Cong-JDS to launch joint campaign for LS polls with mega rally on Sunday
Bengaluru, Mar 30: The ruling alliance in Karnataka will launch their joint Lok Sabha polls campaign Sunday with Congress chief Rahul Gandhi and JD(S) patriarch H D Deve Gowda addressing a mega rally on the outskirts of the city.
Titled 'Parivartana Samavesha', this will be the first rally jointly organised by the Congress and JD(S) after the combine came to power.
Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy, who visited BIEC ground near Nelamangala to inspect the arrangements being made, said the event would be "historic."
"This will be the first joint campaign by Congress and JD(S)...tomorrow's meeting is historic as it will send a clear message to the people of the country from Karnataka for Lok Sabha polls," Kumaraswamy told reporters here.
Congress and JD(S) ministers, MLAs and leaders will be part of the event.
Sunday evening's rally will also be attended by lakhs of workers of both parties from Tumkur, Ramanagara, Bengaluru Rural and Bengaluru urban districts, Congress and JDS sources said.
Following this, state leaders of both parties would organise similar joint meetings at several places across Karnataka, they said.
According to seat sharing arrangements, the Congress and JD(S) have decided to contest in 21 and 7 seats respectively.
For the coalition to emerge as a formidable opposition to BJP and win more number of seats, it is crucial for the Congress to transfer its votes to the JD(S) and vice-versa.
However, dissidence over seat sharing among workers of both parties, who have been arch rivals for decades, has caused worry to coalition leaders.
According to the sources, organising the joint campaign is aimed at addressing this disgruntlement and send out a message that both the alliance partners are together.
Both parties that had fought against each other ahead of May 2018 assembly polls joined hands to form an alliance as the election threw up a hung verdict.
Karnataka will go to the polls in two phases, 14 constituencies each, on April 18 and 23.
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CBI questions Anil Ambani for second day in connection with 2,929-cr RCom case
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New Delhi (PTI): The CBI on Friday questioned industrialist Anil Ambani for the second consecutive day in connection with a Rs 2,929-crore cheating case, registered against Reliance Communications Ltd and him on a complaint by the State Bank of India, officials said.
Ambani arrived at the agency headquarters at around 10 am, they said.
On Thursday, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) sought his responses on alleged fund diversion, misappropriation and other irregularities in the loan funds issued to the company by the bank, they said.
"The appearance is in furtherance to Mr Ambani's commitment to extend full cooperation in the matter with all agencies," Anil D Ambani's Spokesperson had said in a statement on Thursday.
The CBI had booked Ambani in August last year for allegedly defrauding the SBI to the tune of Rs 2,929 crore, officials said.
According to the SBI complaint, now part of the FIR, the company had an outstanding of over Rs 40,000 crore to various lenders, with the public sector bank alone facing a loss of Rs 2,929 crore, according to 2018 figures.
The CBI booked Ambani and RCom for allegedly committing offences of criminal conspiracy, cheating and criminal breach of trust.
"It is alleged that the accused persons, in criminal conspiracy, misrepresented and got sanctioned credit facilities from SBI in favour of Reliance Communication Ltd," a CBI spokesperson said in a statement in August last year.
Ambani's spokesperson responded, "Anil D Ambani denies all allegations and charges, and will duly defend himself."
According to sources, the agency also searched the Ambani residence 'Sea Wind' at Cuffe Parade in Mumbai.
The complaint filed by SBI pertains to matters dating back more than 10 years, according to Ambani's spokesperson.
At that time, Ambani was a non-executive director of the company, with no involvement in the day-to-day management, a statement from his spokesperson then said.
"The matter remains sub-judice, pending before the NCLT (National Company Law Tribunal) and other judicial forums, including the Supreme Court, for the past six years," it said.
Anil Ambani has duly challenged SBI's declaration before the competent judicial forum, it said.
