Karnataka: Water to be released to Hemavati canal system for 25 days

Mangaluru, Sept 2: Arun Kumar Puthila, a prominent Hindutva figure from coastal Karnataka and a BJP leader, is facing serious allegations of sexual assault and blackmail.

A 47-year-old woman has filed a complaint claiming that Puthila invited her to a Bengaluru hotel in June of the previous year. There, she alleges he threatened to commit suicide and assaulted her sexually against her will. 

The woman further accuses Puthila of making false promises to care for her and her daughter, while using compromising selfies, photographs, and audio and video recordings to blackmail her.

She also reported a decline in Puthila’s communication following the recent Lok Sabha elections.

In response to her allegations, the Women’s Police Station has filed a case under IPC Sections 354(A) (sexual harassment) and 506 (criminal intimidation). Dakshina Kannada SP Yathish N has confirmed that an investigation is currently underway.

It is noteworthy that Puthila, who unsuccessfully ran as an independent candidate against the BJP from the Puttur assembly constituency in the last elections, rejoined the party in March this year. He had previously contested the elections after being denied a BJP ticket, ultimately losing to Puttur MLA Ashok Kumar Rai by a margin of 4,149 votes.

Puthila, who established the Puthila Parivar—later merged with the BJP—has reportedly caused dissatisfaction among some members of both the Parivar and the BJP. 

Mangaluru: Praveen Chandra Alva, the opposition leader in the Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC) council, has strongly criticized the BJP-led administration for its inability to address key civic issues over the past four years. 

Alva highlighted several unaddressed concerns, including increased property taxes, discrepancies in water bills, delayed Smart City projects, unfinished market complexes, and stalled development initiatives like the Jalasiri 24x7 drinking water scheme and housing projects.

Speaking to reporters, Alva condemned Mayor Sudheer Shetty Kannur's leadership, describing his contributions as negligible. Alva further accused the BJP of orchestrating disruptions during the recent council meeting to divert attention from their administrative shortcomings.

"The mayor exhibited a dictatorial attitude by preventing the opposition from speaking during the council meeting. He broke tradition by delivering a speech on his supposed achievements instead of allowing the opposition to use their designated time during zero hour," Alva stated.

He also criticized the mayor for not following the customary practice of inviting opposition leaders and senior corporators to his chamber after the council meeting adjourned.

Alva emphasized the lack of progress on various civic projects under Mayor Shetty’s tenure, pointing out persistent issues such as overflowing underground drains, increased property taxes, and inconsistent water billing. "During the Congress administration, there was no increase in property taxes or water cess. In contrast, the BJP has imposed a heavier financial burden on the people. Despite nearly 5,000 pending applications, not a single house has been allocated to the poor in the past four years," Alva claimed.

When asked about Congress-nominated corporator Kishor Shetty, who was recently booked for throwing stones during a protest against Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot, Alva condemned the act but noted that the police filed an FIR against Shetty even under a Congress-led state government.

Corporator AC Vinayaraj added that Kishor Shetty is an accused in the case and will face consequences if proven guilty, suggesting that the BJP is highlighting this issue to deflect from their own failures. Senior corporator Shashidhar Hegde echoed these sentiments, reminding the public that there was no hike in property taxes or water bills during the Congress tenure in the MCC.

Mangaluru: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has launched a major membership drive in Dakshina Kannada, targeting the enrolment of 3.5 to 4 lakh members in the district.

DK BJP unit president Satish Kumpala, speaking to reporters on Wednesday, announced that over 2.5 lakh citizens had joined the party in 2019. This year, the goal is to add another 1.5 to 2 lakh members.

New members can enrol by calling the toll-free number 8800002024 to receive a registration link, while existing members are encouraged to renew their membership. Citizens aged 18 and above are eligible to join the party.

The drive was officially launched in Mangaluru by former BJP president Nalin Kumar Kateel. Kumpala added that the initiative will cover all 57 Mahashakthi Kendras in the district, with a special focus from September 11 to 17 to coincide with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's birthday celebrations.

The party plans to enrol at least 250 members from each booth, with manual registration options available in rural areas with limited internet access. A district-level workshop will be held later to review the membership enrolments.