CM Siddaramaiah vows legal action on LS poll fraud allegations
Mysuru (Karnataka), Aug 9 (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday said he has directed the legal department to examine the feasibility of initiating legal action against alleged election fraud during the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
The CM's directive follows a suggestion from Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to probe alleged fraud in the Mahadevapura assembly segment under the Bengaluru Central Lok Sabha constituency during the general elections in 2024.
Speaking to reporters here, he said, "I have directed the Legal Department. It will examine what action is possible to initiate. Accordingly, we will decide. Based on the legal department's recommendation, we will initiate legal action."
Responding to the BJP's allegation that the officers deputed there were under the Congress government's control, Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar said, "Officers may be ours (state government), but electoral issues are managed by the Election Commission."
To a question whether the action would be taken before the Bengaluru municipal elections, Siddaramaiah said, "We will do it immediately. I have told our legal advisor and Advocate General to examine it and get it done quickly."
Dismissing BJP's accusations that the Congress was slow to act, he said, "The BJP has committed a mistake and that's the reason that they are lying. Our internal survey during the 2024 Lok Sabha election showed that we will win 16 out of 28 Lok Sabha seats in Karnataka, but we won only nine of them."
"Rahul Gandhi has raised some issues. All those details are available with the Election Commission of India. He has only presented those documents available with the ECI. Can 80 people reside in a single room? All those 80 people voted," the CM said.
Asked why the judiciary should not intervene and take up the matter on its own, Siddaramaiah said, "We have been saying this from the beginning that manipulation is going on in the election. EVM and voters' list manipulation is happening."
Siddaramaiah affirmed that he believed Rahul Gandhi's claims of large-scale election fraud through bogus and duplicate voters.
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LS passes bill to open up nuclear sector for private participation
New Delhi (PTI): Lok Sabha on Wednesday passed the nuclear energy bill with Union minister Jitendra Singh asserting that it would help India achieve its target of 100 GW atomic energy generation by 2047.
The Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India (SHANTI) Bill, which seeks to open the tightly-controlled civil nuclear sector for private participation, was passed by voice vote amid a walkout by the opposition.
Singh termed the bill a "milestone legislation" that will give a new direction to the country's developmental journey.
"India's role in geopolitics is increasing. If we have to be a global player, we have to follow global benchmarks and global strategies. The world is moving towards clean energy. We too have set a target of 100 GW of nuclear energy capacity by 2047," he said.
The opposition contended that the bill diluted provisions of the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act, 2010 that passed on the liability for a nuclear incident on to the suppliers of nuclear equipment.
