Archives for 2024

BJP leader Shobha Karandlaje

Bengaluru: In the first case of model code violation booked against a key political figure ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the Election commission on Thursday filed an FIR against Union Minister and BJP leader Shobha Karandlaje over her recent remarks on the people of Tamil Nadu, officials here said.

The move comes a day after the EC directed the Karnataka chief electoral officer (CEO) to take immediate and appropriate action on the DMK’s complaint regarding the violation by Karandlaje, who is BJP’s Lok Sabha candidate from the Bangalore North constituency. The poll panel also sought a compliance report on the matter within 48 hours.

DMK, the ruling party in Tamil Nadu, had sought action against Karandlaje for alleging that a person from Tamil Nadu was responsible for the IED blast at the Rameshwaram Cafe in Bengaluru on March 1. In its complaint, the DMK said that the minister’s statement generalised the people of Tamil Nadu as “extremists”.

According to the CEO, the Bangalore District Election Officer filed an FIR against Karandlaje under sections 123 (3A), 125 and 123 (3) of the RP (Representation of the People ) Act at the Cottonpet police station here.

During a protest in Bengaluru on Tuesday, Karandlaje had said that law and order in Karnataka has “deteriorated”. People who come from Tamil Nadu plant bombs here, those from Delhi chant “Pakistan Zindabad” slogans and some who come from Kerala were involved in “acid attacks”, she claimed.

She later apologised for her remarks and said she was retracting her comments.

The Madurai police has also booked her for “promoting enmity” between different groups, while her remarks have drawn sharp criticism from Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin and other DMK leaders.

Bengaluru: Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) spokesperson Surya Mukundaraj has filed a complaint with the state Chief Electoral Officer, alleging that the union government is pressurising film actors to repost the Prime Minister’s tweets and indirectly campaign for the Bharatiya Janata Party.

“The Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has violated the Election code of conduct and misused its authority to campaign for the Bharatiya Janata Party. In addition, the central government is allocating crores of rupees to social media influencers,” alleged Mukundaraj in his complaint.

In his complaint he revealed that, “On February 27, Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a post on his official X account encouraging first-time voters.”

Surya Mukundaraj accused officials of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, through their subordinate Censor Board members, of pressuring popular actors and actresses in different states of the country to repost the PM’s X post.

He clarified in the complaint that any officer of the Prime Minister’s office or his ministry indirectly influencing the voters by making such tweets as part of the election campaign after the Election Code of Conduct has been enacted will be a violation of the Election Code of Conduct.

He urged the Election Commission to conduct a proper investigation into the matter and take stringent legal action against the officials who are pressurising the actors and actresses, and funds being given to the active social media influencers.

JD(S) state President H D Kumaraswamy

Mandya: Senior JD(S) leader C S Puttaraju on Thursday said the party’s state President H D Kumaraswamy will be contesting as the NDA candidate from Mandya Lok Sabha segment.

Though there is no official announcement yet, speculations are rife among both alliance partners — BJP and JD(S) — about the seat going to the regional party and former CM Kumaraswamy being the candidate.

Earlier there were reports that JD(S) will get the seat and Puttaraju, a former MP from the constituency or Kumaraswamy’s son Nikhil Kumaraswamy, who had unsuccessfully contested from the segment, may be fielded from the segment.

“One Hundred per cent Kumaranna (Kumaraswamy) will be the candidate, I will lead the election campaign in the constituency and ensure his victory with a huge margin. We will call him just to file a nomination. In all the eight assembly segments under the Mandya Lok Sabha constituency, Kumaranna as a NDA candidate will win with a huge margin,” Puttaraju said.

Addressing reporters here, he said, “With the blessings of JD(S) patriarch H D Deve Gowda and cooperation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, both BJP and JD(S) workers are eager to ensure Kumaraswamy’s win.”

An official announcement will be made in a couple of days, once Kumaraswamy returns from Chennai, where he underwent a heart surgery, the former minister said.

“Candidates from both parties will be unanimously announced for the remaining constituencies including Mandya, Hassan and Kolar. We will work together for the victory in all 28 segments in the state,” he said.

Multilingual actress turned-politician Sumalatha Ambareesh, an independent candidate backed by the BJP, had won the seat in 2019 by defeating JD(S)’ Nikhil Kumaraswamy. She is seeking BJP’s ticket for re-election from Mandya constituency.

Asked about Sumalatha saying that the final decision on whether the Mandya seat will go to BJP or JD(S) is awaited, Puttaraju said the BJP high command will make an announcement, sorting out all minor issues. “Everything will be fine.”

The regional party is expected to contest in three seats — Mandya, Hassan and Kolar.

But, according to recent reports, BJP is not willing to cede Kolar seat to JD(S), which has irked the regional outfit. BJP’s S Muniswamy is the incumbent Kolar MP.

However, Kumaraswamy on Tuesday had expressed hope that the issue would be resolved. He indicated that JD(S) will field candidates in that constituency as well, along with Mandya and Hassan.

There is an “atmosphere” for the party to win there, he added.

Venkatarame Gowda, popularly known as ‘Star Chandru’ is the Congress candidate from Mandya.

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra

New Delhi: In a strongly-worded statement, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra criticized the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) this evening, branding it as “completely wrong and unconstitutional.” Kejriwal was taken into custody in connection with a money laundering case related to the alleged Delhi excise scam.

Vadra, a prominent leader of the INDIA bloc, became the first to condemn the arrest. “Targeting Delhi Chief Minister Shri Arvind Kejriwal in this manner due to elections is completely wrong and unconstitutional. Lowering the level of politics in this manner suits neither the Prime Minister nor his government,” she expressed on X platform, mere moments after Kejriwal’s detention.

She continued, asserting the importance of democratic principles in political discourse. “Fight your critics in the electoral battle, confront them boldly, and of course attack their policies and working style – this is democracy. But in this way, using the power of all the institutions of the country to fulfill one’s political objective and weakening them by exerting pressure is against every principle of democracy,” she emphasized.

Highlighting the broader context of opposition targeting by the ruling BJP ahead of the crucial Lok Sabha polls, Vadra lamented, “The bank accounts of the country’s largest opposition party Congress have been frozen, all the political parties and their leaders are under pressure day and night from the ED, the CBI, and the IT, one Chief Minister has been put in jail, now preparations are being made to take another Chief Minister to jail. Such a shameful scene is being seen for the first time in the history of Independent India.”

Kejriwal’s arrest marks a historic moment as he becomes the first sitting Chief Minister to face detention in the history of Independent India. However, his party affirmed that he would continue to hold his position amidst the legal proceedings.

Senior Congress leader Anand Sharma |

New Delhi: Senior Congress leader Anand Sharma has written to party president Mallikarjun Kharge, saying a caste census cannot be a solution for issues like unemployment and inequalities in the society.

In a departure from the Congress’s position on a caste census, the former Union minister has said it will be misconstrued as disrespecting the legacy of former prime ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, who never favoured caste-based politics.

Sharma’s letter comes at a time when the Congress has intensified its demand for a countrywide caste census and promised to carry out the exercise if elected to power in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) supported Sharma’s statement, saying some leaders within the Congress are showing a mirror to Rahul Gandhi.

Sources close to Sharma said the purpose of writing the letter was to initiate a debate on the issue and that is why he shared it with all the Congress Working Committee (CWC) members and Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leaders in states.

In his letter to Kharge, Sharma said the Congress has never engaged in nor endorsed identity politics and the departure from its historic position is a matter of concern for many.

He also said the articulation of the party position should be balanced and should eschew the radical posturing of regional and caste-based organisations.

“Though caste is a reality of Indian society, Congress has never engaged in nor endorsed identity politics. That is detrimental to democracy in a society with a rich diversity of region, religion, caste and ethnicity.

“As a representative national party, Congress has believed in inclusive approach, which is non-discriminatory in formulating policies for equity and social justice for the poor and the under-privileged,” he said.

Sharma asserted that a departure from the historic position is a matter of concern for many Congress workers across the country and calls for reflection.

“In my humble opinion, this will be misconstrued as disrespecting the legacy of Indiraji and Rajivji. Also by default, that will be an indictment of successive Congress governments and their work for empowerment of the disadvantaged sections. It also provides a handle to detractors and political opponents of the Congress,” he said.

Sharma recalled Indira Gandhi’s clarion call of 1980: “Na jaat par na paat par, mohar lagegi haath par”.

After the Mandal riots of 1990, Rajiv Gandhi, as the leader of opposition, had also said in Parliament: “We have problems if caste is defined to enshrine casteism in our country” and that the Congress cannot stand by and watch India being divided.

“In my considered view, a caste census cannot be a panacea nor a solution for unemployment and prevailing inequalities. A fundamental departure from time-honoured policy on this critical and sensitive subject has major long-term national implications,” Sharma said.

As a party with an inclusive approach, the Congress “should strive to reclaim its role as builder of national consensus and build a harmonious society. The articulation of party position should be balanced and eschew the radical posturing of regional and caste-based organisations”, he added.

Sharma said he is sharing his concerns on the buildup of political narratives and policy priorities for parties in the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls.

The caste census, he said, has emerged as an important issue in the electoral debate and this has been endorsed by the INDIA opposition bloc led by the Congress.

Affirmative action, as enshrined in the Constitution, provides for reservation for the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes and that reflects the collective wisdom of the framers of the Constitution. After independence, Sharma said, a conscious policy decision was made by the government not to canvass caste-related questions in the census, except for SCs and STs.

“All census commissioners, after independence, have recorded their reasons and disapproval of a national caste census citing overlap, duplication, data lacking in accuracy and doubtful authenticity,” he said.

Sharing Sharma’s letter on X, Union minister Kiren Rijiju said, “Shri Anand Sharma is known as one of the most loyal Congressmen ever. It seems some loyal Congress members have decided to stop Shri Rahul Gandhi from further insulting Late Indira Gandhi ji as well as Late Rajiv Gandhi.”

BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawala said “the Congress is itself exposing the Congress and showing the mirror to Gandhi-Vadra and showing them the real face and hypocrisy to divide the country for a few votes”.

He said this is not the first time that Rahul Gandhi has been called out by his party colleagues and even his allies like Akhilesh Yadav of the Samajwadi Party (SP) have pointed out his hypocrisy earlier.

Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera said Sharma is a senior leader and also a CWC member. “If he wanted to discuss anything, he could do so there,” he said.

Congress leader Naseer Hussain said, “The Congress is here to lead all Indians, representing every religion, caste and province. When it comes to social justice and development in various sectors like education and food security or for the backward classes, SCs, STs, minorities or disadvantaged groups, it can only be achieved through a caste census.”

New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is expected to be produced before a special PMLA court here by the ED on Friday for obtaining his remand for custodial interrogation in the money laundering case linked to alleged irregularities in the scrapped Delhi excise policy 2021-22, officials said.

The 55-year-old politician, also the national convenor and chief of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), was arrested by the federal probe agency after searches at his official residence at Flagstaff Road in Civil Lines area of the national capital on Thursday.

A team of doctors and medics were seen entering the ED office in central Delhi in the morning where Kejriwal has been housed after the arrest.

The hospital staff is understood to have been called by the ED for conducting a basic medical checkup of the politician before he is taken to the court.

The ED may seek a 10-day custody of Kejriwal from the court alleging his continued “non-cooperation” in the investigation and to ascertain his personal role and that of his party in connection with the liquor policy and irregularities as alleged by the agency.

The agency may also inform the court about its requirement to confront Kejriwal with other arrested accused and witnesses including BRS leader K Kavitha, arrested last week, once they get his custody.

Kejriwal’s legal defence team is expected to contest the same as they had called the ED action “illegal”.

As per procedure, the agency also conducts a brief questioning of the arrestee before preparing the remand papers that are placed before the court for seeking their custody.

Meanwhile, security was strengthened around the ED office at the A P J Abdul Kalam Road and the CM’s official residence with Delhi Police personnel and central armed police forces (CAPFs) personnel putting up additional barricades and throwing a security ring along the waiting press teams and curious onlookers.

Kejriwal’s name has been mentioned multiple times in the charge sheets filed by the ED in this case. The agency has alleged that the accused were in touch with Kejriwal for formulating the excise policy that resulted in undue benefits to them in return for which they paid kickbacks to the AAP.

A total of 16 persons have been arrested in this case till now with the ED filing six chargesheets.

New Delhi: Delhi Police on Friday morning beefed up up security with heavy personnel deployment and multi-layer barricading on roads leading to BJP headquarters where AAP leaders and workers will stage protest against the arrest of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

Paramilitary personnel in anti-riot gears have have also been deployed to maintain law and order situation in the area.

The traffic police have requested commuters to avoid routes leading to central Delhi in the anticipation of huge gathering of AAP workers.

Roads leading to the BJP headquarters and ED office in central Delhi have been closed.

Meanwhile, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) announced closure of ITO Metro station from 8 am to 6 pm, in view of AAP’s protest.

“On advice of Delhi Police, ITO Metro station will remain closed from 08:00 AM to 06:00 PM today i.e 22nd March 2024,” the DMRC posted on X.

AAP leaders have asked party workers to reach the BJP headquarters and commence a protest at 10 am on Friday against Kejriwal’s arrest.

Sources in the AAP said all Delhi MLAs and councillors have been asked to mobilise people at BJP headquarters and the party expects that a large number of people would be out on the streets to protest the arrest of Kejriwal.

Checking has been intensified at the borders of Delhi to prevent the AAP workers from entering the national capital from neighbouring states.

Kejriwal has spent his night at the ED office located in central Delhi after his arrest in connection with an excise policy-linked money laundering case on Thursday night.

According to a senior police officer, instructions have been issued to detain the protestors as Section 144 has been imposed outside BJP headquarters and ED office.

Huge number of buses have also been deployed to detain these protestors and send them several kilometers away from central Delhi, the officer said.

All the senior officers of Delhi Police have been asked to keep a strict vigil and a watch in their areas, he added.

Delhi Police has said that strict action will be taken if anyone tries to break the law

Supaul (PTI): One person was killed and several others were feared trapped as a portion of an under-construction bridge collapsed in Bihar’s Supaul district in the early hours of Friday, officials said.

The bridge was being constructed over the Koshi river, they said.

District Magistrate Kaushal Kumar said senior officers of the administration were at the spot, near Maricha between Bakur and Bheja, where the incident took place.

“One labourer has died and another sustained injuries. Rescue work is underway,” he said.

Mangaluru: Customs officials have reportedly seized smuggled Gold worth Rs. 6.19 Lakh from a passenger at the Mangaluru International Airport on Tuesday (March 19).

The passenger, a man from Bhatkal who was traveling from Dubai was scrutinized by the customs authorities upon arrival at the Mangaluru Airport, during which gold worth Rs 6,19,200 was found in his possession.

The gold was being illegally transported in a paste form and was was hidden between two layers of brown paper sheets and placed in a trolley bag, said the Mangaluru Customs.