LDF govt.'s four-year celebrations riddled with corruption, alleges Chennithala
Senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala on Tuesday (April 29, 2025) alleged corruption in the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government's four-year celebrations.
'The 100-crore splurge on the celebrations is being divided among those close to the government. The government has no money to alleviate the burden of the common man, but is spending crores on its fourth-year celebrations,' he said here.
Mr. Chennithala criticised the government for not inviting Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan to the commissioning of the Vizhinjam port. 'If the government claimed that he was not invited as the programme was part of its four-year celebrations, how did they invite Prime Minister Narendra Modi and a leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party for the event. It showed the collusion between the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the BJP,' he alleged.
He said that the Vizhinjam project was initiated by the United Democratic Front government led by then Chief Minister Oommen Chandy. 'Pinarayi Vijayan had opposed the project then,' he said.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
20 minutes ago
- Time of India
‘They look for excuses': Chirag Paswan slams Rahul Gandhi amid EC row, says LoP has 'accepted defeat' in Bihar polls
File photo: Union minister Chirag Paswan and LoP in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi (Picture credit: ANI) NEW DELHI: Union minister Chirag Paswan on Sunday claimed that Congress MP and leader of the opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi , has already conceded defeat in the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections , citing Gandhi's recent remarks targeting the Election Commission of India (ECI). Speaking to reporters, Paswan accused Gandhi of deflecting blame and targeting constitutional bodies instead of holding his own party accountable. "The problem with Congress and its leaders is that when introspection is needed, they look for excuses for losing elections," Paswan said, as quoted by the news agency ANI. "If Rahul Gandhi needs to find faults in any institution, it should not be a constitutional institution, but his own Congress party. Blaming the Election Commission, accusing someone of fixing elections, saying that the EVM is faulty, all this shows that Rahul Gandhi has already accepted defeat in the Bihar Assembly elections. " Bihar will go to the polls later this year. Paswan further predicted that after Bihar, the opposition will suffer defeats in Assam and West Bengal as well. Meanwhile, RJD leader and Bihar's leader of opposition, Tejashwi Yadav , came out in strong support of Gandhi. Speaking in Patna, Yadav accused the BJP of compromising constitutional institutions, claiming, "Ever since Narendra Modi has become the Prime Minister, all constitutional institutions have been hijacked. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Windows Users Don't Forget To Do This Before Sunday Read More Undo Before the ECI announces the elections, the BJP IT Cell knows the schedule." Tejashwi said the opposition's efforts were not just about power. "Everyone is working together, not to form the government, but to strengthen Bihar," he added, backing Gandhi's criticism of the ECI. Gandhi, who is the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, had on Saturday posted on X criticising the ECI's response to his allegations of rigging in the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections. He wrote, 'Dear EC, You are a Constitutional body. Releasing unsigned, evasive notes to intermediaries is not the way to respond to serious questions.' He urged the Commission to publish machine-readable electoral rolls and release all CCTV footage from polling booths post-5 pm to ensure transparency. 'Evasion won't protect your credibility. Telling the truth will,' he wrote. The ECI later dismissed Gandhi's remarks, calling his allegations "unsubstantiated" and an 'affront to the rule of law.' The Commission said that all relevant facts had been shared with the Congress party in December 2024 and are publicly available. The poll panel warned that spreading misinformation disrespects the law and demotivates lakhs of honest poll workers. 'After any unfavourable verdict by the voters, trying to defame the Election Commission... is completely absurd,' the Commission said in a detailed statement. In his op-ed titled Match-fixing Maharashtra, Gandhi had alleged that the state elections were a 'blueprint for rigging democracy', involving fake voters, inflated turnout, targeted bogus voting, and concealed evidence.
Hans India
30 minutes ago
- Hans India
Karnataka Police Had Issued Pre-Event Warning Before Fatal Bengaluru Stampede
New revelations show that senior police officials had explicitly warned the Karnataka government about potential security lapses and overcrowding risks before the Royal Challengers Bengaluru victory celebration that resulted in a tragic stampede claiming 11 lives on June 4. An official letter written on the morning of the incident by Deputy Commissioner of Police MN Karibasavana Gowda has exposed that authorities were forewarned about the dangers of hosting the felicitation event at Vidhana Soudha. The communication, sent to top government officials, outlined specific concerns about crowd management and inadequate security arrangements. Gowda, who oversaw legislature security, addressed his warning to G Sathyavathi, Secretary of the Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms. His letter explicitly stated that "lakhs of cricket fans are likely to come to Vidhana Soudha" and emphasized that insufficient security personnel would create significant challenges for crowd control and safety management. The police official's correspondence highlighted critical infrastructure deficiencies, particularly noting the absence of proper CCTV surveillance coverage in the sensitive government zone. He stressed that the combination of massive expected attendance and security shortfalls would create a potentially dangerous situation during the RCB celebration event. Despite these advance warnings, the event received official approval from authorities. The letter was reportedly shared with then-Bengaluru Police Commissioner B Dayananda, who further escalated the concerns to Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh. However, the celebration proceeded as planned, ultimately resulting in the deadly crowd surge. Hours before the tragic incident occurred, senior IAS officer G Sathyavathi, who was responsible for managing the Vidhana Soudha event, publicly urged fans to relocate to the nearby stadium instead. The RCB team was initially honored at the legislature building before celebrations continued at the stadium, but the crowd management issues had already reached critical levels. The aftermath of the stampede led to immediate administrative action, with B Dayananda being suspended by Karnataka's home department just one day after the incident. Officials cited serious planning and coordination failures during the RCB victory celebrations as the reason for his removal from the position. The tragedy has sparked intense political controversy, with the Bharatiya Janata Party launching sharp criticism against the Congress-led state government. Union Minister G Kishan Reddy condemned what he termed "complete failure in crowd management," arguing that authorities should have anticipated the massive turnout following RCB's historic IPL victory. Former Karnataka Chief Minister and Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy directly blamed Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar for the incident, characterizing it as the result of "impatience, immaturity, and irresponsibility." He questioned whether such a hastily organized felicitation ceremony was necessary given the obvious risks involved. Union Minister and BJP leader Shobha Karandlaje criticized the decision to use Vidhana Soudha's grand staircase for a private team's celebration, noting that the iconic venue had traditionally been reserved for official state functions and swearing-in ceremonies. She accused Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister Shivakumar of having "blood on their hands" while attempting to shift blame onto police officers. Karandlaje also defended the suspended police commissioner, describing B Dayananda as "a good and honest officer" who was being unfairly scapegoated for the administrative failures of political leadership. In response to the mounting criticism, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar issued a public apology while accusing the BJP of politicizing the tragedy. He acknowledged the government's responsibility and promised to implement better safety protocols for future events to prevent similar incidents. Legal action has been initiated in connection with the stampede, with police filing a First Information Report against multiple parties. The FIR names Royal Challengers Bengaluru, DNA Entertainment (the event organizer), and the Karnataka State Cricket Association, which manages the stadium. Authorities have stated that no formal permission was granted for the stadium portion of the celebrations. The investigation has already resulted in arrests, with Bengaluru Police confirming the detention of RCB's marketing and revenue head, Nikhil Sosale, on Friday. This development suggests that accountability measures are being pursued against both organizational and administrative parties involved in the event planning and execution.
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
40 minutes ago
- Business Standard
Cong slams PM Modi's 'insensitivity' to Manipur crisis, calls it 'shocking'
Congress' Jairam Ramesh says pain and distress in Manipur persist as violence erupts across five districts, including Imphal West, Imphal East, Thoubal, Kakching, and Bishnupur in last 24 hours Press Trust of India New Delhi With fresh violence rocking parts of Manipur, the Congress on Sunday targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his "insensitivity" to the suffering of people in the state. In a post on X, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said the pain, distress, and agony of the people of Manipur continues unabated as five districts of Imphal West, Imphal East, Thoubal, Katching, and Bishnupur in Manipur have been rocked by violence in the last 24 hours. A day after violent protests erupted in Manipur over the arrest of a leader of Meitei outfit Arambai Tenggol, the situation remained tense on Sunday with the administration imposing prohibitory orders and suspending internet services in five Imphal valley districts, police said. Prohibitory orders have been clamped in Imphal West, Imphal East, Thoubal, Bishnupur and Kakching districts, while internet and mobile data services, including VSAT and VPN facilities, have been suspended in these valley areas. Hitting out at the government, Ramesh claimed that in February 2022 the BJP "engineered a majority for itself alone" in the assembly elections. "But less than fifteen months later from the night of May 3, 2023 Manipur was made to burn. Hundreds of innocent men, women, and children were killed. Thousands were displaced. Places of worship were destroyed," he said. On June 4, 2023, the Congress leader said the Union Government set up a three-member Commission of Inquiry. That Commission has been given repeated extensions to submit its report and the latest deadline given to it is November 20, 2025, he noted. On August 1, 2023, Ramesh said the Supreme Court observed that there had been an "absolute breakdown of constitutional machinery" in the state for the past two months. "The Union Home Minister went through the motions of visiting Manipur while the PM maintained absolute silence refusing to say anything and meet anybody from the state. "Demands were made by the Indian National Congress for the imposition of President's Rule to begin with. That was ignored till the INC announced that it was bringing a no-confidence motion against the CM in the assembly session beginning February 10, 2025. The BJP read the writing on the wall, got the CM to resign on the night of Feb 9, 2025, and finally imposed President's Rule on February 13, 2025," he said. "President's Rule, however, has made no difference," Ramesh said. He claimed the Governor himself has been forced to travel from Imphal airport to his residence by and order in many parts of the state remains in a state of peril, he added. "When will the PM find the time and inclination to visit Manipur? His drum-beaters once claimed that he had stopped the war between Ukraine and Russia for a while. That claim, like most of his boasts, proved completely bogus. "The PM has travelled to different parts of the world and visited numerous states of our country to do his trademark inaugurations. But he has never met with political leaders or civil society organisations from Manipur having outsourced the management of the state's affairs to the Union Home Minister who has failed miserably," the Congress general secretary alleged. "The insensitivity of the Frequent Flyer PM to the suffering of the people of Manipur is truly shocking and defies understanding. He stands totally exposed just as the people of the state continue to pay the price of his callous and complete indifference. Their suffering is that of not only the state and the northeastern region but of the entire country," Ramesh said in his post. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
