Erased line in CM''s wife''s letter to MUDA will be looked into, if necessary: G Paramaeshwara
Bengaluru (PTI): Amid opposition charges of a cover-up and tampering with documents, Karnataka Home Minister G Paramaeshwara on Thursday said the alleged erasure of a line using a whitener in a 2014 letter written by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s wife B M Parvathi to the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) will be looked into, if necessary.
The Congress government on July 14 constituted a single member inquiry commission under former High Court Judge Justice P N Desai to probe the MUDA alternative site allotment 'scam'.
"It needs to be looked into. I don't know. They (opposition) have made a statement. The SIT or the investigation agency, will look into it if necessary," Parameshwara told reporters, in response to a question.
In the letter, Parvathi had sought alternative land in lieu of her 3.16 acres on which MUDA had formed a layout.
Opposition BJP and JD(S) claimed that whitener was used to erase a line in which Parvathi specifically sought alternative land in the posh Vijayanagar Layout.
Since the allegations surfaced against him, Siddaramaiah, denying any wrong doing, has repeatedly maintained that his wife did not seek alternative plots in any specific locality.
"The Desai commission has begun its work, in case any one gets such information whether media or from public, they can say it before the commission instead of making public statements and creating confusion," Parameshwara added.
Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot on August 16 granted sanction for prosecution of Siddaramaiah in connection with the 'scam’, giving a major jolt to the nearly 15 month old Congress government.
Parameshwara responded to a question on Gehlot using bulletproof car for the first time on Wednesday since assuming office in 2021 and his security being reinforced, amid mounting tensions between the ruling Congress and the Governor’s office.
"We don't know about threat the Governor has, we are not aware as to who told him about the threat perception. He has sought for security, it has been given, which he is entitled to," he said.
Further noting that BJP is protesting seeking Siddarmaiah's resignation, the Minister said, it is their right to protest, but there is no question of the Chief Minister resigning and there is no need for it
On Special Investigation Team of the Lokayukta seeking prosecution sanction from the Governor against JD(S) leader and Union Minister H D Kumaraswamy, he said it was because "illegalities have happened." "If it (Lokayukta's action) is called illegal, nothing can be said."
To a question on BJP and JD(S) alleging that the government was trying to "safeguard" the CM, he said: "Why does the CM have to be safeguarded? Is he not safe? He is very safe. What has happened to say he is unsafe? If we do one meeting it is being alleged that attempts are being made to safeguard the CM."
"At the most we might do a resolution at a Congress legislature meeting and say that we all stand by the CM. In the cabinet we have said that we all stand by the CM. What's wrong with it?" Parameshwara added.
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Sanjay Raut demands re-election, alleges irregularities in EVMs during Maharashtra polls
Mumbai, Nov 25: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Monday demanded a re-election in Maharashtra using ballot papers, claiming there were irregularities with the electronic voting machines (EVMs).
Talking to reporters, Raut alleged several complaints about EVMs malfunctioning and questioned the integrity of the recently held elections.
The BJP-led Mahayuti won 230 out of 288 seats in the assembly elections, while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi managed 46 seats, with Shiv Sena (UBT) winning just 20 out of 95 seats it contested.
"We have received nearly 450 complaints regarding EVMs. Despite raising objections repeatedly, no action has been taken on these issues. How can we say these elections were conducted fairly? Hence, I demand that the results be set aside and elections be held again using ballot papers," Raut said.
Citing some instances, he said a candidate in Nashik reportedly received only four votes despite having 65 votes from his family, while in Dombivli, discrepancies were found in EVM tallies, and election officials refused to acknowledge the objections.
The Sena (UBT) leader also questioned the credibility of the landslide victories of some candidates, saying, "What revolutionary work have they done to receive more than 1.5 lakh votes? Even leaders who recently switched parties have become MLAs. This raises suspicions. For the first time, a senior leader like Sharad Pawar has expressed doubts about EVMs, which cannot be ignored."
Asked about the MVA's poor performance in the elections, Raut rejected the idea of blaming a single individual.
"We fought as a united MVA. Even a leader like Sharad Pawar, who commands immense respect in Maharashtra, faced defeat. This shows that we need to analyse the reasons behind the failure. One of the reasons is EVM irregularities and the misuse of the system, unconstitutional practices, and even judicial decisions left unresolved by Justice Chandrachud," he said.
Raut stressed that though internal differences might have existed within the MVA, the failure was collective.
He also accused the Mahayuti of conducting the elections in an unfair manner.
"I cannot call the elections fair given the numerous reports of discrepancies in EVMs, mismatched numbers, and vote irregularities across the state," Raut said.
