Siddaramaiah urges Ministers, MLAs to promote government guarantees ahead of 2024 LS Elections
Belagavi: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has called upon his Cabinet members and other Congress legislators to actively promote the benefits of government guarantees while campaigning for the party in the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
During the Congress Legislative Party meeting held at a resort on the outskirts of Belagavi city on Thursday, Siddaramaiah emphasized the need for concerted efforts at the booth and block levels to strengthen the party and secure maximum votes in every constituency.
Siddaramaiah highlighted the importance of preparing a report on potential candidates at the earliest, which will be submitted to the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC). He suggested organizing government conventions in every Panchayat across Karnataka to raise awareness about the guarantees provided by the government and educate the public about the benefits derived from various projects.
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Expressing displeasure over the absence of some ministers during the meeting in Belagavi, Siddaramaiah stated that he would address the issue during the Cabinet meeting. He emphasized the importance of the legislative party meeting in strengthening the relationship between legislators and ministers, deeming it inappropriate and irresponsible for ministers to miss such a crucial gathering.
Ministers such as Priyank Kharge, MB Patil, Sharan Prakash Patil, Zameer Ahmed, Satish Jarkiholi, and Sharanabasappa Darshanapur were notable absentees from the meeting on Thursday.
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Ensure paid holiday for postal staff on polling day in Kerala: John Brittas writes to Scindia
New Delhi (PTI): CPI(M) Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas on Sunday wrote to Union Minister of Communications Jyotiraditya Scindia, seeking his urgent intervention to ensure that postal employees in Kerala are granted a statutory paid holiday on April 9 for the Assembly elections in the southern state.
In his letter, Brittas expressed serious concern over the Kerala Postal Circle’s instructions to treat all postal employees as “absentee voters in essential services (AVES)”, directing them to opt for a postal ballot within an “extremely limited” timeframe.
The Department of Posts operates under the Ministry of Communications. Along with the Department of Telecommunications, it is one of the two main sections within the ministry headed by Scindia.
In his letter, Brittas pointed out that the circular dated March 19 required the collection of Form 12D by March 20 (Eid al-Fitr), and submission of the compiled details at the respective collectorates by March 22 (Sunday), both holidays in Kerala, making meaningful compliance difficult and raising apprehensions about the “arbitrary” nature of the directions.
The CPI(M) leader also pointed out that the Election Commission, in a communication dated March 16, reiterated the requirement under Section 135B of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, that every person employed in any establishment and entitled to vote shall be granted a paid holiday on the polling day, without any deduction or abatement of wages.
He said even where certain services are treated as essential, the long-standing administrative practice has been to maintain only minimal required operations on polling day, without denying employees the opportunity to vote in person.
Brittas argued that in some other states going to polls this month, including Assam, most postal employees have been granted a holiday on polling day, in accordance with the statutory provisions.
During the 2021 Kerala polls, postal establishments had observed a holiday on polling day, subject only to limited essential arrangements, he claimed.
The present deviation, Brittas said, raises concerns about inconsistency in the application of law and the avoidable curtailment of the democratic rights of employees.
Stating that the right to vote lies at the core of India's democratic framework, Brittas urged Scindia to examine the matter urgently.
“Given the proximity of the polling date, I earnestly seek your kind indulgence to have the matter examined on priority, and to issue urgent directions to the postal authorities in Kerala to ensure that the statutory entitlement of postal employees in Kerala to a paid holiday on the day of polling is duly ensured,” Brittas said in the letter.
The 140 seats in the Kerala Assembly will go to polls on April 9, and the results will be out on May 4.
