There is change in personality of Modi between Godhra riots to becoming PM of India: HD Deve Gowda
Modi had turned down Deve Gowda's wish to resign from LS after winning 2014 poll
Mandya (K'taka)(PTI): Former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda on Sunday said his respect for Prime Minister Narendra Modi increased manifold when he turned down his wish to resign from the Lok Sabha.
Recalling the incident, Gowda said he had challenged Modi in 2014 Lok Sabha elections that if the BJP came to power on its own by winning 276 seats then he would resign from Lok Sabha.
"I had told him that if you win 276 seats then I will resign. You can rule by forging an alliance with others but if you win 276 seats on your own then I will resign (from Lok Sabha)," Gowda said in a press conference.
He also said that the BJP came to power on its own following which he felt the urge to fulfil the promise he had made.
The JD(S) patriarch recalled that after the victory, Modi had personally invited him to attend the swearing-in ceremony. After all the celebrations were over, he sought an appointment with Modi, for which he agreed.
When his car reached the portico of the Parliament, Prime Minister Modi himself came there to receive him.
"I have had knee pain since then, which is still continuing. Whatever kind of person he is, that day when my car came to the portico, Modi himself came, held me by my hand and took me inside. This was for a person who had opposed him (Modi) so much," Gowda said.
Gowda said he expressed his wish to resign from the Lok Sabha.
"I told him that I stand by my words. Please accept my resignation. He told me why I was taking things spoken during election so seriously. He also said that he would require to discuss matters with me whenever situation arises," Gowda recalled.
After the incident, Gowda met Modi six to seven times as his respect for him increased.
The former Prime Minister said he had opposed Modi after the Godhra incident and his speeches made in Parliament during the period stand testimony to his claim.
However, his meeting with Modi after the latter became prime minister changed his perception.
"I realised to see the change in his personality -- from what he was as a Gujarat Chief Minister to what he is after becoming the Prime Minister," Gowda said.
The JD(S) supremo also said Modi immediately agreed to meet him whenever he wished to see him.
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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.
