Ballari, October 30: Disclosing that the Congress and JDS have joined hands together to oust the BJP from South India, former prime minister and JDS supremo HD Deve Gowda said that the by-election to three Lok Sabha and two Assembly constituencies in the state would become a referendum to the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections in the country.

Speaking to reporters here on Tuesday, Deve Gowda said that all the Congress-JDS candidates would send a strong message to the country by winning the by-elections. “For BJP, Karnataka was the gateway for South India. Now, we have planned to close this gate. BJP is not in a position to tolerate the unity of Congress and JDS. So, the BJP people have made my absence in the Vidhana Soudha to receive Valmiki Award a big issue. Since I have pre planned programme in London, I was unable to participate in the award presentation programme. But the BJP people have been making it an issue”, he said.

“We have decided to keep Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP away from the power in the next Lok Sabha election. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu had played a pivotal role in bringing together all parties in 1996. This time also, Naidu would join hands with for alliance against the BJP”, he opined.

“Both Congress and JDS have formed the coalition government in the state. In this by-election, both the parties have fielded unanimous candidates. We have been working to ensure the victory of coalition candidates in all constituencies. This by-election is being conducted as a prelude to the Assembly elections in five states. The victory in this by-election is not for showing our strength. But it will become a beginning for the new political development in the country”, Gowda said.

He was campaigning to win Mandya, Shivamogga, Ballari Lok Sabha seats. He had been to Ramanagar. If Siddaramaiah asked to go to Jamkhandi, he would go there and campaign. They do not have any differences. Ugrappa was a good person and he should win. “I have directed all my party workers to work for the election of Congress candidate. There should not be any lapses in our efforts. Ugrappa played a major role in installing the bust of Valmiki in front of the Vidhana Soudha. I have the confidence that the Ballary people would definitely elect Ugrappa”, Deve Gowda said.

‘Rahul Gandhi has capacity to become PM’

“Rahul Gandhi who takes charge of the 130-year-old Congress party has the ability to become the prime minister of the country. I am not ready to speak about him lightly. I don’t have any objection to make him as the PM. He has been observing the national and international politics very carefully”.

-          H.D. Deve Gowda, Former PM

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Bengaluru (PTI): The Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) has collected over Rs 19 lakh as a penalty from 10,069 passengers who were penalised for travelling without tickets and occupying seats exclusively reserved for ladies in the last three months, officials said on Thursday.

The checking staff of BMTC have intensified checking of buses operated in and around Bengaluru City to detect ticketless travelling by passengers, they said.

According to BMTC, during the months of August, September and October, the checking staff checked 57,219 trips and penalised 8,891 ticketless passengers by collecting Rs 17,96,030 as penalty and 5,268 cases were booked against conductors for their dereliction of duty.

During the same period, they have also penalised 1,178 male passengers for occupying seats exclusively reserved for lady passengers and imposed fines by collecting Rs 1,17,800 in accordance with the KMV (Karnataka Motor Vehicle) Rules of the MV Act of 1988.

"In total, during the months of August, September and October, 10,069 passengers were penalised and Rs 19,13,830 was collected," the BTMC officials stated.