Did BJP offer money to Irom Sharmila to contest Manipur polls? Cong seeks probe

executive@coastaldigest.com (Agencies)

February 16, 2017

New Delhi, Feb 16: The Congress moved the Election Commission on Wednesday, demanding a probe into allegations by civil rights activist Irom Sharmila that she was approached by a BJP functionary with an offer of money to contest the Manipur assembly poll as a party nominee.

In a complaint to the poll panel, secretary of the legal and human rights department of the Congress, KC Mittal said the allegations made by Sharmila were “grave” and “very serious”.

Mittal said Sharmila had told the media that she was “really selected” as a BJP candidate and “a condition requiring Rs 36 crore” was put to her, with the sum being either produced by her or “arranged from the Centre”.

The Congress complaint said Sharmila had told the media that she had turned down the suggestion.

It also said that BJP general secretary Ram Madhav had termed Sharmila’s allegations as “baseless” and “an absolute lie” but Sharmila had subsequently reiterated her remarks.

“It is requested that an independent investigation may be conducted by the commission by a high level team,” the Congress said in its complaint.

The party said the probe team should collect all relevant material and “prosecute persons found responsible for such offer of bribe for electoral purposes”. It also called for other appropriate action.

Sharmila, who fasted for 16 years to demand the repeal of Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), had announced in January that she will take on Manipur chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh in the assembly polls.

Manipur will go for two-phased assembly polls in March.

Comments

BJP is trying to buy candidates by the power of money it has collected from Industrialists with assurance to returning with good dividend after coming to power (the same they did to come to power in center). Election commission should investigate on the issue and declare bjp an unconstitutional party and bar it from election.

Add new comment

Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.

Fee Hike in Private School across Coastal Karnataka Raises Concerns among Parents

News Network

March 15,2025

Mangaluru: Parents in coastal Karnataka are facing a significant financial burden as private schools across the region have implemented a sharp 20% or higher fee hike for the new academic year. This marks a drastic increase compared to the 6-15% annual hikes over the past four years. Schools justify the rise by citing increased teacher salaries and rising operational costs.

A parent from a CBSE school in Moodbidri reported that last year, his child's school fee was Rs 23,000, excluding transport and books. This year, it has jumped to Rs 29,000. "Fees for all classes in our school have been hiked by Rs 6,000," he shared.

Similarly, Jean D'Souza, whose two children study at an ICSE school in Mangaluru, said the school has increased fees by Rs 5,000 this year, from Rs 46,000 to Rs 51,000. Another parent from an ICSE school on the outskirts of the city reported a 20% hike and urged the government to intervene and regulate school fee increases.

Additional Costs Add to Parents’ Burden

Parents highlighted that beyond tuition fees, they also bear expenses for transport, uniforms, and books. Monthly transport fees range between Rs 1,500 and Rs 2,500, while book costs amount to Rs 5,000 to Rs 6,000 per child annually. However, some relief comes from schools allowing fee payments in installments. "Many schools permit two to four installments, which helps ease the financial strain for parents," said a school management representative.

Schools Defend the Fee Hike

A school principal explained the reasons behind the steep fee increase this year. "Most schools refrained from major fee hikes after the pandemic. However, teacher salary demands have increased, and with a shortage of trained educators, retaining them is difficult without annual pay raises," he said.

Other rising costs include electricity, water, building maintenance, government fees, and general operational expenses. School managements argue that these factors make the fee hike necessary to sustain quality education.

While parents express frustration over the rising costs, the debate over striking a balance between affordability and sustaining quality education continues. Many now call for government intervention to regulate private school fee structures, ensuring that education remains accessible to all families.

Comments