Will retire from politics, if proved I have taken money in single case of transfer: Siddaramaiah
Bengaluru (PTI): With JD(S) state president H D Kumaraswamy repeatedly attacking him and his son Yathindra, a former Congress MLA, accusing them of a "cash for transfer" racket, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday said he will retire from politics, if proved that he has taken money, even in a single transfer case of government officials.
He alleged such cash for transfer happened during Kumaraswamy's tenure.
"I have told you not to ask about it (Kumaraswamy's allegations). Haven't I responded to it already? Let him tweet (post on X) a number of times. He is speaking about what they did during his tenure (as CM)," Siddaramaiah said in response to a question about Kumaraswamy's attacks.
Speaking to reporters here, the chief minister said, "He (Kumaraswamy) is speaking about the money they (Kumaraswamy and JDS leaders) took for transfers. They took money during his tenure. In our tenure, we have not taken any money. I have already said -- I will retire from politics, if it's proved that I have taken money in even a single case of transfer."
"Let him tweet a hundred times, I don't want to reply," he added.
Kumaraswamy had recently sought to link a phone conversation between Yathindra and Siddaramaiah, which was widely circulated on social media, to allege a cash for postings/transfer' scam, a charge which has been rightly rejected by the chief minister and his son.
Continuing his attack, Kumaraswamy has even alleged that an official, whose name was mentioned in a phone conversation between the CM and his son, had figured in the transfer list of police inspectors released recently.
Further accusing Yathindra of acting like a "Super Chief Minister", the JD(S) leader had even sought the resignation of Siddaramaiah over a video clip.
The former chief minister today too, in a series of posts on 'X', on the issue, accused Siddaramaiah of outsourcing his Varuna constituency in Mysuru district to his son Yathindra.
Yathindra from 2018-23 had represented the Varuna segment, and in 2023, he gave up the seat to his father Siddaramaiah to contest from his home seat for one last time, and himself did not contest from any other constituency.
"The people of Varuna have chosen you (Siddaramaiah). You have to do their work yourself. Why outsource the constituency to your son? I never outsourced the constituency to my son when I was CM. You have outsourced Varuna to the son," Kumaraswamy posted.
Noting that as far as he knows, no CM has ever outsourced his constituency to children, he accused Siddaramaiah of giving power to his son, through the backdoor, by ensuring him a Karnataka Development Programme (KDP) post in the segment. "Is there any provision in the constitution that allows this? If so, let me know."
Further stating that as far as he knows, CSR stands for Corporate Social Responsibility, Kumaraswamy said, "Now it has become Corrupt Son Of Siddaramaiah! Have you outsourced to your son -- to do CSR collection in the state? Is he in-charge of CSR for 224 constituencies (in the state)? You seem to have your eye on the 2 per cent CSR as well.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
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.
