Archives for April 2018

Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Monday led his party in a nationwide daylong fast against caste violence, communalism and the non-functioning of Parliament, for which the UPA major blames the ruling BJP. Congress workers are observing a daylong fast in all state and district headquarters to voice their protest against the BJP government and to promote communal harmony and peace across the country.

Senior Congress leaders Kamal Nath, Sheila Dikshit, P C Chacko, the party’s Delhi unit chief Ajay Maken and Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala were among the leaders at Rajghat, where the fast is being observed.

Party leaders Sajjan Kumar and Jagdish Tytler, both accused in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, were asked to not sit on the main stage at the protest venue when Gandhi was about to arrive, party leaders said. Kumar left the venue immediately after he was told about it.

Surjewala was quick to hit out at the BJP over the controversy. “Some conspirators in BJP see meaning in everything, he added. Tytler and Kumar are charged with having a role in the riots in the aftermath of prime minister Indira Gandhi’s assassination by her Sikh bodyguards on October 31, 1984.

An First Information Report (FIR) has been filed against minister Pramod Madhwaraj by the Electoral authorities, referring to violation of code of conduct.

According to the authorities the minister is found guilty of the above offense as he had issued articulation promising government employment and Rs 25 lakh in cash by the state government to weight lifter, Gururaj Poojary, for having won silver medal in weight lifting at Commonwealth Games.

The media had conveyed the news that the minster had said that Gururaj Poojary would be qualified for occupation and cash reward out terms of the sports policy as of late adopted by the state government.

Karnataka PCC working president Dinesh Gundu Rao on Monday said he was confident about Congress returning to power in the May 12 state assembly polls.

Incumbent Siddaramaiah will be the “front-runner” for the Chief Minister’s post, he said.

Asserting that there was no anti-incumbency against the Siddaramaiah government, he took a dig at BJP, saying its president Amit Shah is becoming a “star campaigner” for the ruling party. He also raised questions about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “absence from campaigning.”

“Congress is going for election under the leadership of Chief Minister, it has been stated. It is under his leadership entire campaign is being run…he is the face of the election, he is the captain of our team,” Rao told PTI.

“CM will be decided after the election, if we win, CLP will meet and decide, but he (Siddaramaiah) is the captain of our team, so obviously if we win again, he will be the front-runner,” he said.

Though the party has not announced any chief ministerial candidate, it has named Siddaramaiah as its face.

Rao said he was confident about the Congress performing better than it did during the 2013 assembly polls when it won 122 out of 224 seats.

“I think we will do better than last time because last time the election was based upon anti or negative BJP (wave)…this time in the election people are not only unhappy with BJP, but they are happy with the Congress in Karnataka.”

Rao also claimed that there was no anti-incumbency, adding, instead, “there is pro-incumbency.”

“We will improve than last time, but we will have to get the ticket distribution everything done correctly.”

“We should see to it that deserving people get the ticket, if we do that correctly, then I think definitely there will be no other problem,” he said.

When it was pointed out that after 1985 no party in the state has been able to retain power consecutively, he observed that they were unable to come back due to reasons like division or dissidents within the party. However, there was nothing of that sort this time, he said.

“We have given a very stable, good government, and have delivered on our promises which have reached the people. This is a pro-incumbency government, people are preferring us to other parties,” he said.

Ruling out “Modi wave”, Rao said the “Modi factor or phenomenon is going down because people are not seeing tangible results.”

He pointed out that Modi has not come to Karnataka for the last one-and-half months and has been cancelling his programmes.

“Why is he cancelling? Why is he not coming to Karnataka? Why is only Amit Shah touring? Modi himself is apprehensive I think,” Rao said.

Shah’s repeated visits to the poll-bound state have had no impact, Rao claimed.

“I think Amit Shah is becoming a star campaigner for the Congress, because whatever he is doing is helping us,” he said, citing his “gaffes.”

He claimed that Shah coming to the state has also suffocated the BJP, as state leaders have “become voiceless”,

“The more Amit Shah campaigns for BJP, the better it is for Congress,” he said.

Responding to a question on former prime minister Deve Gowda’s JDS, Rao said, post-election, the party that talked about secular credentials may join hands with the BJP.

He said as both these parties know that they cannot get the majority on their own, they have an internal pact to thwart Congress from getting a majority.

Asked about joining hands with JDS in case of a hung assembly, as Congress has worked with the party in the past, Rao said: “The problem is they (JDS) are not reliable.”

“They don’t have ideology and philosophy… How can you have any plan based upon them?” he said.

Hitting out at the BJP for calling Congress and Rahul Gandhi “election Hindu,” and defending visits to mutts and religious places, Rao said, the opposition is more aggressively doing it.

“Amit Shah is even conducting meetings of swamijis, which is so political,” he said.

Claiming that Congress leaders have been to temples in the past also while campaigning, he said: “it is an attempt by BJP to target Rahul Gandhi by accusing him of trying to get political mileage….which is not true.”

Rao also said the party has nothing to do with the issue of religious minority status to Lingayats and Veerashaiva Lingayats and the issue will not make much impact in the polls.

“Lingayat has nothing to do with the poll prospects or politics; Congress party does not have a stand on this, we have not taken any stand,” he said.

Terming it is a “community issue”, Rao said the chief minister has followed procedure following the demand from the community.

On addressing internal bickerings and disgruntlement within the party ahead of the election, Rao, also a former minister, said: “Things will happen, but we will have to see to that we limit such disturbances…”

A huge misfortune for the BJP, as the former Union Minister and Chief Minister of Karnataka, S M Krishna, who joined the BJP a year ago, is probably going to come back to Congress, as indicated by sources.

KPCC President Dr G Parameshwar and minister D K Shiva Kumar have effectively held first round of talks with the veteran leader. The issue has been likewise conveyed to the notice of state in-charge K C Venugopal and Congress president Rahul Gandhi. The Congress High Command too has given green flag to welcome Krishna back.

The senior leader is purportedly angry with the BJP for denying any position in the party and is probably going to change the party. Krishna was expecting a ticket for his daughter from RR Nagar or Maddur constituency. After his meeting with the Congress, he has requested that his supporters take a free choice amid elections.

It is learnt that the supporters of Krishna likewise met Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. In the event that Krishna rejoins the Congress it would be a spirit sponsor for the Congress and a tremendous loss for the BJP the upcoming polls.

Krishna was most recently seen with the BJP leaders in ‘Parivarthana Yatre’. He was not found in any of BJP campaigns after that.