Karnataka’s 2nd tallest flagpole unveiled at Mangaluru’s Kadri Park

Angry BJP lawmakers stormed Assembly Speaker U T Khader’s chambers at the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha, escalating tensions after the ruling Congress turned the tables on the saffron party over the Panchamasali Lingayat community’s reservation issue.

The friction began when Congress MLA Vijayanand Kashappanavar, a Panchamasali Lingayat, was allowed to criticise the Basavaraj Bommai-led BJP government’s controversial decision to scrap the 4 per cent Muslim quota, reallocating it equally to Lingayats and Vokkaligas. Kashappanavar slammed the BJP’s move, accusing it of being a mere election gimmick.

“The previous BJP government created two new reservation categories, 2C for Vokkaligas and 2D for Lingayats, just before the 2023 Assembly elections,” Kashappanavar said. “When challenged in the Supreme Court, the BJP government admitted it would not implement the decision. They announced it for votes but backtracked in court, misleading Panchamasali seer Basava Jaya Mrityunjaya Swami.”

Adding fuel to the fire, Kashappanavar alleged that RSS members had incited violence during a protest for enhanced Panchamasali Lingayat reservation. This claim enraged BJP lawmakers, who demanded the comment be expunged. However, Speaker Khader permitted Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda to read aloud the BJP government’s affidavit to the Supreme Court.

“If the Panchamasali Lingayat community has faced injustice, it is because of the BJP,” Gowda declared, sparking further protests from the opposition. BJP leaders accused Khader of being “one-sided” and disregarding a point of order raised by BJP MLA V Sunil Kumar.

When Khader adjourned the session for lunch, the confrontation boiled over. Opposition Leader R Ashoka, BJP state president B Y Vijayendra, MLAs Dr C N Ashwath Narayan, Sunil Kumar, and others barged into Khader’s chambers. Chaos ensued as shouting and hollering echoed through the halls, prompting marshalls to intervene.

“The Speaker was warned that if he continued behaving this way, we would boycott the session,” Narayan stated afterward.

Mangaluru City Corporation Mayor Manoj Kumar issued a stern directive to GAIL Gas Limited, instructing them to immediately restore roads damaged during their ongoing gas pipeline project.

The issue, which has left motorists and residents frustrated, dominated discussions at a special meeting chaired by the mayor on Monday. Corporators unanimously criticized the delay in road restoration, with Opposition Leader Anil Kumar warning that the project should be halted if the roads remain neglected.

Corporator Naveen D’Souza pointed out that permissions granted for the pipeline project were limited to two years, yet the roadwork disruption has dragged on for over five years. He demanded criminal charges and penalties against responsible officials for the prolonged inconvenience.

Adding to the outcry, Corporator Sangeetha Nayak called for MCC engineers to inspect the affected areas, while Corporator Varun Chowta flagged a severe lack of coordination between MCC, GAIL, and Jalasiri 24x7 officials.

The mayor directed GAIL Gas Limited to submit a report within two days addressing the complaints raised. He also insisted on a detailed update on the project’s implementation to be presented at the next review meeting, aiming for a resolution to the ongoing chaos.

The Israeli regime forces have launched a foray into Syrian soil and entered the southwestern city of Quneitra near the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights after militant groups took control of the Arab country.

The Israeli media reported on Sunday that the regime’s tanks had entered Quneitra on the border of the occupied Golan following heavy shelling of surrounding areas.

“Israeli forces pushed into the buffer zone in the Quneitra area, and launched artillery shelling in the area,” the website of the Times of Israel newspaper said.

The regime’s media also reported the entry of Israeli tanks into Khan Arnabeh, which is to the northeast of Quneitra and five kilometers from the border of the occupied Golan.

Quneitra is within the so-called buffer zone established in 1974 between the occupied Golan and Syria, but Khan Arnabeh is beyond that and the regime’s forces are not allowed to enter.

The resistance media confirmed reports of the Israeli aggression and said the development took place after the regime increased its deployment in the occupied Golan ahead of the fall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government in Damascus.

Local reports said schools were canceled in four settlements in the occupied Golan due to the “security situation,” adding that the Israeli military had set up checkpoints in the area.

At least four airstrikes targeted the Quneitra countryside after the Israeli tanks entered the area.

The occupation forces were also reported to be digging a large trench on the Syrian border and have destroyed what they claim are weapons depots.

The Israeli occupation army declared that in light of the developments in Syria, it had deployed forces to key areas along the border to ensure the security of the Israeli settlements in the occupied Golan Heights.

Israel’s opposition leader Yair Lapid also said, “In light of the developments in Syria, it is more important than ever to form a strong regional alliance with Saudi Arabia and the Abraham Accords countries to confront regional instability together.”

Earlier in the day, the armed Syrian opposition groups raided the capital Damascus, and took control of the city’s radio and television station as well as major military and security centers.

The armed groups, led by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) militants, announced that they had fully captured the Syrian capital and confirmed reports of the fall of the Assad government.

HTS leader Ahmed al-Shar’a, known as Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, has called on Syrian people not to get close to government institutes and organizations until an official transfer of power takes place under the supervision of the prime minister.

Syrian Prime Minister Mohammed Ghazi Jalali said the government was ready to “extend its hand” to the opposition and hand over its functions to a transitional government.