Bengaluru, July 27 (IANS) Social activist TJ Abraham on Saturday accused Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s office of gathering information on him.

TJ Abraham alleged that this was being done to tarnish his image as he had submitted a petition against the CM in connection with the irregularities in the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) to Governor Thaawar Chand Gehlot seeking consent for prosecution.

“Let CM Siddaramaiah also know that such efforts will not scare me. In fact, it emboldens me to move with more vigour,” he stated.

Abraham, President of the Anti-Graft/Corruption and Environmental Forum claimed, “It has come to my knowledge that the Chief Minister’s Office through the Intelligence department is trying to collect details of a fine imposed on me by the Supreme Court of India.

“The Intelligence department officials have also been making queries with several media houses and representatives, to gather details. The aim is understandable, to tarnish my image, because I am pursuing the MUDA case against the CM’s family relentlessly.”

“I would like to convey to the Chief Minister through the media, that there was a fine of Rs 25 lakh slapped against me by the Supreme Court in July 2017 over a Public Interest Litigation, which was filed against CM Siddaramaiah’s decision overruling reports and decisions of officers, regarding the construction of a mini Vidhana Soudha, in Kalaburagi District. The matter was widely published in the media all over the country,” Abraham said.

“Ponnanna the Legal Advisor of the Chief Minister is well aware of the issue and he has used it effectively to his advantage, before the Karnataka High Court, too,” he stated.

“Let the Chief Minister also note that I had in-person argued before the Supreme Court and got the fine slashed, which was not reported. The Intelligence department sleuths are free to come to my residence and seek any clarification, regarding anything and any issue that they would like to know, which shall be provided to them, without any hesitation,” Abraham stated.

–IANS

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New Delhi/Kolkata, July 27 (IANS) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, on Saturday, walked out of the Niti Aayog meeting, claiming that she walked out in protest as her microphone was switched off in the middle of her speech.

“I was not allowed to even speak for five minutes. I was insulted as my microphone was switched off after I had spoken just for about five minutes,” the Chief Minister told media persons after coming out of the meeting.

Mamata Banerjee was the only chief minister from any non-BJP-ruled state to attend the meeting on Saturday which is being chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

On Friday, before leaving for New Delhi, she said at Kolkata airport that her counterpart from Jharkhand Hemant Soren would be attending the Niti Aayog meeting but the latter did not turn up on Saturday.

Speaking to the media persons, she also alleged that she was not allowed to speak for more than five minutes when chief ministers of certain states were allowed to speak even for 20 minutes. “So I walked out of the meeting protesting against such favouritism,” Mamata Banerjee said.

Claiming that she was the sole representative from the Opposition bloc at the meeting, Mamata Banerjee said that she intended to say something on certain issues. “But my microphone was switched off before I could say that. In future, I will not be attending any meeting of Niti Aayog,” she said.

In fact, the possibility of her walking out of the meeting was hinted at by her on Friday only before leaving Kolkata, when she said that she would try to highlight in the meeting the twin issues of West Bengal being financially deprived and the reported attempts to divide the state.

“All the opposition-ruled states have been deprived in the last budget proposals. I cannot accept such favouritism. So I will be raising my voice on behalf of all at the meeting. All sorts of financial and geographical conspiracies are going on to divide the state. Messages are being spread to divide Bengal. Division of Bengal means a division of the country. We cannot accept this. In such a situation, I will be there at the meeting for some time. If I am allowed to get my voice recorded, I will do that. Otherwise, I will walk out in protest,” the Chief Minister said on Saturday.

–IANS

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Kolkata, July 27 (IANS) Leader of Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari on Saturday contested Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s claim of the Union government “depriving” the state of its legitimate dues, saying, Central funding to the state has been more than the state’s revenues from 2018-19 till 2023-24.

In a statement, Adhikari said, “The figure from the state’s Budget documents shows that the total Central funding to the state has been around 31 per cent, more than the state’s own revenues from 2018-19 till 2023-24.”

Adhikari also quoted some figures, highlighting the “sorry state of economic affairs” in the state.

According to him, although West Bengal has 7.5 per cent of India’s population, the contribution of the state to GST on domestic goods for 2023-24 is Rs 62,613 crore as against a total collection of Rs 15,23,249 crore which is just 4.11 per cent of the national figure.

“This points to the fact that the state is economically weaker. Even in this, the contribution to CGST is only Rs 19,267 crore, with the remaining GST being retained as State GST or cess by the state itself or shared with other states as IGST,” the statement read.

Adhikari has also quoted some figures highlighting the state’s performance in the sphere of direct tax collection. According to him, during the financial year 2022-23, the direct tax collection from West Bengal was only Rs 56,323.21 crore, which is 3.46 per cent of the national collection figure of Rs 16,26,927.63 crore.

“Whereas the Central government shares 7.53 per cent of the amount given to all states as the devolution of taxes and 8.51 per cent of the grant-in-aid given to all the states, it is clear that the Central government gives much more in percentage terms than it collects from the state, mainly in recognition of West Bengal’s poor financial condition,” Adhikari said.

Claiming that Mamata Banerjee’s repetitive “false narrative” does not hold water anymore, he claimed the economy of the state is staring down the barrel because of the Chief Minister.

“The Central government is doing whatever is required to pull West Bengal out from the financial mess,” Adhikari claimed in the statement.

–IANS

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Jammu, July 27 (IANS) Jammu and Kashmir Police on Saturday released sketches of three terrorists operating in Doda District while announcing a reward of Rs 5 lakh for information leading to their capture.

A police statement said that sketches had been released of three terrorists who are moving in the upper reaches of Doda and Dessa area.

Police said that the three ultras were involved in the recent terror incidents at Urar Bagi area of Dessa and a cash reward of Rs 5 lakh for providing information leading to their capture has been announced.

“J&K Police, District Doda appeals to the general public to provide information about the presence/movement of these terrorists to police”, the statement said.

Mobile numbers of police officers have also been given in the statement for people to pass on the information.

Police said the names of persons giving such tip-offs would be kept secret.

–IANS

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Kolkata, July 27 (IANS) The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has tracked the involvement of around Rs 200 crore of illegal proceeds in the 1,814 illegal recruitments done in 15 municipal bodies in West Bengal since 2014, sources said.

The central agency officials have secured definite clues that private promoter Ayan Sil and his associates had almost the entire share of this Rs 200 crore of ill-gotten proceeds, considering that all these 1814 illegal recruitments were done through outsourced agency ABS Infozon Private Limited, a corporate entity owned by Sil.

Besides Sil, two of his close associates Soumik Chowdhury and Debesh Chakraborty have been identified as the major recipients of portions of these funds.

Both of them have been named in the chargesheet filed by CBI at a special court in Kolkata recently. The central agency officials suspect that the final fund involvement figure will inflate further at the end of the investigation because whatever has surfaced so far is in relation to those recruitments done through ABS Infozon.

In the chargesheet, details have been provided on how recruitments against cash were done in several municipalities for a variety of posts which included medical officers, ward masters, clerks, drivers, helpers and cleaning assistants.

Now, sources said, the CBI officials are trying to track whether this entire proceeds amount was consumed by Sil and his associates, or a major share of those funds reached other politically influential persons.

Sil is currently in judicial custody in connection with the multi-crore cash-for-school- job case in West Bengal.

Another point that the central agency officials are trying to establish is how Sil acted as the common intermediary in the cycles of corruption both in municipalities and school job cases involving those paying money for jobs, intermediaries like agent networks and finally the influential sections both in bureaucratic and political circles.

–IANS

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