I’m a Congressman and don’t believe in caste politics: Shivakumar

News Network
October 17, 2020
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DKS

Bengaluru, Oct 17: Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee President D.K. Shivakumar said on Friday that he would always be looked upon as a Congressman, and not a caste leader.

Speaking to reporters here, Shivakumar said that he is a Vokkaliga because he is an agriculturist and was born to Vokkaliga parents.

“No doubt I am proud of my caste Vokkaliga. But that doesn’t mean that I would indulge in caste or religion-based politics. Being a Congress member and KPCC President, I have only one caste and that is Congress. Why should I speak about other castes,” he shot back to his rivals in general and JD(S) leader H.D. Kumarswamy in particular.

He said that there is no politics involved in attracting people into the party fold and all these things generally happen during every election.

“In every election, our rivals BJP and JD(S) do the same by visiting our party leaders and we also do it, which is just fair and square. Why should anyone be worried about it,” he asked.

Categorically ruling out any race between him and Kumaraswamy for the Vokkaliga leadership, a dominant community in the south Karnataka region to which both leaders belong, Shivakumar said that he has never indulged in caste politics and for him Congress is his only caste.

On Thursday, Kumaraswamy had alleged that the Congress, which lacks a worker base in Rajarajeshwari Nagar (R.R. Nagara) Assembly constituency, was trying to lure his party workers ahead of the by-elections.

R.R. Nagara, along with the Sira Assembly segment in Tumakuru, will go to bypolls on November 3.

With both seats having considerable presence of the Vokkaliga community, winning them is crucial for both the leaders to consolidate their position in the community.

With the community seen as a strong vote base of JD(S), Kumaraswamy is looking at keeping it intact. Shivakumar, who is the top leader in the Congress from the community, is looking at consolidating his position within the party by winning the bypolls.

Winning R.R. Nagar is even more crucial for him as it comes under the Bangalore Rural Lok Sabha constituency, represented by his brother D.K. Suresh.

In this constituency, Congress has pitted political greenhorn Kusuma H against battle hardened N. Munirathna of the BJP.

In Sira, Congress has fielded party veteran and former minister T.B. Jayachandra against Ammajamma of the JD(S), the widow of late party MLA Sathyanarayana, and Rajesh Gowda of the BJP.

The Sira by-elections were necessitated following the death of JD(S) legislator B. Sathyanarayana in August, while the R.R. Nagar seat fell vacant after the disqualification of Congress MLA N. Munirathna under the anti-defection law last year.

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News Network
March 10,2025

Many parts of Karnataka, which have been experiencing hot and humid conditions over the past few days, are expected to receive pre-monsoon showers this week.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast rainfall over south-interior and coastal Karnataka on March 11 and 12.

According to synoptic observations, an upper air cyclonic circulation lies over the northeast equatorial Indian Ocean and the adjoining southeast Bay of Bengal, extending up to 5.8 km above mean sea level. Additionally, light to moderate southeasterly winds are prevailing over the State at lower tropospheric levels.

As per the forecast, isolated light rain and thundershowers are likely in Kolar, Bengaluru Urban, Bengaluru Rural, Chickballapur, Tumakuru, Ramanagara, Mandya, Mysuru, Chamarajanagar, Kodagu, and Hassan districts in south-interior Karnataka, along with Dakshina Kannada and Udupi in coastal Karnataka on March 11.

On March 12, rainfall activity may extend to Shivamogga and Chikkamagaluru as well. However, dry weather is expected to prevail over the rest of the State.

In Bengaluru, temperatures remained high on Sunday, with the city and Kempegowda International Airport recording a maximum of 34.5°C, while the HAL Airport station reported 34.1°C. The minimum temperatures were recorded at 19.7°C, 18.5°C, and 18°C at these respective stations.

Over the next few days, Bengaluru’s maximum and minimum temperatures are expected to be around 34°C and 20°C. The highest-ever temperature recorded in March was 37.3°C in 1996.

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News Network
March 1,2025

In a move to strengthen the presence of Kannada in industrial and consumer markets, the Karnataka government has made it mandatory for all products manufactured within the state to display their names and usage instructions in Kannada, alongside any other languages.

The directive was formalized through a government circular issued on February 15, extending the requirement to both public and private sector manufacturers, the report added.

Enforcement officers designated under the Kannada Language Comprehensive Development Act, 2022, have been tasked with monitoring compliance.

The government emphasized that language is a reflection of a region’s cultural identity and that Kannada must be actively integrated into production, marketing, and business activities for it to thrive. The circular reiterated that the Act, implemented from March 12, 2024, aims to enhance employment and business opportunities for Kannadigas while ensuring the widespread use of Kannada in daily life.

As per Section 17(7) of the Act, manufacturers selling products within Karnataka must, wherever possible, ensure that product names and instructions are printed in Kannada along with any other language if needed.

This directive comes at a time when debates over language policies are intensifying in Karnataka. Recent discussions around local job quotas and the prominence of Kannada in government and corporate sectors have added to the ongoing discourse on linguistic identity in the state.

On the occasion of Kannada Rajyotsava Day, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had announced that the state government would take steps to ensure Kannada language labels on products manufactured in Karnataka.

Speaking at an event honoring the 69 recipients of this year’s Rajyotsava awards, Siddaramaiah emphasized the importance of creating an environment that encourages the daily use and learning of Kannada.

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News Network
March 1,2025

The Trump administration has given the go-ahead for a nearly $3 billion arms sale to Israel, sidestepping the standard congressional review process to expedite the delivery of 2,000-pound bombs widely used by the Israeli military in its ongoing onslaught in the Gaza Strip.

In a series of notifications sent to Congress on Friday, the State Department has reported it has approved the sale of more than 35,500 MK 84 and BLU-117 bombs and 4,000 Predator warheads worth $2.04 billion to Israel.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio “has determined and provided detailed justification that an emergency exists that requires the immediate sale to the Government of Israel of the above defense articles and defense services in the national security interests of the United States, thereby waiving the Congressional review requirements,” the department said.

Deliveries are set to begin next year, it said.

According to the same statement, Rubio has also approved another munitions sale to Israel worth $675.7 million to be delivered starting in 2028.

The Israeli regime has extensively used the MK 84, also known as the 2,000-pound bomb, in its genocidal wars against the people of Lebanon and Palestine, including the assassination of top Hamas and Hezbollah leaders.

Last May, the previous US administration attempted to curb Israel’s military aggression in Rafah, a city in southern Gaza, by imposing a temporary ban on the sale of 2,000-pound bombs.

This effort, however, proved futile in halting the invasion, as the US continued to supply other weapons to the Israeli regime.

On February 25, Trump’s National Security Adviser, Michael Waltz, rescinded the ban to allow the State Department to resume the sale of the bombs to the regime.

The State Department has also approved the sale of Caterpillar D9 Bulldozers and related equipment for an estimated cost of $295 million to Israel.

The Israeli regime has used D9 bulldozers to demolish thousands of Palestinian homes in the occupied West Bank and Gaza.

The Office of the UN High Commissioner on Human Rights has advised Caterpillar Inc. that by supplying the bulldozers to the regime, it is complicit in human rights violations.

D9 has been involved in several incidents of civilian deaths, including in 2023 when it was used against the refugees sheltering outside the Kamal Adwan Hospital.

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