Lingayat seers ask BJP to change its Dharwad LS candidate Pralhad Joshi
Hubballi, Mar 27: A few Lingayat seers in the region met here on Wednesday and asked the BJP central leadership to change the party's Dharwad Lok Sabha candidate Prahlad Joshi, Fakira Dingaleshwar Swamiji of Shirahatti-Balehosur said.
He said, at the meeting it was decided that "like in the north", Swamijis in the south too should work in the political field and contest elections.
"Swamijis met and discussed about a Central minister who has been fielded from the Dharwad Lok Sabha constituency (by BJP), they want him to be changed. We have given four days time for this, we will wait till March 31 to see what the (BJP) high command decides," Fakira Dingaleshwar Swamiji said after the meeting.
Speaking to reporters here, he said, they will meet once again on April 2 and announce their decision accordingly.
Lingayats are said to be the majority among voters in the Dharwad segment, while Joshi, a four-time MP, is a Brahmin.
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Stating that he has a lot of respect and regard for Dingaleshwar Swamiji and has over 30 years of association with his guru and the math, Joshi said, he will consider seer's comments as a blessings and will try to clarify the misunderstandings, if any, in the days ahead.
He said he would not like to comment on any personal allegations.
Veteran BJP leader B S Yediyurappa, a Lingayat, said there is no question of changing Joshi from being the candidate. "He is a senior leader and will win with a huge margin."
He said he will personally speak to Dingaleshwar Swamiji and clarify the misunderstandings that he may have.
Targeting Joshi, the Swamiji further said, "every community is pained by him...We are not speaking against the party, we are speaking about Union minister Pralhad Joshi."
He also said that in north India "Kavidharis" and Swamijis have been given an opportunity in politics, but it is not the case in South India. "We have discussed it and it was decided that swamijis in the south too should work in the political field and contest elections."
Asked whether he or someone among the Swamijis will contest the polls from Dharwad if BJP doesn't change its candidate, he said, "Wait till April 2 for it."
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Gujarat man held for impersonating govt official, duping people with forged letters
Ahmedabad (PTI): The Ahmedabad police have arrested a 29-year-old man who allegedly posed as a senior revenue official and used fake letters claiming to be from various government departments to cheat people, an official said on Sunday.
Mehul Shah, an engineer who manages two schools at Vankaner in Gujarat’s Morbi district, is accused of making lakhs of rupees with bogus documents and false claims, said inspector (crime branch) JK Makwana.
Shah had forged an appointment letter from the Ahmedabad district education officer (DEO) to offer a computer operator’s job in a government office to a complainant’s son. He also introduced himself as a trustee of a school and did not pay a man Rs 7 lakh due to him over the painting of a school building, the official said.
“Despite holding no official position in the state or central government, he used fake work permits and NOCs to cheat people of lakhs of rupees,” the police official said.
One complainant alleged that Shah identified himself as a top revenue department official and produced a fake letter from the chairman of the “department of science and research development” to make him install a siren and curtain in a hired vehicle but did not pay for the job, he said.
Bogus letters claiming to be from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ahmedabad DEO were used by the accused to cheat the complainants, the police official said.
Police have recovered from his possession fake identity cards and letters with headings like “bharat gaurav ratna shri samman council”, “chairman of department of science and research development”, “health and family welfare department”, and “road and building department”.
“The FIR is based on complaints by three victims. We appeal to the people to come forward and submit their complaints if they have been cheated by Shah in any way,” Makwana said.
