Five senior ministers including Shivakumar, Zameer Ahmed, George ready to give up posts?

News Network
January 17, 2019

Bengaluru, Jan 17: In the wake of Bharatiya Janata Party’s repeated attempts to topple coalition government in Karnataka, senior Congress leaders in Karnataka have prepared a new counter-strategy. 

According to reports at least five Congress Ministers have reportedly expressed their willingness to give up their ministerial postings to accommodate dissident MLAs in the Cabinet. These ministers are: D.K. Shivakumar, K.J. George, Priyank Kharge, Zameer Ahmed Khan, and Krishna Byre Gowda. 

They made their statements on voluntarily stepping down during a breakfast meeting of the Congress Ministers and leaders, sources said. The party is holding a meeting of its legislators on Friday to work out a strategy to douse dissidence.

This strategy is being worked out even as at least three disgruntled Congress MLAs — Anand Singh, Shrimanth Patil and Bheema Naik — earlier identified to be with the BJP, reappeared to announce that they had no plans of defecting. Meanwhile, two Independent MLAs, who had announced their withdrawal of support to the coalition government, did not go ahead with their plan to meet the Governor on Wednesday. These developments significantly toned down the threat to the coalition government.

Meanwhile, all senior Congress leaders and Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy exuded confidence that the coalition government faced no threat and the political drama had, in fact, fizzled out with the return of the disgruntled MLAs back to the party fold. “I know my strength and my government is like a solid rock,” said the Chief Minister.

KPCC president Dinesh Gundu Rao said the government was stable and no legislators from the Congress would desert the party and join the BJP. On Wednesday, he slammed the BJP for its “brazen attempt” to destabilise the party’s coalition government with JD(S). The BJP’s MLAs have been camping at a resort in Haryana in an “effort to thwart any poaching attempt” by the ruling JD-S- Congress coalition.

“The topic for media discussion should not be the stability of the government, but what the BJP has been reduced to under Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP national president Amit Shah. The BJP today has become an anti-constitutional party” he said.

Allaying fears over the stability of the Congress-JD(S) dispensation, Mr. Rao said, “All our MLAs are intact and nobody is going anywhere. They are all with us together.”

Meanwhile, D.K. Suresh, MP of Bengaluru Rural, asserted that “all is well in the coalition government and it will complete full term. In case the the coalition government falls, the party is ready to face the election again and the party is confident of coming back to power”.

Asked about disgruntled legislators, the MP said a few party MLAs were unhappy for not getting ministerial berths. “But the senior leaders in the party are ready to make the sacrifice to keep the party together, ” he said.

Replying to a question on two Independent legislators withdrawing support to the government, Minister for Environment and Forests Satish Jarkiholi said, “They are like extra players in a cricket team.”

When he was asked about his brother and former Minister Ramesh Jarkiholi’s role in the dissident activities, Mr. Satish Jarkiholi said, “There is no official confirmation about quitting the party from anyone, so let’s not jump to any conclusions until they come out to tell.”

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News Network
March 27,2024

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Gokarna (Uttara Kannada): Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Wednesday said the Congress will decide about making him the Chief Minister in future, bringing to the fore again the issue of leadership change.

There was stiff competition between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar for the Chief Minister's post after the Assembly election results in May last year, and the Congress had managed to convince the latter and made him the Deputy Chief Minister.

There were some reports at the time that a compromise had been reached based on a "rotational Chief Minister formula," according to which Shivakumar will become CM after two-and-half years but they have not been officially confirmed by the party.

During a temple visit here, a priest prayed that God's blessings may be showered on Shivakumar, and he became the Chief Minister.

Speaking to reporters here in Uttara Kannada district, Shivakumar, who has in the past made no secret of his ambition to become Chief Minister, amid speculations of change in guard mid-way of the Assembly term, responded to talk in some political circles about the leadership issue.

"What's wrong if a priest expresses his desire before God while praying? The priest has expressed his desire. Now Siddaramaiah is the Chief Minister, I'm working as Deputy Chief Minister under him, also as party's state President. People speak about it and desiring it (Shivakumar should become CM) is a different matter, it will be decided by our party," Shivakumar said.

"Now we are all working under the leadership of Siddaramaiah, and our desire is that the state should progress further under his leadership," he said.

"There will be people including supporters and priests, who pray for us, they will express their opinion. Can we stop them from doing it? At the temple it is between God and his disciple, they have expressed their feelings to God," Shivakumar added. 

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News Network
March 28,2024

Mangaluru, Mar 28: Dakshina Kannada deputy commissioner Mullai Muhilan MP has warned the individuals and political parties against the poll code violations during private events. 
 
“Private events such as marriages, birthdays, housewarming ceremonies, and other non-political programmes do not require any permission. However, one should ensure that there is no violation of the model code of conduct (MCC) at these functions. Permission is needed if the events are attended by politicians or candidates,” the DC said. 

He said that these gatherings will be under the surveillance of MCC teams, as there are chances of luring voters by campaigning and supplying food, said the DC. The district has 38,386 new voters, of which, 19,619 are men.

He said that the notification of election in Dakshina Kannada Lok Sabha constituency will be issued soon, and the filing of nominations will be held between 11 am and 3 pm till April 4. 

Only five persons, including the candidate, will be allowed to enter the returning officer’s chamber to submit the nominations. A facilitation centre will be opened at the DC’s office. 

The expenditure of the candidate will be counted from the day the candidate files the nomination.

The DC said that the district is not an expenditure-sensitive constituency. Assistant expenditure observers and expenditure observers will monitor the expenditure of the candidates. An expenditure book will be provided to the candidate to record expenditure incurred, he explained.

Further, he said that no election materials can be printed without the name and address of the publishers, and the number of copies printed. Separate permission should be availed for procession prior to the submission of nomination papers from the ARO office, through the single-window system.

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News Network
March 15,2024

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Bengaluru, Mar 15: Work from home to using toilets in malls, residents of India's 'Silicon Valley' Bengaluru are exploring all options to combat the unprecedented water crisis. People across various neighbourhoods have been forced to order food from restaurants and take bath on alternate days due to the water scarcity.

Even those in high-rise apartments equipped with water harvesting systems now find themselves reliant on water tankers for basic needs, leading to stringent usage restrictions.

Eateries are mulling over use of disposable cups, glasses and plates to avoid excess use of water.

Educational institutions are also feeling the pinch. Recently, a coaching centre in the city asked its students to attend classes online due to an 'emergency' for a week. Similarly, a school on Bannerghatta Road was also closed, asking students to attend classes online just like they did during the Covid pandemic.

Residents have come with up new methods to try and conserve water. With temperature rising, it is difficult to avoid a daily shower but they are left with no option but to take bath on alternative days, said Sujatha, a resident of KR Puram.

"What to do? Clean vessels, cook food, wash clothes....so, we have started using paper plates, that way we have cut down on our water usage. And we order food twice a week. We are using the washing machine only once in a week now," she said.

Some others have resorted to visiting a mall to take a shower or use the toilet facilities.

Lakshmi V, an IT professional living in Singasandra, has been requesting her firm to allow WFH option so that she and her family can temporarily shift to her native place in Tiruchirapalli in Tamil Nadu until the situation becomes better.

"If the situation persists, we are thinking of seeking a work from home option. We are planning to move to our native place in Tamil Nadu temporarily till rain arrives here," she said.

Bengaluru primarily gets its water supply from two sources - Cauvery river and groundwater. For most non-drinking uses, recycled water processed by sewage treatment plants is used. With no rain for a while now, the primary sources have been stretched to their limits. Bengaluru needs 2,600-2,800 million litres of water daily, and the current supply is half of what's required. The result is a daily struggle for the city's residents.

The brunt is also being borne by people living in the outskirts of Bengaluru, especially in 110 villages that were merged with the city in 2007.

The crisis has also turned into a political battle between the state's ruling Congress government and the opposition BJP with Lok Sabha just weeks away. While the BJP has held several protests blaming the government, the Congress has accused the BJP-ruled federal government of not providing financial assistance to drought-hit Karnataka.

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