Minister Lakshmi Hebbalkar remarks over Belagavi draws rebuke from Oppn
Belagavi, Jan 8: The opposition BJP and JD(S) on Monday rallied against Karnataka Minister Lakshmi Hebbalkar after her recent statement on Belagavi being 'a part of Maharashtra before Independence'.
Hebbalkar, a native of Belagavi, had made the comments recently while speaking at a Kannada litterateurs meet at Karadaga village here.
"Before independence, Karnataka and Maharashtra had many commonalities. Belagavi was a part of Maharashtra and we were living with warmth," the Woman and Child Welfare Minister said, remarking that people here are "blessed" to have been born in Karnataka.
Kannada litterateurs have made the people aware of the rich Kannada language, culture, land, water and the state's heritage, she added.
"Karnataka has given eight Jnanpith awardees. Our literature, art and culture is such a matter of pride and joy for us," she said.
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Her statement on Belagavi being a part of Maharashtra before independence drew sharp criticism from the opposition parties today.
State BJP President B Y Vijayendra said that with these comments, the minister had attempted to disturb the sovereignty of Karnataka and the linguistic harmony at the inter-state border. He called for her immediate dismissal from the state cabinet.
"It is nothing but a political gimmick of the minister occupying a responsible post, who takes pride in calling herself a 'Kannadatti' (native of Karnataka), to set a harmonious society on fire in this election season.
"Let Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who makes long speeches about commitment to Kannada, dismiss the disloyal minister Lakshmi Hebbalkar from the cabinet immediately. Let him thereby show their real concern for the sovereignty and linguistic harmony of Karnataka," Vijayendra said.
Criticising the minister, former Chief Minister and JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy said that she has not yet come out of her "infatuation" for Maharashtra.
"People in responsible positions should not speak like this. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah should teach the minister properly," Kumaraswamy said.
Leader of opposition in the Karnataka assembly R Ashoka charged the minister with indulging in "vote bank politics."
"When there is so much agitation happening over the border row, when the Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti miscreants create so much ruckus in the state, the minister's statement was for vote bank politics. Parliament elections are approaching and she wants to rekindle the issue," the BJP leader said, alleging that Hebbalkar had "hurt the sentiments of Kannadigas."
The border row over Belagavi between Karnataka and Maharashtra dates back to 1957 when states were reorganised on linguistic lines. Maharashtra laid claim to Belagavi, which was part of the erstwhile Bombay Presidency, as it had a sizable Marathi-speaking population.
It also laid claim to over 800 Marathi-speaking villages which are currently part of Karnataka.
Karnataka maintains that the demarcation done on linguistic lines as per the States Reorganisation Act and the 1967 Mahajan Commission Report is final.
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MPs defecting from political parties must be barred from contesting polls for 6 yrs: Digvijaya Singh
New Delhi (PTI): Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on Monday said MPs defecting from political parties must be barred from contesting polls for six years, as he accused the Election Commission of being "biased", and also questioned the need for conducting Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Participating in the discussion on election reforms in the Rajya Sabha, Singh sought removal of the ceiling on electoral expenses to ensure transparency in the election process, and alleged "vote chori (theft)" in states like Karnataka, Haryana, and Maharashtra.
He also claimed that Rahul Gandhi had submitted proof in this regard, but the Election Commission never responded.
He alleged bias by the Election Commission and wondered whether citizenship was being ascertained or a new voter list was being prepared, claiming that matriculation certificates were being demanded from individuals during the SIR exercise.
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"SIR kaha se aa gaya? Humse citizenship ke question poochhey ja rahe hain (where did SIR come from? We are being questioned regarding citizenship)... matriculation certificate is being demanded from voters... whether citizenship is being ascertained or a voter list is being prepared?" Singh questioned during his remarks.
The senior Congress leader said, "When the election commission carries out summary revision four times a year, then what is the need of SIR?"
He suggested that the delimitation exercise should not be based on population and instead on the current seat dynamics in place in the North and South India.
"(Delimitation)... jansankhya ke aadhar par nahin hona chahiye. maujooda anupaat jo dakshin aur uttar bharat ki seats hai uss par hi hona chahiye," Singh said.
Singh claimed that multiple letters were written to the Election Commission and INDIA bloc members had sought time from the body but it was never granted.
He and Home Minister Amit Shah,
He accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of wanting to implement a "fascist dictatorship" by appointing people following a particular ideology on constitutional positions.
He claimed that Shah was never associated with the RSS, a charge debunked by Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Arjun Ram Meghwal.
"Rahul Gandhi ne apne bhashan mein kaha tha is desh mein 2014 ke baad jitne bhi samvidhanik sansthaayein hain unpar ek nishchit vichardhaara ke logon ko bithaya ja raha hai, woh yogya ho ya ayogya ho, aur unke maadhyam se, mera yeh aarop hai, fascist dictatorship laagu karna chahtey hain Narendra Modi ji (Rahul Gandhi in his speeches has said that since 2014 people from a particular ideology, whether qualified or not, are being placed in constitutional posts... my allegation is that Modi ji is trying to impose fascist dictatorship in the country," Singh said.
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Speaking on the issue of illegal immigration, Samik Bhattacharya (BJP) quoted former PM Manmohan Singh's speech on September 30, 2005, claiming that Singh had stated that "India is opposed to all illegal immigration into the country be it from Bangladesh or elsewhere. The illegal immigration should not be encouraged."
He asserted that the Election Commission is a constitutional authority, and the SIR is underway and it needs to be accepted.
He also raised the issue of political violence and demographic imbalance/changes in West Bengal.
Sandeep Kumar Pathak of the Aam Aadmi Party raised the issue of exorbitant electoral expenses and the lack of level-playing field to contest polls by common citizens for this reason. He also suggested proper verification of the voter list.
