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Jaipur, May 9 (IANS) Former deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot on Tuesday said that Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot's leader was not Sonia Gandhi but BJP's Vasundhara Raje.

"This fact has become clear from the speech of the Chief Minister, which he delivered the day before yesterday in Dholpur," he said.

Pilot raised questions on Gehlot's statement "that praised BJP leaders, but tarnished the image of the party's own MPs and MLAs".

On Sunday, Gehlot said that former CM Vasundhara Raje and two BJP leaders, namely Kailash Meghwal and Shobharani Kushwaha, helped him in saving his government.

Speaking on Gehlot's statement, Pilot said, "Gehlot should explain why there are two faces to his statement. If he says that BJP was trying to topple the government and on the other side, he says that Raje was trying to save his government, then what does he want to say."

Pilot was holding a press conference on Tuesday at his residence.

He said that he wondered why no action was taken against alleged corruption under Raje's tenure. He said that after Gehlot's Dholpur address, it has become clear why action was not taken against such corrupt deeds.

Pilot said, "For the first time, I am seeing that someone is criticizing his own party's MPs and MLAs. The praise of BJP leaders and the insult of Congress leaders is beyond my understanding. This is completely wrong.

"From the words of the Chief Minister, it seems that their leader is Vasundhara Raje, not Sonia Gandhi," he said.

Surprisingly, Pilot has called a press conference when Rahul Gandhi has reached Mount Abu to attend Congress's Sarvodayi training camp.

Pilot said, "We had gone to Delhi and shared our concerns with the high command. Also, I wrote letters for several months on the issue of corruption in Vasundharaji's regime. I also staged a one-day fast. But no action was taken on any of our demands. I understand why action was not taken. Now I am hopeless. The public is God. Everyone will have to bow down before the public. So will take out a march (Jan Sangharsh Yatra) from Ajmer to Jaipur on May 11 against corruption. This will be a 125 km long journey and it will take five days.

"We will go to people and will raise issues related to youths' issues which includes the paper leak. The RPSC officials' role was found in the paper leak case. Its headquarter is in Ajmer. Hence Ajmer has been chosen for the yatra..

"This yatra is not against any one, but is against corruption. We will try to become people's voice via this yatra," he added.

He also said, "Charges of treason were levelled against us, but thereafter, a committee was formed under the leadership of Ahmed Patel, and a roadmap was drawn later. Thereafter, we all worked to strengthen Congress. I was called corona, 'gaddar (traitor)' and 'nikamma (useless)' but we continued working to strengthen the party."

Answering a query on Gehlot's allegations that some MLAs were lured by giving Rs 10 crore to Rs 20 crore, he said, "I have been hearing such allegations since last three years, if they want to take action, should take it, why there is delay in taking action," he questioned.

"Some people are trying to weaken Congress, but we will not let them become successful in their attempt," he added.

On Sunday, Gehlot accused the MLAs of Pilot Camp in Dholpur of taking Rs 10 to 20 crore bribe during a political crisis. Gehlot also advised the MLAs to return Amit Shah's money.

Sachin Pilot is continuously raising the issue of no action being taken against the corruption during BJP rule.

Pilot again raised the issue of corruption in the meeting organised on the occasion of the inauguration of a hostel built in the memory of the son of Minister Hemaram Chaudhary in Barmer. Pilot said that raising the issue of corruption under the BJP rule made many people upset, but he did not care. "I will keep raising my voice against corruption," he said,

The very next day, in Rajakhera of Dholpur, CM Gehlot accused the Pilot camp of taking money from Amit Shah. Now the war of words between the two leaders has intensified on this issue.

--IANS
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Bengaluru, May 8 (IANS) On the last day of campaigning for the May 10 Karnataka Assembly elections, Congress' Karnataka unit president D.K. Shivakumar on Monday appealed to the voters to give him an opportunity to become the Chief Minister of the state.

Addressing a massive rally in Ramanagara, Shivakumar said: "You have given a chance to H.D. Kumaraswamy who won here to become the CM. Now, you have to give an opportunity to Shivakumar as well.

"You have made Kengal Hanumantaiah as the CM, you made Deve Gowda as CM (former PM H.D. Deve Gowda), you made Ramakrishna Hegde as CM (late Karnataka CM). Now, can't your son from this soil become CM?" he wondered while addressing the people.

"Nikhil Kumaraswamy (contesting from Ramanagara seat and son of H.D. Kumaraswamy) is a young man. He has the opportunity to win from here in future. I am an aged person. If you want me to become the CM, the Congress should win here. Our candidate Iqbal Hussain must win here," Shivakumar appealed to the people.

Currently, the Ramanagara seat is held by H.D. Kumaraswamy's wife Anita Kumaraswamy. Her son Nikhil Kumaraswamy is contesting as JD-S candidate now.

--IANS
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Bengaluru, May 8 (IANS) In run up for the crucial Karnataka Assembly polls, the Congress campaigned aggressively in the southern state with party chief Mallikarjun Kharge, party leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra holding 85 public meetings and road shows.

Kharge, who was elected as the party President last year, camped in Karnataka, his home state, from April 15 onwards and addressed 36 public meetings, including one with former party chief Sonia Gandhi in Hubballi.

Kharge, 81, who is also the Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, addressed four press conferences in the state ahead of the polling in the state.

Meanwhile, former party chief Rahul Gandhi, who was disqualified as a Lok Sabha in March this year following conviction in the defamation case by a Gujarat court, also addressed 23 public meetings and road shows in the state and highlighted the alleged corruption under the BJP government in the southern state.

He kicked off his Karnataka campaigning from Kolar, where he made the Modi surname remark on April 13, 2019 while campaigning for party candidate and former Union minister K.H. Muniyappa, who eventually lost to BJP candidate S. Muniswamy as the BJP won 25 of the 28 Lok Sabha seats in Karnataka.

Besides Rahul Gandhi, his sister and party General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi too addressed 26 public meetings and road shows in the state and targeted the ruling BJP government at the centre and in the state.

During her campaigning she also slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi on several occasions by highlighting the alleged corruption in the state. According to party leaders, the Congress' five guarantees announced in its manifesto were also highlighted by all the leaders in the state. The Congress has announced Gruha Jyothi (200 units of free electricity), Gruha Lakshmi Rs 2,000 monthly to every woman head of the family, Anna Bhagya-10 kg of food grains of their choice (among rice, ragi, jowar, millet) to every person in a BPL family, and free travel to all women in regular Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation and Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation buses.

Polling for the 224 member assembly is scheduled on May 10 and counting of votes will take place on May 13.

--IANS
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Hubbali, May 8 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi camping in Karnataka and addressing a gathering in Haveri has uplifted the spirits of the party cadres in north Karnataka. Coupled with this the organisational machinery of the BJP is functioning tirelessly and has almost completed four rounds of door-to-door campaigning.

In Hubbali, BJP candidate Mahesh Tenginkai, the party state general secretary and the blue-eyed boy of senior leader B.L. Santhosh, has been working hard to defeat the Congress candidate Jagadish Shettar whose exit from the BJP has become national news.

While Shettar has the support of the local people and their goodwill, being a six-term MLA and a former chief minister, the Hubbali seat is a stronghold of the BJP and the RSS. The arrival of the Prime Minister in the adjacent district of Haveri where he dwelt on the development measures undertaken by his government and a 'double engine' government in the state seems to have struck a chord with the voters.

M.R. Krishan Tulangi, a farmer in Hubbali while speaking to IANS said, "The Prime Minister has said that the government of India is purchasing urea at a cost of Rs 50 per kg and distributing it to farmers at Rs 5 per kg. This is a very important gesture on the part of the BJP government towards the farmers. This time I will vote for the BJP even though Jagadish Shettar is a good person and a winnable candidate."

In Gadag also there is support for the BJP candidates and most of those whom this correspondent spoke to said that even though the Karnataka BJP is not up to the mark and corruption allegations are there, the Prime Minister was doing good work for the country. To support him they have to vote for the BJP.

Basavaraj Pujar, a driver in Gadag told IANS, "The Prime Minister in his speech at Haveri said that our country is presently the fifth largest economy in the world and will soon become the third largest economy. This filled me with pride and I have decided to vote for the BJP."

In Belagavi, however, the presence of the Maharashtra Ekikaran Samithi (MES) which stands for the merger of the border districts of Karnataka with Maharashtra, is likely to play spoilsport to the prospects of the BJP in four seats.

In addition to the Prime Minister's roadshow and public programmes, the presence of grassroot RSS cadres is helping the BJP conduct door to door surveys, which the Congress is lacking.

Another factor is the presence of a large number of youths for campaigning for the BJP while the Congress has middle aged people in its campaign team.

With only two days left for the elections and with the campaigning ended today, the BJP and the Congress are in an all out mode to garner the maximum votes.

--IANS
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Panaji, May 8 (IANS) With a view to draw the attention of the government and spread awareness about the protection of the Mhadei river, vigilant environmentalists have decided to form a seven kilometre long human prayer chain on May 20 along the banks of the Mandovi river.

This human prayer chain will extend from the end of Miramar Beach to the Santa Monica jetty in Panaji, a distance of seven kms.

The 'Earthivist Collective', in association with the 'Goa Heritage Action Group' (GHAG) and the 'Save Mhadei Save Goa Front' have come together for this chain.

Heta Pandit, historian and member of GHAG, said that this event will offer people from all over Goa an opportunity to come together and connect with the river, its history and its soul.

"We appeal to people to join us and show their support for this vital ecosystem," Heta Pandit said.

She said that nearly 7000 persons are expected to participate in the seven km-long human chain.

Goa and Karnataka are currently embroiled in a dispute over the Kalasa-Bhanduri dam project across the Mhadei river, being heard by a central tribunal.

--IANS
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Kochi, May 8 (IANS) A day after the boat accident that claimed the lives of 22 people at Tanur in Malappuram district, the Kerala police on Monday arrested Nasar, the owner of the ill-fated boat, Atlantic, from Kozhikode.

The incident occurred around 7.30 p.m. on Sunday night when the boat was approaching the jetty with over 40 passengers. It sank leaving 22 people dead.

Following this incident, Nasar was on the run and on Monday morning a police team intercepted his car and took him, his brother and a friend into custody from near here.

The police are understood to have tracked the vehicle as Nasar's phone was in the vehicle, while he was not there.

They were believed to be on their way to meet an advocate to seek legal assistance for Nasar.

Earlier in the day Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan who arrived at Tanur announced a judicial probe and asked for the formation of a special team to conduct the probe.

Meanwhile unconfirmed reports say that the boat did not have proper registration documents and fitness certification.

The boat pilot and his assistant managed to escape soon after the boat capsized and the police are also on the lookout for them.

--IANS
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Chandigarh, May 8 (IANS) Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Monday announced launching a drive to preserve the flora and fauna along with recharging the water table to save water for the coming generations.

Addressing a gathering after laying the foundation stone of the Chitti Bein in Simbli in Hoshiarpur district, the Chief Minister said Punjab is a sacred land of great Gurus and saints, who have shown the way to preserve the environment.

He said, following in the footsteps of the Gurus, the government would soon embark upon a campaign to preserve the natural resources of the state.

He said while there is no dearth of funds for this noble cause, he called upon people to support it and make the campaign a mass movement.

The Chief Minister, while slamming the Opposition parties for blatantly ignoring the environmental issues, said that as water, air and land had no votes, so these leaders ignored them.

He said after the formation of the AAP government in the state, steps have been taken to save the environment.

The Chief Minister said since long, the successive state governments had also ignored the core sectors of health and education.

However, he said, after the formation of his government, complete transformation of these sectors have taken place.

Mann said due to efforts of the government, Punjab will soon be a front ranking state across the country in these sectors.

The Chief Minister said the government is taking steps for optimum utilisation of the canal water to save the groundwater.

He said that currently, Punjab is using only 33-34 per cent of its canal water, adding this will be enhanced in the coming days.

Mann envisioned that if Punjab can enhance the canal water utilisation to 60 per cent in first phase then nearly four lakh tubewells out of total 14 lakh can be stopped, thereby helping in saving water.

--IANS
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Hubballi, May 8 (IANS) The Lingayat Forum is a fictional organisation as it does not exist at all, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said on Monday.

The Chief Minister told reporters here that Veerashaiva is a very big community and it is not under any organisation. A lot of respect is given to the Veerashaiva Mahasabha, but it is not correct to use any organisation for election purposes.

"If four or five persons say something, does it become the voice of the Lingayats? The Lingayat community is like an ocean. The Lingayat Forum is an organisation that emerged ahead of elections," he stated.

Bommai said there are no cases against the BJP. The Congress didn't have any document when the Election Commission asked for it. The Congress leaders who talk about corruption are themselves facing corruption charges and attending courts. With what moral right can they question the BJP?

He said the IT sleuths are in every district and they will have information about where the mistakes happen. The Congress leaders have committed mistakes, what can we do? There will be raids.

The Chief Minister said the BJP's national leaders have come to Karnataka for all the elections as they have an emotional bond with the people of the state. This will give a big boost to the party.

The campaigning for the May 10 Assembly election ends on Monday.

The Karnataka Lingayita Mattu Veerashaiva Vichara Vedike, a platform of thinkers from the state's dominant Veerashaiva Lingayat community, gave a call to the community members to defeat the BJP in the elections.

--IANS
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Bengaluru, May 8 (IANS) Congressleader Rahul Gandhi on Monday travelled in a Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) bus and interacted with commuters of different age group in Bengaluru.

Gandhi also visited the Coffee Day shop on the Cunningham Road and interacted with coffee buffs and had a cup of coffee too. He walked to the nearest bus stop and met a group of women and college going girls at the junction.

The women and college girls shared with him their woes of everyday life, the difficulties they face while traveling in buses, their difficulty to pursue education, responsibilities of the family. Gandhi also asked them about the importance given to the education of their children.

He boarded the bus with the women and spoke to them about the Congress' proposal of free travel for all women in public transport and Rs 2,000 allowance for women head of every family in Karnataka under Gruha Laxmi Scheme.

He also spoke to them on whether they are aware of these proposals by the Congress. The women passengers told him about price rises badly hitting their budgets and its consequences on their lives.

Gandhi alighted the bus near Lingarajapuram and again interacted with the women and young people. He spoke to them about the Congress manifesto and got their feedback.

The Congress leader had travelled with a food delivery boy on his bike on Sunday and interacted with him.

--IANS
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Patna, May 8 (IANS) The Sasaram district court on Monday refused bail to former BJP MLA Jawahar Prasad in connection with the communal violence in the district on Ram Navami.

Prasad was arrested by the police on April 29 following which he was remanded to judicial custody. His lawyer had filed a plea for bail in the court of chief judicial magistrate.

The prosecution lawyer urged the court to add IPC Section 302 in the case against Jawahar Prasad and other accused persons, who were allegedly involved in the communal violence during a Ram Navami procession on March 31. Subsequently, the court oredered to include IPC Section 302 in the FIR.

"As murder is a non-bailable offence, the court has refused to grant bail to Jawahar Prasad," said Nagendra Pandey, the rosecution lawyer.

Earlier, the court had granted bail to a number of people who were allegedly involved in the Ram Navami violence. All of them have now been asked to surrender before the court as their bail stands cancelled following the inclusion of Section 302 in the FIR.

Prasad can now approach the Patna High Court and seek bail.

--IANS
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