Will become CM after next assembly polls in Karnataka: Former CM Siddaramaiah
Bengaluru, Apr 20: Asserting that he is not a "political sanyasi" and was in "active politics", former Chief Minister Siddarmaiah Saturday said the Congress will form government in Karnataka after the next assembly polls, and he will become Chief Minister once again.
Rubbishing reports about his immediate chief ministerial ambitions citing his recent statements, the Chairman of the Congress-JD(S) coalition coordination committee clarified that he will occupy the top job after the next assembly election and there was nothing wrong in that. The next assembly elections in the state will be held in 2023.
"I had said I will become chief minister in the future... did I say tomorrow (after Lok Sabha polls). I meant after next assembly election... am I a political sanyasi? If I was why would I come here in this hot sun? I would have sat in the shade. I'm not a political sanyasi, I'm in active politics," Siddaramaiah told reporters in Davangere.
"What I said was, in the future our party government will come to power, once I become chief minister, I will increase distribution of rice from 7 to 10 kg. What is wrong in that?" he asked.
The CLP leader's statement on Friday during a rally at Siruguppa about providing 10 kg rice if he comes back, while speaking about his previous government's flagship 'Anna Bhagya' scheme had created flutter, amid speculation that any adverse results in Lok Sabha polls will have its impact on the longevity of the coalition government.
Earlier on Saturday hitting out at the BJP in Belagavi, Siddaramaiah said the saffron party will be reduced to a single digit in the Lok Sabha polls.
"...they (BJP people) are speaking out of frustration knowing very well that they will lose. They will be defeated, in Karnataka this time they will be in single digit, they will not reach double digits," he told reporters.
Siddaramaiah was responding to a question about BJP national joint general secretary (Org) B L Santohs recent comments on getting two BJP governments, one at the Centre and the other in state.
"... from your vote, you will get one direct government- Narendra Modi's. After one month you will get another government- Yeddyurappa's government in Bengaluru's Vidhana Soudha.
In Parliament and Vidhan Soudha our government will be there from your one vote," he had said recently addressing a gathering.
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Traffic fraud: Fake 'no-entry' sticker racket busted in Delhi, mastermind among 3 held
New Delhi (PTI): Police here have busted a crime syndicate involved in traffic fraud and extortion, arresting three people including the alleged mastermind who sold fake stickers to help commercial vehicles bypass no-entry restrictions, an official said on Saturday.
The police said they dismantled a third organised syndicate linked to traffic-related frauds, with the arrest of Rinku Rana alias Bhushan, his associate Sonu Sharma and Mukesh Kumar alias Pakodi, who was also connected to another extortion syndicate.
According to the police, Rinku Rana was running a well-organised network that facilitated the movement of commercial goods vehicles during restricted hours by selling fake 'marka' or stickers for Rs 2,000 to Rs 5,000 per vehicle every month. The stickers were falsely projected as authorisation to evade traffic challans.
During raids, the police recovered Rs 31 lakh in cash, property documents worth several crores of rupees, over 500 fake stickers and six mobile phones allegedly used to operate the syndicate.
The crackdown followed a complaint filed by a traffic police officer in April this year after a commercial vehicle tried to evade checking by producing a fake sticker claiming exemption from enforcement action.
Investigation revealed that social media groups were being used to coordinate the illegal movement of vehicles and alert drivers about traffic police checkpoints, police said.
"A parallel system was being run to cheat drivers and vehicle owners while undermining traffic enforcement. On the basis of evidence, provisions related to organised crime under the BNS were invoked," a senior police officer said.
Sonu Sharma, the police said, managed social media groups through which stickers were sold and real-time alerts were circulated regarding traffic police movement. He also acted as a link between Rana and drivers operating in the field.
In a related development, Mukesh Kumar alias Pakodi, an associate of Rajkumar alias Raju Meena, who was earlier arrested under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), was also apprehended.
Mukesh allegedly helped extort money from transporters and was involved in blackmailing traffic police personnel by recording enforcement actions, the police said.
Investigators alleged the syndicate led by Rajkumar deployed drivers to deliberately violate traffic rules and secretly record police officials during challans, later using manipulated videos to extort money under threat of false allegations.
The police said that in total, eight accused belonging to three different organised crime syndicates linked to traffic frauds and extortion have been arrested so far.
Further investigation is underway to trace the remaining members, conduct financial probes, and analyse digital evidence recovered during the raids, officials added.
