, asserting that the distortion not only insulted Martyr Pranjal and his family but also the entire soldier community. He demanded a public apology from Tejasvi Surya for the misleading representation.
The BJP MP from Bengaluru South Constituency, Tejasvi Surya had allegedly shared a trimmed clip of CM Siddaramaiah on his ‘X’ account, where the CM when asked by a reporter about the timeline of compensation for Martyr Pranjal is seen saying. “ who announced the compensation and when.”
Surya also wrote on ‘X’ , “It’s truly unfortunate to see a CM being so arrogant and ungrateful towards Capt Pranjal’s sacrifice.”
Mr Chief Minister,
— Tejasvi Surya (@Tejasvi_Surya) December 4, 2023
It’s truly unfortunate to see a CM being so arrogant and ungrateful towards Capt Pranjal’s sacrifice. Your callous reference to Capt Pranjal and forgotten promise speaks richly about how casually you see such sacrifices.
I had requested you the compensation… pic.twitter.com/033FUZI6U1
In the meantime, expressing regret in BJP’s alleged politicization of the country, God and soldiers, Siddaramaiah stated, “The people of the country have understood that the country, God and soldiers are all mere commodities of political trade for the Bharatiya Janata Party. On the day when the dead body of Martyr Pranjal was brought here, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, although he was in Bangalore, did not even show the courtesy of paying last respects to the martyr and condoling his parents. We did not go to debate regarding this. However, it is unforgivable that the BJP MP used the sacrifice of a brave soldier as a commodity for his fake news factory and tried to harm my dignity. Such liars are a stain to the state.”
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah taking to social media further urged the people of the state to teach Tejasvi Surya a lesson.
It has come to my attention that a BJP MP named Tejaswi Surya has mispresented my statement and circulated it on social media. In the video, due to the background noise, the initial part of the reporter's query was unclear. When I realised the question pertained to the late Capt… pic.twitter.com/Gsk9tmb8BZ
— Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) December 5, 2023
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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.
