BJP top brass upset over state units' 'failure' to go full throttle against DKS

DHNS

August 7, 2017

New Delhi, Aug 7: The BJP top brass is upset with its Karnataka unit after it ‘failed’ to launch an offensive against Energy Minister D K Shivakumar, who is facing an Income Tax probe.

Though the Congress leaders attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party national president Amit Shah over the use of the central agency, which they said was a move to instil fear among Gujarat MLAs camping in Bengaluru ahead of the August 8 Rajya Sabha polls, none of the Karnataka BJP leaders, barring two or three, utilised the I-T raids to take on Shivakumar and build a public perception that the state government was protecting the corrupt.

The party leadership suspects that black sheep among its Karnataka unit thwarted the opportunity to go full throttle against the ‘latest instance of corruption’ involving a powerful minister in the Siddaramaiah government.

Shah, who will be visiting the state for three days from August 12, is likely to discuss a political strategy to expose instances of misgovernance and corruption against the Congress government in the run up to the Assembly polls likely to be held early next year.

At a time when the prime minister has taken a number of steps to check black money and curb corruption, the state leaders’ knee jerk reaction against the I-T raids surprised us, said a senior BJP leader. The leadership is not happy with the state unit’s reluctance or lack of preparedness in fielding top leaders to defend the central government’s action during television channel debates and, instead deputing small-time leaders, added the central leader.

Mere coincidence

Karnataka BJP leaders should have explained that it was mere coincidence that the I-T raids took place at a time when the Gujarat Congress MLAs were housed at a resort on the outskirts of Bengaluru.

The taxmen did not touch any MLAs but went to the resort only looking out for Shivakumar. This demonstrated that there was no malice behind the I-T action, a BJP source stated.

The central leaders have always found perplexing the state BJP units’ reluctance to highlight murky acts of the Siddaramaiah government. Despite the BJP being the principal Opposition party in the state, it is the Janata Dal (S) that has been at the forefront in taking on the Congress regime whether inside the House or outside, the BJP sources said.

Earlier, the BJP central leadership had pulled up the state unit for its failure to take to logical end the Arkavathy Layout land denotification issue. The state government had denotified certain portions of the land acquired for the mega housing project, citing a high court order.

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Post-Sabarimala pilgrimage drinking party turns fatal in Udupi; youth killed in midnight brawl

News Network

December 15,2025

Udupi, Dec 15: What was meant to be a post-pilgrimage gathering turned tragic in Padukere village of Brahmavar taluk, Udupi district, late Sunday night, when a clash among youths escalated into a fatal assault, leaving one man dead.

The victim has been identified as 30-year-old Santosh Mogaveera, a resident of Padukere.

According to preliminary information, the incident took place during a late-night drinking party involving a group of local youths who had recently returned after completing their pilgrimage to the Sabarimala shrine. An argument reportedly broke out among the group and soon escalated into a violent confrontation.

During the ensuing brawl, Santosh Mogaveera was allegedly assaulted and collapsed at the spot after sustaining serious injuries. He was rushed by local residents to a private hospital in Brahmavar, where doctors declared him dead.

On receiving information, senior police officials, including Brahmavar Circle Inspector Gopikrishna, Kota Police Sub-Inspector Praveen Kumar T, Station ASI Manthesh Jabagoudar, and head constables Pradeep and Ashok, visited the spot and conducted an inspection.

Police have taken four youths into custody in connection with the incident. A case has been registered at the Kota police station, and further investigation is underway to ascertain the exact sequence of events leading to the death.

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Elusive bamboo shrimp resurfaces in Mangaluru estuary after 70 years

News Network

December 7,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 7: A rare bamboo shrimp has been rediscovered on mainland India more than 70 years after it was last reported, confirming for the first time the presence of Atyopsis spinipes in the country. The find was made by researchers from the Centre for Climate Change Studies at Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai, during surveys in Karnataka and Odisha.

The team — shrimp expert Dr S Prakash, PhD scholar K Kunjulakshmi, and Mangaluru-based researcher Maclean Antony Santos — combined field surveys, ecological assessments and DNA analysis to identify the elusive species. Their findings, published in Zootaxa, resolve decades of taxonomic confusion stemming from a 1951 report that misidentified the species as Atyopsis moluccensis without strong evidence.

The shrimp has now been confirmed at two locations: the Mulki–Pavanje estuary near Mangaluru and the Kuakhai River in Bhubaneswar. Historical specimens from the Andaman Islands, previously labelled as A. moluccensis, were also found to be misidentified and actually belong to A. spinipes.

The rediscovery began after an aquarium hobbyist in Odisha spotted a shrimp in 2022, prompting systematic surveys across Udupi, Karwar and Mangaluru. Four female specimens were collected in Mulki and one in Odisha, all genetically matching.

Researchers warn the species may exist in very small, vulnerable populations as freshwater habitats face increasing pressure from pollution, sand mining and infrastructure development. All verified specimens have been deposited with the Zoological Survey of India for future reference.

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