Siddaramaiah clarifies on B'luru cops denying permission to pro-Palestine event; Here's what he said
Bengaluru: In response to the recent incident where police permission was denied for a pro-Palestine program in Bengaluru, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has attributed the refusal to misinformation among lower-level police officials. The Chief Minister stated the state government was committed to upholding Constitutional provisions regarding the freedom of expression.
In a press release issued on Friday, CM Siddaramaiah reassured the public that the Karnataka government always operates within the framework of Constitutional principles, advocating for the liberty of its citizens. He clarified that the government would never intentionally obstruct any form of expression, be it through stories, poetry, plays, or music.
Addressing the recent untoward incident, Siddaramaiah stated that he has discussed with Karnataka's Director General of Police, Alok Mohan, expressing concern and urging measures to prevent such incidents from recurring.
Siddaramaiag was addressing concerns raised after Bengaluru police denied permission for a program scheduled for November 29. The event, featuring a play and poetry recital at the renowned 'Rangashankara' theatre, was intended as a protest against Israel's conflict with Palestine. The denial of permission had sparked criticism from social media users and artists alike.
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Sanjay Raut demands re-election, alleges irregularities in EVMs during Maharashtra polls
Mumbai, Nov 25: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Monday demanded a re-election in Maharashtra using ballot papers, claiming there were irregularities with the electronic voting machines (EVMs).
Talking to reporters, Raut alleged several complaints about EVMs malfunctioning and questioned the integrity of the recently held elections.
The BJP-led Mahayuti won 230 out of 288 seats in the assembly elections, while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi managed 46 seats, with Shiv Sena (UBT) winning just 20 out of 95 seats it contested.
"We have received nearly 450 complaints regarding EVMs. Despite raising objections repeatedly, no action has been taken on these issues. How can we say these elections were conducted fairly? Hence, I demand that the results be set aside and elections be held again using ballot papers," Raut said.
Citing some instances, he said a candidate in Nashik reportedly received only four votes despite having 65 votes from his family, while in Dombivli, discrepancies were found in EVM tallies, and election officials refused to acknowledge the objections.
The Sena (UBT) leader also questioned the credibility of the landslide victories of some candidates, saying, "What revolutionary work have they done to receive more than 1.5 lakh votes? Even leaders who recently switched parties have become MLAs. This raises suspicions. For the first time, a senior leader like Sharad Pawar has expressed doubts about EVMs, which cannot be ignored."
Asked about the MVA's poor performance in the elections, Raut rejected the idea of blaming a single individual.
"We fought as a united MVA. Even a leader like Sharad Pawar, who commands immense respect in Maharashtra, faced defeat. This shows that we need to analyse the reasons behind the failure. One of the reasons is EVM irregularities and the misuse of the system, unconstitutional practices, and even judicial decisions left unresolved by Justice Chandrachud," he said.
Raut stressed that though internal differences might have existed within the MVA, the failure was collective.
He also accused the Mahayuti of conducting the elections in an unfair manner.
"I cannot call the elections fair given the numerous reports of discrepancies in EVMs, mismatched numbers, and vote irregularities across the state," Raut said.
