RS poll: EC?seeks report on CM 'inducing MLAs' to vote for Cong

June 6, 2016

Bengaluru, Jun 6: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has directed the Returning Officer for the Rajya Sabha election to submit a report on a complaint that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah was trying to induce independent MLAs by offering them special grants.

Untitled-1The JD(S) had on May 29 lodged the complaint with the ECI, charging Siddaramaiah with indulging in election malpractice. The chief minister had been wooing independent MLAs by offering Rs 100-crore special development grant to each of their constituencies, the party had charged in its complaint.

The Congress has been trying to get the support of nine independents and MLAs of smaller parties to win the third seat in the elections. Congress's third candidate K C Ramamurthy needs the support of about 13 non-Congress MLAs for his election. Similarly, JD(S) candidate B M Farook has to muster the support of about 12 non-JD(S) MLAs for his election.

About 12 MLAs, including nine independents, had initially pledged their support to Farook. They had even agreed to be the proposers to the JD(S) candidate. But they later changed their decision and declared their support to the Congress candidate. The JD(S) subsequently lodged the complaint with the ECI, alleging that the chief minister was inducing the independents. However, official sources said the JD(S) had not furnished the necessary documents to the ECI to substantiate its claims. But some independent MLAs have reportedly stated that they would vote for the Congress as they would get special funds for the development of their constituencies.

When contacted, Returning Officer S Murthy only said that he was examining the complaint and that he would submit the report soon. The ECI has already directed Murthy, who is also the Karnataka Legislative Assembly secretary, to submit a report on a sting operation done by two national news channels on votes for sale recently. The election is scheduled for June 11.

Chief Minister denies horse-trading

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday refuted the allegations that the Congress had indulged in horse-trading, ahead of Rajya Sabha elections.

Speaking to reporters in Mysuru, he said that there was no need for the party to bank on other party legislators to get its candidates elected. Siddaramaiah defended fielding a third candidate in the election, saying that the party will be left with 33 votes after ensuring the victory of two candidates.

“We need 90 votes to win two seats. The party will be left with 33 votes and this may help win another seat. Hence a third candidate is fielded,” the chief minister said. He also denied the party's involvement in the recent sting operation, in which a few MLAs were shown striking money deals for votes.

Comments

Saleem
 - 
Monday, 6 Jun 2016

Muslims are always indirectly supporting BJP Growth because of their selfishness.

If BJP Gets majority in RS then they can implement all RSS agendas.

But for us our selfish attitude is important than all.

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News Network
May 8,2020

Bengaluru, May 8: Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa has announced a special package for those involved in leather works, especially those who work on the roadside, informed the state's Deputy Chief Minister Govind M Karjol on Friday. 

The special package has been announced for cobblers and leather workers, who work on the roadside. 

The government has provided relief to 11,722 families at a rate of Rs 5,000 per family. These beneficiaries will be directly credited to their bank account through Dr. Babu Jagjivan Ram Leather Industries Development Corporation.

This special package will help livelihoods for skilled workers, said the Deputy Chief Minister. He congratulated the Chief Minister on the declaration of this special package on behalf of the Department of Social Welfare.

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January 3,2020

Tumakuru, Jan 3: Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa, who has drawn flak for the Centre releasing “inadequate” flood relief to the State, on Thursday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for additional relief during his speech at a farmers’ convention in Tumakuru.

The Chief Minister even said, “I have brought this to the notice of the Prime Minister three or four times, but till now no additional relief has been sanctioned. I request him with folded hands to release it soon,” in Kannada. The Prime Minister, who spoke later at the event, however, did not respond to the Chief Minister’s request in his speech.

Mr. Yediyurappa said the State had witnessed losses to the tune of over ₹30,000 crore because of floods.

‘Stress on irrigation’

Addressing farmers at one of his main support bases of Tumakuru, the Lingayat strongman advised the Prime Minister that his dream of doubling farmers’ income by 2023 could become a reality only if he focused on “providing scientific price to farm produce, bringing water to farms through irrigation, and by interlinking rivers”.

Mr. Yediyurappa’s remarks made at a programme to release the fourth instalment of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Yojana, a farm subsidy cash transfer scheme of the Union government, have raised eyebrows.

Stressing on the key role of irrigation schemes in farmers’ welfare, he sought a special package of ₹50,000 crore for completion of long-pending projects in Karnataka.

The five-minute-long speech is being seen as an attempt by the Chief Minister to assert himself within the party by publicly putting even the Prime Minister on the mat. This comes in the wake of the BJP suffering defeats in multiple States and the party’s victory in the recent bypolls in the State under Mr. Yediyurappa’s leadership, both of which have only strengthened the Chief Minister, sources in the party said. “We are curious as to how the party high command will now deal with this public assertion in front of the Prime Minister,” a senior party leader said.

The Chief Minister has been reportedly “deeply unhappy” over the delay in the flood relief by the Union government and also the “inadequate” amount released. The Opposition has attacked him over lack of adequate Central relief, which was interpreted as the BJP central leadership’s reported unhappiness with him. The Chief Minister had then said he was doing a “tightrope walk”.

After a delay of over two months, the Centre released ₹1,200 crore as flood relief in October 2019.

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July 31,2020

Bengaluru, July 31: Denying irregularities in covid-19 equipment purchase by the Karnataka government, the state unit of the BJP has issued legal notices to Congress leaders Siddaramaiah and D K Shivakumar demanding that they apologize or face a defamation suit. 

The notices seek a public apology for the allegations levelled against the government on irregularities in the procurement of Covid-19 equipment and supplies. 

Both Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar, the Karnataka Congress president, have been doggedly pursuing allegations of corruption against the BJP government and have demanded a judicial inquiry. 

BJP general secretary N Ravi Kumar said that while the Congress leaders claimed that Rs 4,157 crore was spent during Covid-19, they also allege that the government has not responded to any of the 20 letters written by them. "If the government has not provided any answer to the Opposition, where did they get the figures from," he said.

None of the allegations of corruption is specific and the statements made are factually incorrect. "These statements, without any basis, have been issued calculatedly to lower the image and damage the reputation of the government, the Bharatiya Janata Party, representatives of the party and the ministers in the government," the notice issued on behalf of Ravi Kumar read.

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