Cong writes to K'taka DG-IGP against BJP candidate's audio clip plotting Kharge's assasination
Bengaluru: An audio clip containing a criminal conspiracy to eliminate Congress leader Mallikarjuna Kharge and his family members by BJP candidate Manikanta Rathore has gone viral on social media. The clip is reportedly a mobile phone conversation between Rathore and one of his associates and runs for 51 seconds. The voice has been identified as that of Rathore, who is the official BJP candidate for the Chittapur (AC-40) reserved constituency in the Gulbarga district.
The audio clip has raised concerns about the safety of Kharge and his family members and has prompted the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) Vice Chairman of Media Wing Ramesh Babu to write a letter to the Director General and Inspector General of Police, seeking action against Rathore. In the letter, Babu alleges that the BJP candidate is a habitual offender with over 40 criminal cases against him, and has a history of serious offences such as attempts to murder, assault, threats to life, illegally storing diesel, disturbing public peace, and cheating.
Babu also claims that Rathore has not furnished complete details of criminal cases registered against him in his nomination papers, which is a clear violation of the election code of conduct and the Supreme Court guidelines judgment rendered in WP.No. 536/2011. According to Babu, the concerned returning officer should have rejected Rathore's nomination papers on this basis.
The letter also alleges that the BJP leaders might be actively involved in the conspiracy, citing Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's recent campaign speech in Chittapur, in which he allegedly stated that illegal means were used in the 2019 parliament elections to defeat Kharge and that the same tactics would be adopted to defeat his son, Priyanka Kharge, in the upcoming assembly elections. Babu claims that Adityanath's statement coincides with the contents of the viral audio clip attributed to Rathore.
The letter concludes by calling for immediate action against Rathore and for the protection of Kharge and his family members. Babu also calls for the local police to take suo motu action against Rathore by registering an FIR against him. He further urges the Election Commission to disqualify Rathore for his involvement in criminal activities and for creating a threat to the life and limbs of another candidate, as well as for attempting to create fear in the minds of voters using undue influence. The letter includes photocopies of newspaper clippings and the viral audio CD as evidence.
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RR beat RCB by six wickets in IPL
Guwahati (PTI): Blistering fifties by Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Dhruv Jurel powered Rajasthan Royals to a six-wicket win over Royal Challengers Bengaluru in their IPL match here on Friday.
Sent in to bat, RCB rode on a fighting half-century by skipper Rajat Patidar (63) to post 201 for 8.
Virat Kohli (32), Romario Shepherd (22) and Venkatesh Iyer (29) also chipped in with useful contributions.
In reply, Sooryavanshi (78 off 26 balls) and Dhruv Jurel (81 not out off 43 balls) shared a 37-ball 108-run partnership for the second wicket to set the platform. Krunal Pandya (2/30) tried to bring them back with back-to-back wickets.
But Jurel, in the company of Ravindra Jadeja (24), completed the task with another 68-run stand, with two overs to spare.
For RR, Jofra Archer (2/33), Ravi Bishnoi (2/32) and Brijesh Sharma (2/37) took two wickets.
Brief scores:
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: 201 for 8 in 20 overs (Rajat Patidar 63; Jofra Archer 2/33, Ravi Bishnoi 2/32, Brijesh Sharma 2/37).
Rajasthan Royals: 202 for 4 in 18 overs (Vaibhav Sooryavanshi 78, Dhruv Jurel 80 not out; Krunal Pandya 2/30, Josh Hazlewood 2/44).
