Delhi Confidential: ‘Courtesy Call'
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's meeting with Congress general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal, which came in the wake of bribery allegations made by some Karnataka Congress leaders, has sparked discussions in the state unit. Senior leaders maintained that the 20-minute meeting at Venugopal's residence was a 'courtesy call'. Sources said the CM wished to discuss his meeting with President Droupadi Murmu and one with state cabinet ministers.
Veteran journalist and IGNCA president Ram Bahadur Rai was seated at the front row of a government event in the capital to mark 50 years of the Emergency. Union Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat walked down to Rai, took him by the hand and led him to the stage where he was then seated. Union Home Minister Amit Shah praised Rai, a former Jansatta news editor who was jailed for over a year during the Emergency, multiple times during the event. Rai, who was part of a committee that led the JP movement, was awarded the Padma Shri in 2015 and the Padma Bhushan this year.
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Indian Express
6 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Over 1,700 complaints received for poll code violation, 51 notices issued to candidates
In the high-stake Ludhiana West bypoll that witnessed intense political battle among four main parties, the Election Commission received over 1700 complaints for model code violation, as per the data accessed by The Indian Express. As per the data from the district election office, a total of 1764 complaints were received against candidates for alleged model code violation, which included 1512 on C-Vigil portal, 200 manually and 52 on National Grievances Services Portal (NGSP). Consequently, a total of 51 notices were issued to the candidates for poll code violations. At least 1336 complaints were received for installing posters/banners without permission alone, while other categories included gifts, liquor, money distribution etc. Asked about the party-wise and candidate-wise details of complaints and notices issued, Sibin C, chief electoral officer (CEO), Punjab, said that 'such type of data was not maintained'. 'We have not maintained any such data on how many complaints or notices were issued to each party/candidate. No such data is available with me,' said Sibin. The ruling AAP faced massive allegations of allegedly distributing freebies such as ration, cash, liquor ahead of campaign, and of installing illegal hoardings/unipoles across the city to lure the voters. The Opposition parties including the SAD, Congress and BJP had filed multiple complaints against AAP. A day ahead of the voting, a truck allegedly containing ration bags for distribution among voters was also confiscated in Sham Nagar area, and an FIR was registered at division number 5 police station against the vehicle's driver. The truck was intercepted by Congress candidate Bharat Bhushan Ashu's wife Mamata Ashu and she had alleged that it belonged to AAP. In another incident, a pregnant woman was seriously injured in a clash after she had stopped a group of people from distributing ration in Rishi Nagar area, and the FIR was registered at PAU police station. Another FIR was registered at Sarabha Nagar police station, after a vehicle was confiscated with liquor bottles and a flag of SAD installed on it. The SAD, BJP and Congress candidates had filed complaints against AAP for 'blatant misuse of power and government machinery' alleging that the ruling party was 'openly distributing cash, liquor, ration, stationery products such as notebooks, schoolbags', clothes including saris and suits among women, electronics etc' to lure the voters. Jakhar, Khaira allege collusion of Cong leaders with AAP Two days after the Congress faced defeat in the crucial Ludhiana West bypoll and the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) ended on the winning side — the grand old party is facing the heat from both within and outside. Congress's own MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira and Punjab BJP president Sunil Jakhar have alleged that senior leaders of the Congress had colluded with AAP to make the Congress lose. Alleging that a senior Congress leader had colluded with AAP and 'entered a deal with CM Bhagwant Mann' to make Ashu lose, Jakhar in a statement Wednesday said that 'the Congress's defeat was due to some Congress leaders surrendering to the Chief Minister through a deal.' Jakhar's statement came a day after Punjab Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring had said that 'AAP and BJP had entered a secret understanding to defeat Congress in Ludhiana.' Hitting back at Warring, Jakhar said: 'Fearing their secrets being exposed, Congress leaders are now falsely accusing the BJP. However, the real responsibility for Congress's defeat lies with those leaders who are now taking the lead in blaming others.' Jakhar said it is 'no secret that CM Mann had mentioned in the Vidhan Sabha about irregularities in the Transport Department and spoken about filing cases against a certain leader.' He added: 'Despite so much time having passed, the AAP government, which claims to follow a zero-tolerance policy on corruption, has taken no action regarding the alleged irregularities. This clearly indicates that either another act of corruption has taken place to suppress this issue, or the responsible leader has surrendered to the Chief Minister by selling out their party's interests.' Jakhar said that during the election campaign in Ludhiana, he had already pointed out 'that the corruption CM Mann spoke about in the Vidhan Sabha, and for which he talked about filing cases, has seen no action even after three and a half years of the government's tenure'. 'This is a clear indication that a secret deal has been struck between the two sides,' he added. Jakhar said that on one hand, 'Congress leaders have struck a deal with the Chief Minister, while on the other, they have displayed their old habit of harming their own by ruining the career of a prominent leader like Ashu, thereby undermining their own party.' Contacted, Jakhar said: 'Everyone knows whom I am talking about and who was accused of corruption in transport department by Mann.' Congress's Bholath MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira also alleged that a senior leader from within Congress colluded with AAP 'in exchange of some favor for his industrial houses.'
Hindustan Times
12 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Mohali MLA trying to grab panchayat land, alleges Balbir Sidhu
Former Punjab health minister and senior Congress leader Balbir Singh Sidhu on Wednesday levelled serious allegations against Mohali MLA and JLPL managing director Kulwant Singh. He accused him of attempting to acquire prime panchayat land in Papri village at a fraction of its market value through alleged collusion with officials of the rural development and panchayat department. He also presented some documents from the revenue and panchayat departments to support his allegations. Sidhu urged chief minister Bhagwant Singh Mann to order an impartial probe into both cases to uphold transparency and protect public interest. (HT File) However, MLA Kulwant Singh termed the allegations baseless. Addressing a press conference here on Wednesday, Sidhu claimed that on February 16, 2017, JLPL obtained approval to purchase approximately 6 acres of panchayat land in Papri at just ₹ 3 crore per acre—far below its actual market rate. He claimed that the company took possession of the land after paying only ₹ 50 lakh, even though the Panchayati Raj Act mandates full payment and registration before possession. Sidhu further alleged that JLPL illegally began infrastructure development, including road construction, laying of sewer lines, and installation of electricity poles, despite strong opposition from villagers and ongoing legal proceedings that delayed the registration process for years. When contacted, MLA Kulwant Singh termed the allegations baseless and said, 'The Punjab and Haryana high court had ruled in favour of the government, stating that the procedure followed by the officials was correct and aligned with the state's 2004 Critical Gap Policy.' He claimed that Sidhu himself had stalled the registration in 2017, leading to an eight-year-long stay in the matter. Sidhu also warned against ongoing 'attempts to register the land—now valued at nearly ₹ 150 crore—for just ₹ 18 crore using outdated valuations'. He said this violated Rule 6(3A)(3) of the Punjab Land Registry Act, 1961, which requires revaluation every six months. Citing an earlier fraud case from 2015 involving the illegal transfer of 15 kanal 8 marla panchayat land to JLPL, Sidhu demanded immediate cancellation of the resolution and restoration of the land to the panchayat. He urged chief minister Bhagwant Singh Mann to order an impartial probe into both cases to uphold transparency and protect public interest.
Time of India
14 minutes ago
- Time of India
Undeclared emergency for last 10 years: Mallikarjun Kharge
NEW DELHI: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge Wednesday said the country is under "undeclared emergency" for the last 11 years, and PM Narendra Modi is orchestrating a "drama" about democracy and the Constitution, as well as raking up Emergency 50 years later to divert attention from his "governance failures and capture of institutions". There is no freedom of expression in the country, and Modi govt lacks tolerance and belief in liberty and fraternity, and opposition netas, journalists, students are being jailed for speaking the truth, he alleged at a press conference. Kharge mocked that BJP's ideological patron RSS did not support the Constitution framed by B R Ambedkar, Jawaharlal Nehru and other Congress members, and burnt its copy at the Ramlila Maidan because it "lacked the elements of tradition and culture like Manusmriti". He added that effigies of Ambedkar too were burnt in protest. "People who had no role in the freedom struggle and the making of the Constitution have now got the wisdom after Congress has been running a yatra to save the Constitution. BJP has been rattled by Congress's 'Jai Bapu, Jai Bheem, Jai Samvidhan' campaign, and the passion generated by Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra, and that is why it is raking up Emergency 50 years after it has been forgotten byeverybody," Kharge said. Congress general secretary K C Venugopal said party units have completed 'Jai Samvidhan' rallies in states and districts, and will take the nationwide campaign to constituency level over the coming two months. The EC too has become a "puppet" of Modi, which is behind BJP's electoral successes, Kharge alleged. "You (Modi) have brought an undeclared emergency. The old Emergency is long gone. Even Indira Gandhi had supported the amendment to the Constitution (to remove the emergency provision) when moved by Morarji Desai," he said, adding that apologies were also issued for it. "If today the Constitution is in danger, it is because of you (PM) and nobody else," Kharge said. Kharge said the PM is witnessing the shredding of the Constitution in Manipur but is scared of visiting the state, and did not visit J&K after the Pahalgam terror attack.
