MES vandalism: CM Bommai warns of action against those troubling Kannadigas in Karnataka
Bengaluru(PTI): Condemning Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti's (MES) alleged attack on those taking out a wedding procession playing Kannada songs in the border district of Belagavi, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Saturday warned of strong action against those troubling Kannadigas in Karnataka.
He said police have already taken action and the government has sent out a clear message to those taking law into their hands and trying to disturb peace.
"We strongly condemn MES vandalism, our police have taken action, we have sent out a clear message on this issue. We cannot tolerate law being taken into hands," Bommai said.
Speaking to reporters here, the CM said his government will take all necessary steps to maintain the law and order, and will take strong action against those troubling Kannadigas in Karnataka.
The police have detained nine workers of MES for allegedly attacking those taking out a wedding procession playing Kannada songs at Dhamnae village in Belagavi on Thursday night.
Those injured have undergone treatment at the hospital, police said.
The MES has been fighting in the border areas of Belagavi for the merger of 800-odd villages with Maharashtra, for several years now.
Maharashtra claims the border district of Belagavi was part of the erstwhile Bombay Presidency, but is currently a district of Karnataka, on linguistic grounds.
On its part as an assertion that Belagavi is an integral part of the state, Karnataka has built the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha, modelled on the Vidhana Soudha, the state secretariat in Bengaluru, where legislature session is held once a year.
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Delhi elections: Items worth over Rs 21 crore seized within week of MCC coming into force
New Delhi (PTI): The office of the Delhi chief electoral officer (CEO) informed on Monday that in the run-up to the Assembly polls in the capital, cash and other items like liquor, worth more than Rs 21 crore, have been seized by various departments within a week of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) coming into effect.
The MCC was implemented on January 7, immediately after the announcement of the poll schedule. Voting for Delhi's 70 Assembly constituencies is scheduled to take place on February 5, with the results set to be declared on February 8.
The MCC is a set of guidelines issued by the Election Commission (EC) to ensure free and fair polls. It regulates the conduct of the political parties and candidates, covering areas such as meetings, processions, election manifestoes, polling and general behaviour during the electoral process.
According to data provided by the Delhi CEO's office, the highest value of seized items was reported in East Delhi, amounting to Rs 6.83 crore. South Delhi followed closely with Rs 6.81 crore, while the New Delhi area recorded the lowest seizures worth Rs 3.9 lakh.
In all, items worth Rs 21.89 crore have been confiscated across the capital. This includes Rs 9.8 crore in cash, precious metals worth Rs 6.1 crore, drugs worth Rs 5.05 crore, freebies worth more than Rs 47 lakh and liquor worth over Rs 45 lakh.
Earlier in the day, during an interaction with the media, Delhi Chief Electoral Officer Alice Vaz said preparations for the Assembly polls are progressing smoothly.
Training programmes for the polling personnel have begun and critical data related to nominations, permissions and enforcement activities are being monitored daily, she added.
The CEO emphasised the importance of mapping the vulnerable and critical polling stations to ensure smooth voting.
"We will follow all the instructions of the Election Commission of India for the mapping of the vulnerable polling stations," she said.
Police deployments and security arrangements for the elections are yet to be finalised, Vaz noted.
