Belagavi (Karnataka) (PTI): Karnataka BJP President B Y Vijayendra on Thursday predicted fast-paced political developments in the state in the next few days, including change of Chief Minister over the MUDA 'scam'.
"Lot of political developments are certainly taking place in the state. In the next few days the kind of fast paced political developments will take place, which both you (media) and the people of the state will see," he told reporters here.
Asked about his recent comments regarding change of Chief Minister after Dasara festival, he said: "I have said that fast paced political developments will take place, it includes everything."
Vijayendra on Sunday claimed that, according to his information, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who is facing a probe in the MUDA (Mysuru Urban Development Authority) site allotment case, may resign after Dasara.
A few Ministers in the Siddaramaiah Cabinet had recently held closed-door meetings, fueling speculation about leadership change.
On several leaders in the BJP "not accepting" his leadership and openly making comments against him, Vijayendra said, despite having seniors, the party leadership has given him the "big responsibility" to lead the party in the State. .
"Seniors in the party would need some time to understand me, considering them (their opposition to him) as anti-party activities will be wrong. I have been always saying that I will take everyone together, they too need some time, everything will be good in the days ahead," he added.
A section of BJP leaders led by senior legislators Basanagouda Patil Yatnal and Ramesh Jarkiholi had been openly critical of Vijayendra, accusing him of indulging in "adjustment politics" with the ruling Congress, and trying to keep the party in his clutches along with his father and veteran party leader B S Yediyurappa.
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Lucknow (PTI): Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday alleged the violence in Uttar Pradesh's Sambhal district over the survey of a mosque was "orchestrated" by the BJP, the government and the administration "to divert attention from electoral malpractice".
Police used tear gas and "minor force" in the face of stone pelting by locals in Sambhal on Sunday as tension escalated during a second survey of the Mughal-era mosque, claimed to be originally the site of an ancient Hindu temple.
Ten people have been detained and a probe was launched into the violence, an official said.
Tension has been brewing in Sambhal over the past few days after the Jama Masjid was surveyed last Tuesday on the orders of a local court following a petition that claimed that a Harihar temple stood at the site.
A day after the Uttar Pradesh bypoll results were declared and the Samajwadi Party managed to win just two seats while the BJP and its ally RLD bagged the other seven, Yadav levelled serious allegations against the police and administration.
"A serious incident occurred in Sambhal. A survey team was deliberately sent in the morning to disrupt discussions about the elections. The intention was to create chaos so that no debate on election issues could happen," the Samajwadi Party chief claimed.
Citing reports, he said several people were injured in the violence in Sambhal and asked when a survey of the mosque was already done, why was a new survey conducted again and "that too in the morning and without preparation?"
"I don't want to go into the legal or procedural aspects, but the other side was not even heard. This was intentionally done to provoke emotions and avoid discussions on election rigging," Yadav said.
"What happened in Sambhal was orchestrated by the BJP, the government and the administration to divert attention from electoral malpractices," the former UP chief minister alleged.
Asserting that in democracy, true victory comes from the people, not the system, he said, "The new democracy created by the BJP ensures that people cannot vote while the system dominates."
He added that whenever an impartial investigation takes place, and the truth comes out through booth recordings and CCTV footage, it will be evident that "voters did not cast their votes and someone else became the voter inside the booth".
Yadav claimed that on the polling day, the police and the administration removed the Samajwadi Party's almost all booth agents and many supporters who wanted to vote.
"If voters were prevented from voting, then who cast the votes? If Samajwadi Party votes didn't reach those booths and our candidate didn't get support, then who voted there? This is a serious issue," he said.
"Additionally, there were two types of slips, -- one with a red mark and another regular slip. We raised this issue on the voting day itself, stating that the administration had created such arrangements, leading to discrimination," Yadav alleged.
The Samajwadi Party's candidate for the Kundarki assembly bypoll Haji Rizwan too has alleged that his supporters were prevented from voting.
The BJP's Ramveer Singh won the bypoll in the Kundarki seat by a margin of over 1.45 lakh votes.