Govt will revisit excise rules, Karnataka minister tells legislative assembly
Belagavi, Dec 5: Karnataka Excise Minister R B Timmapur on Tuesday said rules for issuing liquor licences to hotels and boarding houses will be revisited, with ruling Congress legislators in the Assembly alleging that there are large-scale irregularities in the process.
The minister announced the decision during the Question Hour, responding to a question raised by Bangarpet MLA S N Narayanaswamy, who sought details on the process being followed to sanction such licences (CL-7) in Kolar district.
Noting that about 70 per cent of the rules are not being followed, Narayanaswamy cited an example of CL-7 licence sanctioned to a hotel business with just 9x7 feet space for vehicle parking.
He also charged excise superintendent Rangappa with issuing CL-7 licence indiscriminately, and even alleged that the latter was also a partner in every business for which he issued the licence.
Congress MLA from Kolar district's Malur, K Y Nanjegowda said the issue of CL-7 licence is "big business", while another ruling party legislator from Sagar Gopala Krishna Belur termed it a scam worth nearly Rs 1,000 crore, and demanded an investigation.
With Narayanaswamy and other Congress legislators alleging that rules were being flouted, Timmapur said 18 documents or certificates are needed by the government to sanction the CL-7 licence.
He said, there are 2,465 CL-7 licence holders in the state, including 56 in Kolar.
During the debate, some Congress MLAs also sought to allege that irregularities took place when the BJP was in power, prompting the then Excise Minister K Gopalaiah to deny the charge, and challenge the government to get it probed.
Intervening, Leader of the Opposition R Ashoka said, "Be it our government or some other, let there be an investigation, and let such licences be cancelled."
Timmapur, acknowledging the flaws, noted that the law is not specific when it comes to parking space and the design of rooms or lodges, and specifications will be introduced in the days to come.
Regarding allegations made against Rangappa, the minister assured the House that he will seek a report and take action.
Meanwhile, Malavalli Congress MLA P M Narendraswamy urged the government to introduce reservations in excise licences, to which the minister said the law needed to be amended.
However, BJP MLA V Sunil Kumar and Ashoka said the number of liquor shops should not be increased in the name of reservation.
"We have no problem if you want to provide reservation, but don't increase the number of liquor shops," Ashoka said, pointing out that during his recent visit to Doddaballapura, he found liquor being sold in a general store, and urged the government not to make more people drink.
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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.
