Mysuru hotel owner threatens to take legal action for non-clearance of Rs 80 lakh bill for PM’s stay
Mysuru: The owner of the hotel where Prime Minister Narendra Modi stayed during his visit to the city to inaugurate the 50th anniversary celebrations of ‘Project Tiger’ in April 2023 has alleged that bills amounting to Rs 80.6 lakh are yet to be cleared and has warned of approaching concerned authorities to take legal action in the matter.
The Karnataka Forest Department, which was directed to hold a three-day event in April 2023 at an expenditure of Rs 3 crore, was assured that it would receive 100 per cent assistance from the Centre. The program was held as per the directions of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF), with the expenditure hiking to Rs 6.33 crore, reports The Hindu.
The initial estimated amount of Rs 3 crore for the event was released by the Central government, but the bill for the extra Rs 3.33 crore is pending for clearance in spite of the Forest Department bringing it to the notice of the MoEF.
Also, the correspondence between the NTCA and the MoEF shows that the event cost increased from the original Rs 3 crore due to the addition of activities during the event, as directed by the NTCA and as per the requirements of the PM’s program. The event management company, as a result, submitted a revised quotation that was circulated among all officials during a video conference.
The Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) of Karnataka wrote to Deputy Inspector-General of the NTCA in New Delhi on September 29, 2023 reminding him of the dues. The NTCA, however, replied on February 12, 2024 that the state government would have to clear the expenses for the stay of the PM’s entourage at Hotel Radisson Blu Plaza in Mysuru during the event.
A second letter was written by the Principal Chief Conservator on March 22, 2024, again reminding the NTCA of the amount to be cleared, including the Rs 80.6-lakh bill for the PM’s stay at Hotel Radisson Blu Plaza. The NTCA has not replied to the Karnataka officer so far.
The General Manager (Finance) of Hotel Radisson Blu Plaza has also reportedly written to the Karnataka Deputy Conservator of Forests Basavaraju on May 21, 2024, stating that the hotel bill was pending to be cleared although more than 12 months had passed since the hotel services were used and the authorities were sent repeated reminders asking for clearance of the bill. The general manager has also informed that an interest of 18 per cent would be applicable to the outstanding amount due to the delayed payment, and demanding the additional sum of Rs 12.09 lakh also be paid as late payment fee.
The hotel management has set a deadline of June 1, 2024 for clearance of the pending amount and also threatened that legal action would be taken if the amount was not settled.
Deputy Conservator of Forests Basavaraju, however, clarified that the State government had refused to clear the bill as per the Central government’s directives as the event was held by the Central government.
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Fascism will not be allowed to enter through the back door of vote rigging: CM Siddaramaiah
New Delhi: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday asserted that fascism would not be allowed to enter India “through the back door of vote rigging” and called upon citizens to collectively defend the country’s democratic foundations.
Speaking after participating in an anti–vote rigging protest organised in New Delhi, Siddaramaiah said the gathering was not merely a political demonstration but a stand to protect Indian democracy. “We have come to the heart of our republic not as Congress workers or voters, but as protectors of Indian democracy,” he said.
Emphasising the importance of the right to vote, Siddaramaiah said it was the most sacred right guaranteed by the Constitution and the very foundation of democracy.
“Through voting, a farmer shapes the future of his children, a worker safeguards his dignity, a youth realises dreams, and a nation expresses its collective will,” he said.
He accused the BJP-led Union government of attempting to undermine this right through what he termed systematic vote rigging, including the alleged misuse of the special revision of electoral rolls. “This power is being stolen repeatedly,” he alleged.
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Warning against authoritarian tendencies, Siddaramaiah said history had shown that dictatorship does not begin with violence but with the misuse of institutions and manipulation of democratic systems.
“Across the world, authoritarian regimes pretend to protect democracy while quietly subverting it. This is what the BJP is doing today,” he charged.
He alleged that the ruling party was controlling institutions, intimidating electoral machinery, distorting voter lists, suppressing voter turnout in opposition strongholds, and misusing money and power. “This is not mere maladministration. Vote rigging is an attack on the very idea of India,” he said.
Siddaramaiah further claimed that governments formed through “stolen votes” could not be considered democratic.
“Such regimes survive through fear, fraud and distortion of the people’s mandate,” he said, adding that vote rigging posed the biggest threat to the republic since Independence.
Praising Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Siddaramaiah said he had shown exceptional courage in exposing alleged irregularities in voter lists, booth-level manipulation and “systematic, organised vote rigging” across several states, including Karnataka, Haryana and Bihar.
Referring to Karnataka, Siddaramaiah cited Mahadevpura and Aland constituencies as examples highlighted by Gandhi. In Mahadevpura, he said, thousands of allegedly fake and fraudulent voter entries and discrepancies in electoral rolls pointed to a narrow BJP victory. In Aland, he said, attempts were made to remove the names of legitimate voters ahead of the 2023 Assembly elections.
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He noted that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) had recently filed a chargesheet accusing seven persons, including a former BJP MLA and his son, of attempting to delete the names of around 6,000 voters in Aland.
“This is a significant legal step in the fight against vote rigging,” he said.
Siddaramaiah concluded by stating that the fight against vote rigging was rooted in constitutional morality, Ambedkarite thought and the core principle of democracy. “Sovereignty belongs to the people, not to any party, regime or those who seek to steal elections,” he said.
