Karnataka CM impasse: Siddaramaiah fans celebrate; DKS doesn’t budge, say sources

News Network
May 17, 2023

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Congress leader Rahul Gandhi met Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar on Wednesday, May 17, as the party closed in on naming the next Karnataka Chief Minister after the election win over the weekend.

Siddaramaiah's supporters were seen bursting firecrackers and distributing sweets after his meeting with Rahul Gandhi, but the suspense over the Karnataka Chief Minister's post after the Congress's emphatic victory in the assembly elections endured for the fourth day. Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala said a decision could take 48 hours more and another 24 for announcing the cabinet.

According to sources, the Congress is closing in on naming Siddaramaiah, 75, for the role because he has the support of most MLAs and the task now is to bring Mr Shivakumar, 61, on board.

Meanwhile, former Congress president Sonia Gandhi spoke to Shivakumar and urged him to take up the post of Deputy Chief Minister. However, sources said, he politely declined the offer following which she asked him to continue as Congress Karnataka President. Sources said she told Shivakumar that party values his contributions. 

In his meeting with Mr Gandhi, Mr Shivakumar indicated that he would not back down in the standoff with Siddaramaiah, sources said. He later met Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge.

Siddaramaiah has been in Delhi since Monday, where he met with senior Congress leaders amid speculation that he is the frontrunner in the race for the top post. Asked when there would be an announcement, he said, "Let's wait and see. I don't know".

Mr Shivakumar has earlier stressed that does not envisage a rebellion even if he is deprived of the job. "If the party wants, they can give me the responsibility... Ours is a united house. I don't want to divide anyone here. Whether they like me or not, I am a responsible man. I will not backstab, and I will not blackmail," he said.

The party's leadership has been briefed on the views of the newly elected MLAs by the team of observers sent to the state. Their decision is certain to affect the party's prospects in the next year's general election.

While Siddaramaiah is seen to be a leader with mass appeal and completed a full term in 2018, Mr Shivakumar is known for his strong organisational capabilities, and is considered resourceful and Congress' troubleshooter during tough times. Settling for either of the two contenders may lead to alienating the other, as well as their support base - within the party and out.

In DK Shivakumar's case, it could mean a large section of the politically crucial Vokkaligas. In the case of Mr Siddaramaiah, it could mean a chunk of MLAs backing him, and the AHINDA platform -- an old social combination of minorities, Other Backward Classes, and Dalits, which had voted en masse for the Congress.

The politically crucial Lingayat community, meanwhile, has staked claim to the Chief Minister's post. In a letter addressed to Mr Kharge, the Lingayat organisation All India Veerashaiva Mahasabha pointed out that 34 of the 46 Lingayat leaders fielded by the Congress have won.

Political commentators had seen the quagmire approaching months before the assembly election held last week, which saw the Congress win a clear majority, finishing with 135 seats in the 224-member assembly.

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News Network
November 18,2024

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Mangaluru: A 14-year-old boy, Subodh, tragically lost his life after being struck by lightning while sitting outside his home in Kedila village, Bantwal taluk, on Sunday evening.

The incident occurred around 5:30 PM while Subodh, an 8th-grade student at Kalladka Shriram High School, was seated outside his house. Lightning struck him, leaving him unconscious. 

Family members rushed him to a nearby clinic and later to a private hospital in Puttur, where doctors confirmed his death upon arrival.

The boy's body was sent to Puttur Government Hospital for a post-mortem.

Tahsildar Archana Bhat has directed revenue officials to assist the grieving family. Vitla Revenue Inspector Prashanth Shetty, Village Administrative Officer Anil Kumar, Kedila Panchayat President Harish Valtaje, and panchayat members visited the family to offer their condolences and support.

This heartbreaking incident highlights the unpredictability of nature’s fury, leaving a community mourning the untimely loss of a young life.

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News Network
November 17,2024

Mangaluru: District-in-Charge Minister and Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Dinesh Gundu Rao, announced that a day-care chemotherapy centre will soon be established at District Wenlock Hospital. Speaking to mediapersons after reviewing the activities at Wenlock and Government Lady Goschen Hospital, he shared the government’s plans to enhance healthcare services in the region.

Key Initiatives Announced

•    Day-Care Chemotherapy Centre:

  • Ten beds will be reserved for cancer patients.
  • The government will collaborate with Yenepoya Hospital to provide chemotherapy treatments.
  • All required facilities for the centre are already in place, awaiting inauguration by the Chief Minister.

•    Wenlock Hospital Facelift:

  • Critical Care Block: To be built at a cost of ₹24 crore.
  • Integrated Public Health (IPH) Lab: Planned with a budget of ₹1 crore.
  • New OPD Block: As per a 2017 agreement, KMC Hospital will take up construction. Discussions with KMC management are underway.

•    Additional Requirements:

  • A new mortuary and post-mortem building.
  • Paramedical college building.
  • Modern kitchen.
  • Bridge connecting two buildings within the hospital.

•    Total facelift cost: ₹6 crore to ₹10 crore, utilizing funds from the Department of Health and Family Welfare and CSR contributions.

•    Timeline:
By December or January, priority works will be finalized. The superintendents of Wenlock and Lady Goschen Hospitals are scheduled to visit Bengaluru next week to discuss these projects.

•    MRI Fee Allegations:
The minister assured that allegations of patients being charged for MRI scans at Wenlock Hospital will be resolved at the earliest.
These measures aim to improve healthcare accessibility and infrastructure, positioning Wenlock Hospital as a state-of-the-art facility in the region.

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News Network
November 26,2024

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Bengaluru: The Janata Dal (Secular) is grappling with its most tumultuous political crisis yet, with speculation rife about imminent defections among its lawmakers. This storm comes in the aftermath of party scion Nikhil Kumaraswamy's humiliating defeat in the Channapatna bypoll—his third consecutive electoral loss after setbacks in Mandya (2019) and Ramanagara (2023). With the regional party’s Assembly tally shrinking to 18 from 19, questions are being raised about its survival.

The murmurs of rebellion were amplified on Monday when Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao and Congress MLA CP Yogeshwar openly hinted at possible desertions within the JD(S) ranks. Yogeshwar, newly elected from Channapatna, declared he could orchestrate a migration of JD(S) MLAs to Congress. “I’ll meet them at the Belagavi session. Within a month, they’ll be in Congress,” he confidently stated during a televised interview. Yogeshwar has a history of engineering defections, having played a pivotal role in the collapse of the JD(S)-Congress coalition government in 2019 during his stint with the BJP.

Dinesh Gundu Rao, not mincing words, slammed the JD(S) leadership for fostering "self-serving politics," criticizing the HD Deve Gowda family for failing to nurture party talent. “There’s no trust. Their MLAs will seek survival—either in BJP or Congress,” he remarked.

Meanwhile, the expelled JD(S) state president CM Ibrahim added fuel to the fire by claiming that 12-13 MLAs are "disillusioned" with the current leadership. Speculations around senior JD(S) leader GT Deve Gowda joining Congress have also intensified. DK Shivakumar, Karnataka’s Deputy CM and Congress president, described GT Deve Gowda as a “valuable leader” who might be frustrated with the party’s internal dynamics.

While Congress leaders seem eager to poach JD(S) legislators, the BJP is not far behind in targeting the floundering party. The situation signals a decisive moment for the JD(S), as its survival now hinges on how it manages this brewing storm of discontent.

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