Regional

Vadodara, Nov 22 (IANS) Three BJP leaders have been booked under the SC-ST (Prevention of Atrocities Act) in Dabhoi town in Gujarat's Vadodara.

Vadodara Rural Deputy Superintendent of police (ST/SC cell) Aakash Patel said a tribal youth (Dharmesh Tadvi)in his complaint on Monday evening alleged that these leaders intentionally insulted, voluntarily caused hurt and made casteist remarks against him.

Tadvi said that elected BJP leaders of Dabhoi municipal corporation -- Biren Shah, Vishal and Amit Solanki --have given him money for electric and other repair work of street lights.

Unhappy with the amount paid for the work, Dharmesh Tadvi approached the BJP tribal cell president Mehulbhai Tadvi, who asked him to return the money.

When Dharmesh Tadvi approached Biren Shah to return the payment, one of the complainant's friend was recording it, which angered Shah.

Shah thrashed Dharmesh Tadvi and threatened him that once the Assembly elections are over, he will not allow him to run his business on road side and remove his vegetable cart.

--IANS
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By Narendra Puppala
Bengaluru, Nov 20 (IANS) Allegations of rigged electronic voting machines (EVMs) are passe now as the debate rages in Karnataka over alleged voters' list manipulations in the capital city Bengaluru.



Even as the state prepares for assembly elections due in the first half of 2023, the voter data "scam" exploded this week with the opposition Congress party accusing the ruling BJP of accessing Bengaluru voters' data through an NGO in the garb of voter awareness.

Bengaluru has nearly 80 lakh voters spread across 28 assembly constituencies, and winning these seats can help any party immeasurably in the electoral battle for the 224 member legislative assembly.

The issue came to the fore after the Congress on Thursday claimed that an NGO Chilume Educational Cultural and Development Trust and other related entities had fraudulently collected voters' data in several assembly constituencies across the state capital.

The Congress also alleged that after collecting the information posing as Booth Level Officers (BLOs) appointed by the city civic authority BBMP, the NGO staff uploaded it onto an app belonging to one of these NGOs.

While Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala accused the BJP government in the state of stealing the data of voters and indulging in electoral fraud, former chief minister and leader of opposition leader Siddaramaiah attacked chief minister Basavaraj Bommai.

"Bommai should be arrested. He should resign as he has no moral right to continue as he is at the helm of affairs. This kind of conspiracy, theft by the CM himself never happened in the history of Karnataka," Siddaramaiah said.

The chief minister has hit back at the Congress and said the accusations will land at its own doorstep.

"The Siddaramaiah-led Congress government in 2017 had illegally entrusted Chilume Trust with the task of revising electoral rolls and also permitted appointment of booth-level officers in some places," Bommai said.

Meanwhile, as per Election Commission officials, around 6.7 lakh names have been deleted from the city's electoral rolls even as nearly three lakh new names were added to it. This has led to allegations of large-scale deletion of voters in constituencies that elected Congress candidates in the previous elections.

However chief minister Bommai ruled out such a possibility while pointing out that nearly 46,000 voters had been deleted from a BJP-ruled constituency as opposed to around 15,000 deletions from the voter list of a Congress-represented constituency.

Launching a counterattack, N.R. Ramesh, BJP Bengaluru South Unit President, accused the Congress leaders of large-scale inclusion of names of minorities from neighbouring states in the voters lists. According to him, this has been done to ensure win in Bengaluru civic polls and assembly elections.

"The Congress has added 1.50 lakh duplicate votes in 27 assembly constituencies of Bengaluru," Ramesh said, adding that he had also lodged a complaint in this regard with the authorities concerned.

For now, the promoters of the NGO remain to be traced, even as two employees have been arrested so far. The Election Commission has instituted a probe into the matter.

As Karnataka prepares for assembly elections over the next few months, the voter data controversy adds yet another dimension to the no-holds barred rivalry between the ruling BJP and the opposition Congress party.

--IANS
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Gandhinagar, Nov 20 (IANS) Reacting to a viral video featuring a Congress candidate in Gujarat's Sidhpur constituency, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel said the party "is yet again resorting to minority appeasement".

In the video, the candidate, Chandanji Thakor, is heard saying: "If anyone can save or protect the country is the Muslim community and if anyone can save Congress party it is the Muslim community."

This clip has been circulated in the social media by right-wing groups, as well as the BJP putting the Congress party on the backfoot.

Tagging the video in a tweet, the Chief Minister said: "Fearing defeat, Congress yet again resort to minority appeasement. But the Congress party should know, that no one can save Congress party from the defeat."

The BJP state unit president C.R. Patil also shared the speech and said: "Congress is playing religion card because it fears defeat in the election, Congress can't save, even appeasement to minority can't save, its defeat is for sure."

In his defence, THakor said that the clip is old, and after editing it has been circulated to tarnish his image.

Reacting to the Chief Minister's tweet, Thakor questioned him over taking moral responsibility for the Morbi bridge collapse.

--IANS
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Surat, Nov 20 (IANS) A BJP candidate alleged that few persons running smoking joints joined AAP rally as workers and attacked BJP workers near Yogi Chowk in Surat on Saturday night.

Giving reasons for clash between AAP and BJP workers, BJP candidate from Kamrej constituency (Surat city), Praful Panseria, told the media, "During election campaign, I had promised voters that if they elect me as MLA, I will ensure that these smoking joints are closed in the area, fearing business getting closed, smoking joint owners on Saturday night joined the AAP rally as workers. When a bike accident took place near AAP public meeting, making it an issue, they attacked BJP workers, who were standing near the party's election office, because of which a minor confrontation and misunderstanding took place."

Surat City Additional Commissioner of Police - Sector -1, P.L. Mal told the media, "Clashes took place between workers of the two parties, police and paramilitary forces reached in time and dispersed workers. Situation is under control now."

Police deployment has been increased in the area in view of the incident.

--IANS
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Bengaluru, Nov 20 (IANS) Karnataka's Director General of Police (DGP), Praveen Sood on Sunday declared that the blast in a moving auto in Mangaluru was a terror act and not an accident.

"It's confirmed now. The blast is not accidental but an act of terror with intention to cause serious damage. Karnataka State Police is probing deep into it along with central agencies," the DGP tweeted.

Tension prevailed in the communally-sensitive city on Saturday following the mysterious explosion in the moving auto.

Initially, the police were probing whether it was a case of fire mishap or blast.

However, on further investigation, sleuths of the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) found suspicious articles such as two batteries, nuts, bolt and substance with circuit wiring from the incident spot.

It is suspected that a light explosive device had been used for the explosion.

The state Home department has considered the incident seriously as it had taken place on the day the Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai had visited the city.

With the police identifying it as an act of terror, the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) is also expected to visit the place and take up investigation.

With the passenger of the auto, identified as Premraj Kanogi, giving contradictory statements to the police, his role is also under the scanner.

--IANS
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Mathura, Nov 18 (IANS) The body of a woman, believed to be in her late 20s, was found stuffed inside a trolley bag on the Yamuna Expressway near Mathura.

According to a senior UP police officer, an information was received at around 1 p.m. on Friday about a red-coloured bag lying unattended on the service lane adjacent to the Expressway near the Agricultural Research Centre in Raya, following which a police team was dispatched to the spot.

"When the police team opened the bag, a body of woman wrapped in plastic was found stuffed inside," said the officer.

Preliminary investigations indicate that the woman was shot in her chest from point blank range.

"There are wounds on her body which suggest that she was also beaten up," said an official, adding that they are scanning CCTV footages to get some clues and to identify the accused.

The police said that two sarees were recovered from the bag.

The Mathura police have alerted all the police stations in the district regarding the recovery of the body to know if someone matching her description has been reported missing.

--IANS
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Hyderabad, Nov 18 (IANS) Over 30 girl students of a college in Hyderabad fell ill after a suspected gas leak in the college lab on Friday.

The affected girl students of Kasturba Gandhi College in West Maredpally, Secunderabad were hospitalised with complaints of breathlessness and dizziness.

The college authorities denied that there was any gas leak from college lab. They said foul smell from garbage dump on the college boundary wall led to students falling ill.

The school staff with the help of locals rushed the affected students to Geetha Nursing Home.

Police officials rushed to the college and began investigation.

After students complained of gas leak from lab, the college authorities surveyed the premises. They claimed that there was no gas leak.

--IANS
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Mumbai, Nov 18 (IANS) Two minors drowned while three others were rescued from the Arabian Sea off Worli here on Friday evening, the BMC Disaster Control said.

The tragedy happened when the minors were reportedly playing near the sea at Vikas Gully in the Worli Koliwada area around 3.30 pm.

Following a hue and cry, the local fisherfolk mounted a rescue operation and managed to retrieve all the five children from the sea even as the Mumbai Fire Brigade team rushed there.

Two of the victims, Kartik Choudhary, 8, and Savita Pal, 12, were rushed to the KEM Hospital where they were declared brought dead, said the Disaster Control.

Two others, Aryan Choudhary, 10, and Omchandrajit Pal, 14 have been admitted to the ICU of the private Hinduja Hospital, while Kartiki Patil, 13, is under treatment at the civic-run KEM Hospital in Parel.

The local police are probing the causes behind the incident and how the minors met with the tragedy and whether they were accompanied by some adult or not.

--IANS
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Bengaluru, Nov 18 (IANS) Karnataka Chief Minister Basavraj Bommai's Personal Assistant was honey-trapped and confidential documents were extracted from him, police sources said on Friday.

Nataraja Sharma, president of Janma Bhoomi Foundation, a registered public organisation that has exposed scams, lodged a case in this regard with the Vidhana Soudha police station here.

The complainant alleged that a well-organised honey-trap gang is operating in the Legislative Assembly.

A D-group woman employee working in Vidhan Soudha honey-trapped Bommai's PA Harish. The gang members recorded their videos, blackmailed Harish and extracted confidential documents pertaining to the administration of the government, police sources added.

The complainant alleged that documents signed by the Chief Minister have been given to opposition leaders.

Land worth crores of rupees was purchased by Harish in the name of the accused woman near Kanakapura Road near Bengaluru, police sources added.

Earlier also, the gang had honey-trapped many politicians and bureaucrats, the complainant alleged.

--IANS
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Chennai, Nov 18 (IANS) The Opposition AIADMK which is in political crossroads after the drubbing in the 2019 Lok Sabha and 2021 Assembly polls is now working out strategies to stay relevant in Tamil Nadu politics.

In a recent statement, Edappadi K. Palaniswami, former Chief Minister and interim general secretary of AIADMK, has said that there was no need for him to meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah when he was on a private visit to the state. However, he had met Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his Tamil Nadu visit in the capacity of opposition leader.

The statement of Palaniswami is considered as a major political statement by the AIADMK which is peeved at the reported comments of Amit Shah during his recent visit to Chennai. At a meeting with the party office-bearers, Shah had said that the AIADMK was in deep crisis and the DMK had turned into a dynastic party and that BJP has all the possibilities in getting a major foothold in the state.

Taking an exception to the reported comments, the AIADMK leadership spoke tough about its alliance partner.

A senior leader of the AIADMK told IANS, "We are not considering 2024 Lok Sabha elections seriously and we are open to all alliances. The BJP should understand that we are out of power and we don't have any compulsions. Our timing is perfect and we are more interested in the 2026 Assembly elections."

He also said that of late BJP has been trying to sideline AIADMK and to occupy the space of the opposition and added that the AIADMK cadres are in a mood to disown the saffron party.

The AIADMK leader also said that the party does not wilt under threat when asked whether the BJP could use some agencies to bring AIADMK in line with the saffron party.

It is reliably learnt that the AIADMK is trying to rope in Congress party from the DMK alliance and to contest the 2024 general elections in alliance with the grand-old party.

The AIADMK leaders also said that with the party losing 38 out of the 39 seats from Tamil Nadu in the 2019 general elections, it is not focusing much on the 2024 general elections and its main aim is to garner power in Tamil Nadu in 2026.

A senior leader also said that the AIADMK is now a monolithic unit and that Palaniswami is the sole leader in charge of the party. He also said that the deposed leader, O. Panneerselvam does not have any role to play in the AIADMK affairs.

--IANS
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