EC team arrives in Karnataka to review preparations for assembly polls
Bengaluru (PTI): A team of Election Commission officials led by the Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar on Thursday arrived in the city to assess the readiness for assembly elections in the state.
The team comprising election commissioners Anup Chandra Pandey and Arun Goel is on a three-day visit to Karnataka, where assembly elections are due by May.
After reaching the state capital, the team held a meeting today at the Vikasa Soudha with the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Karnataka Manoj Kumar Meena and other officers.
It will interact with the representatives of various political parties to seek their suggestion, opinion and complaints.
The team will also attend an international conference on 'Inclusive Elections and Elections Integrity' here, which will see participation of election commissioners of various democratic countries.
On March 10, the EC will hold a meeting with the deputy commissioners of all the districts regarding the preparation being made for the upcoming elections.
Later, the EC will inaugurate an exhibition on elections, before flagging off LED vehicles meant for voter awareness.
The election commissioners will hold a press conference on March 11 before flying back to Delhi.
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Congress gave religion-based quota through backdoor in Karnataka, wants to do it everywhere: PM Modi
Sagar (MP), Apr 24: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday accused Congress of reducing the quota for the OBCs in Karnataka by putting Muslim castes in the same category, and claimed that it plans to replicate this across the country.
Speaking at an election rally in Sagar district of Madhya Pradesh, he dubbed the opposition party as the "biggest enemy of the OBCs", and said the Bharatiya Janata Party needed to win more than 400 seats in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections to save the quota granted to the Other Backward Class, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
In the past, Congress provided reservation on the basis of religion which India's Constitution does not allow, and also promised the same in its 2009 and 2014 manifestos, Modi said.
"Once again Congress has given reservation based on religion through backdoor in Karnataka by putting all Muslim castes along with the OBCs. By doing so, it has snatched a big chunk of reservations from the OBC community. Congress indulged in this dangerous game which will destroy your generations. It is the biggest enemy of the OBCs,” he said.
In 2004, Congress had given religion-based reservation and thus stabbed Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, the architect of the Constitution, in the back, Modi said.
The opposition party played a trick in an "illegal manner" when it added Muslim castes in the OBC category, and in the process took away the rights of the OBCs, he alleged.
Further, Congress wants to implement this formula in the entire country, the prime minister alleged.
"The Constitution clearly says that no one will be given reservation on the basis of religion. Babasaheb Ambedkar himself was against reservation on the basis of religion. But Congress had made a dangerous resolution of (providing) reservation based on religion years ago. Various tactics are being adopted to fulfill this resolution. They are playing their game by deceiving the country's people," Modi said at the rally.
He also accused the opposition party of planning to curtail 15 percent quota of SCs, STs and OBCs, and provide it on the basis of religion.
The last time the Congress regime in Karnataka provided reservations based on religion, the subsequent BJP government scrapped it, he said.
"Elections will come and go, but this dangerous game of snatching reservations of OBCs, Dalits and tribals should be ended,” Modi added.
The prime minister also claimed that the opposition party hates the Constitution as well as the "identity of India," and that was why it was doing everything that "weakens the country and its credibility."
Some people were asking why he had given the slogan "Abki Baar, 400 Paar", the prime minister said.
"To save the reservation of SC, ST, OBCs forever, more than 400 seats are needed,” he said.
Congress' "hidden agenda" was now out, the PM said, claiming that it had said it would impose inheritance tax on coming to power.
"The wealth you have saved by working hard and enduring hardship will be looted after the formation of the Congress government,” he said, adding that it also showed how disconnected the party was from the country's social values and sentiments of Indian society.
Congress had no idea of Indian family values, Modi said, adding that people save assets for their children, grandchildren and next generations by spending their own lives in hardship, but the opposition party wants to plunder these assets earned over generations.
"Jindagi ke saath bhi loot and Jindagi ke baad bhi loot (looting people while they are alive and looting after they are dead)," is the Congress' mantra, and it wants to give these assets to its "vote bank," the prime minister said.
He also took swipes at Congress for not attending the consecration ceremony at the Ram temple in Ayodhya and accused it of calling Lord Ram a fictional character.
The BJP has fielded Lata Wankhede from the Sagar Lok Sabha seat while the Congress' nominee is Guddu Raja Bundela. Polling will be held in the constituency in the third phase on May 7.
