Deputy CM Shivakumar's public outreach programme disrupted by BJP MLA Munirathna
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar's public outreach programme at JP park in the city on Sunday was disrupted by protests from BJP MLA Munirathna and his supporters.
For the past three days, Shivakumar, who holds Bengaluru development portfolio, has been conducting the outreach programme called 'Bengaluru Nadige' (Bengaluru March) to interact with residents and hear their grievances.
As part of his campaign, the Deputy Chief Minister met morning walkers, the residents welfare associations and people from various sections of the society at the park, which falls under the Rajarajeshwari Nagar assembly constituency.
During the event, a stage was also set up at the park to address the gathering. After listening to the people, Shivakumar sat on the dais along with some BBMP officials.
Munirathna, who was also present in the crowd sporting RSS uniform including a black cap was invited to the stage.
Soon after getting on to the stage, Munirathna seized the mic from the anchor and alleged that the programme was a Congress event.
"The banner that has been put up here does not have the photos of the MP or the MLA of this area. This is a Congress event and not a government event," charged the MLA representing Rajarajeswari nagar constituency.
A commotion ensued as the MLA's supporters started raising slogans, prompting the policemen deployed there to remove them.
The MLA then staged a sit-in demonstration at a flag post calling it an "insult" to the sitting MLA in a government programme.
Shivakumar urged the gathering to remain calm and hear him patiently.
Blaming Munirathna for disrupting the event, the Deputy Chief Minister said, "The MLA didn't have the patience. I don't know whether he came here to insult this public meeting."
Noting that the commotion will not bother him, he asked people not to take it to heart.
"Me and you are bit perturbed because of electing such people. I know this situation," Shivakumar, who is also Congress state president, told people.
Shivakumar and Munirathna have been at loggerheads since 2023.
The BJP MLA was previously with Congress. It is said that Shivakumar was instrumental in bringing Munirathna to Congress.
He gradually expanded his grip in the Congress and became an MLA.
Munirathna was instrumental in toppling the Congress-JD(S) coalition government headed by JD(S) second-in-command H D Kumaraswamy.
After the fall of the coalition government, BJP led by B S Yediyurappa formed the government in Karnataka
Munirathna later joined the BJP and became a minister. He not only won the 2023 assembly election but also played a crucial role in defeating D K Shivakumar's brother D K Suresh in the 2024 Lok Sabha election.
The BJP MLA was recently booked in a few cases related to cheating and rape charges. He was arrested and remanded to the judicial custody.
In one of the cases, the probing officer gave him a clean chit. Munirathna called these cases an outcome of the politics of vendetta.
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Ex-PM Devegowda warns opposition of electoral losses if they continue to allege 'vote chori'
New Delhi (PTI): Former Prime Minister H D Devegowda on Monday said the Opposition parties would "suffer" if they continue to raise allegations of "vote chori" and create suspicion in the minds of voters by blaming Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government.
Participating in a discussion on election reforms in the Rajya Sabha, he criticised the Opposition for making a mockery about the Prime Minister "in the streets and on the public platform".
"This (India) is a very big country. A large country. Congress may be in three states. Remember my friends please, by using the words 'vote chori' you are going to suffer in the coming days. You are not going to win the battle," Devegowda said, referring to the Opposition members.
He asked what the Opposition is going to earn by "blaming Narendra Modi's leadership and creating a suspicion in the mind of the voters" through the claims of "vote chori".
"What has happened to their minds? Let them rectify," Devegowda said.
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The former prime minister said that during his over seven decades of public life, he has never raised such issues of vote theft despite facing defeat in elections.
He also cited a letter written by the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru regarding inclusion of "18,000 votes" (voters) in Kerala.
"Why I am telling this (because) during the Nehru period also, there were certain lapses in the electoral system," said Devegowda, who was the prime minister between June 1, 1996 and April 21, 1997.
He said that the Congress party faced defeat in the recent Bihar elections despite raising the issues of mistakes in the electoral rolls.
"What happened after that even after so much review (of voters list). Think (for) yourself! You got six MLAs," the senior Janata Dal (Secular) leader said.
Devegowda questioned the Opposition as to why they want to make allegations against the prime minister on the issue of the voters list?
"Election Commission is there. Supreme Court is there. The Election Commission has given direction to all the state units to rectify all these things," he said.
Devegowda said people of the country have full confidence in Narendra Modi's government and it will come back to power after the next Lok Sabha elections as well.
K R Suresh Reddy, Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) party's Rajya Sabha member from Telangana, said that electoral reforms are the backbone for a healthy democracy.
He said a large and diverse nation like Indi needs clean electoral rolls.
Asserting that strict re-verification should not become a mechanism for exclusion, Reddy said no eligible voter should lose their right to vote simply because accessing paperwork is difficult.
He said while the concern definitely is on the voters' exclusion, "we should also be equally concerned about the percentage of voting."
"What is happening in voting today? Once the election ends, the drama begins. The biggest challenge that the Indian democracy has been facing in spite of two major Constitutional amendments has been the anti-defection. Anti-defection is the name of the game today, especially in smaller states, especially where the legislatures are small in number," Reddy said.
The senior BRS leader suggested creation of a parliamentary committee "which would constantly look into the defection" and "ways and means to cutting that".
AIADMK's M Thambidurai raised the issues related to election campaigning.
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"Election campaigns are one of the important election processes. In that, political parties must be given the proper chance to campaign," he said and cited problems faced by his party in Tamil Nadu in this regard.
Thambidurai said political parties were facing hardships in Tamil Nadu to conduct public meetings and to express their views to the public.
YSRCP's Yerram Venkata Subba Reddy stressed on bringing electoral reforms at both the state and national levels.
He also suggested replacing Electronic Voting Machines with paper ballots in all future elections.
"EVM may be efficient but can't be trusted. Paper ballot may not be efficient but can be trusted. You need trust in democracy," Reddy added.
