Udupi: Rahul eats in village house, interacts with fisherwomen

coastaldigest.com news network
March 20, 2018

Udupi, Mar 20: All India Congress Committee chairperson Raul Gandhi, who on Tuesday began his coastal Karnataka tour, enjoyed breakfast sitting on the veranda of a small house at a village in Udupi district.

Accompanied by chief minister Siddaramaiah and other party leaders Mr Gandhi visited the house of Kishore Kumar, convener of Kaup unit of Congress Seva Dal and Vice-President of Tenka Yermal Gram Panchayat at Tenka Yermal and had breakfast.

Mr Gandhi also interacted with fishermen and fisherwomen on the occasion.

He also inaugurated the Rajiv Gandhi Political Institute at Tenka Yermal and addressed the State office-bearers of the Cognress Seva Dal.

He addressed a ‘Corner Meeting’ organised by the Kaup Block Congress Committee as part of the Janashirvad Yatra.

Mr. Gandhi said that the Narendra Modi government had no qualms in waiving the loans taken by rich persons. But whenever it was asked to waive the loans of farmers, both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley refused to do so. The demonetisation undertaken by the government had hit the farmers, poor people and traders hard, he said.

Stating that Karnataka was the land of social reformers such as Narayana Guru and Basaveshwara, Mr. Gandhi said that the Congress party wanted an inclusive society. But the BJP, while paying lip service to these social reformers, later went about dividing society, he alleged.

KPCC President G. Parameshwara, Mallikarjuna Kharge, D.K. Shivakumar, M. Veerappa Moily, K.C. Venugopal, and other Congress leaders were present.

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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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News Network
March 13,2024

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Udupi, Mar 13: Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah today said that Congress in coastal region will further strengthen thanks to the entry of former chairman of Commission for Backward Classes Jayaprakash Hegde, and former MLA Sukumar Shetty. 

He was responding to the queries of media persons after his arrival at the helipad in Udupi to take part in district-level convention of scheme beneficiaries.

“Hegde was in Congress and had served as MP. With Hegde returning back, the Congress will get more strength in the coastal districts,” he said.

On Hegde’s candidature for Udupi-Chikmagaluru Lok Sabha constituency, the CM said that the Congress high command will decide on the candidate.

On CAA

Siddaramaiah questioned why it took the Centre more than four years to implement the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and termed the announcement as a political gimmick ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

 “Why were they silent all these years on implementing the CAA. With the fear of losing the upcoming Lok Sabha election, the BJP is engaged in all types of gimmick,” he said.

The Centre on Monday announced the implementation of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019, a move that comes four years after the contentious law was passed. This paves the way for citizenship to undocumented non-Muslim migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.

Siddaramaiah also said his government has not yet discussed the issue of implementation of the CAA in the State, and the Cabinet will take a call on it. “We are yet to read it. We will take a decision after going through it and discuss it in the cabinet tomorrow," CM said.

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News Network
March 7,2024

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Bengaluru: The BJP, which aims to secure significant victories in Karnataka in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, may nominate two of its former Chief Ministers -- Basavaraj Bommai and Jagadish Shettar, both hailing from the dominant Lingayat community, considered the party's core vote-base. Providing indications about this, veteran party leader B S Yediyurappa said discussions have taken place regarding candidates for all 28 Lok Sabha seats in the state, including Bommai and Shettar, with Union Home Minister Amit Shah and the party's national president J P Nadda, but no final decision has been made.

Yediyurappa, a former Chief Minister and a member of the BJP's Parliamentary Board and Central Election Committee, also hinted that the BJP may allocate two to three seats to its alliance partner JD(S) in Karnataka, with the final decision to be made by the party's national leadership, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi. BJP leaders from various states are meeting Shah and Nadda ahead of the party's Central Election Committee, which includes Modi and other senior leaders, holding its second meeting later this week to finalize the party's candidates for the Lok Sabha polls. The party has so far announced candidates for 195 Lok Sabha seats out of the total 543 across the country.

"Yesterday, Amit Shah ji, Nadda ji, and all of us together discussed candidates for all 28 Lok Sabha seats. Who should be given the ticket has not yet been finalized. All of that will be discussed with the Prime Minister, and we might get clarity in two to three days," Yediyurappa told reporters in the national capital. He added, "Everything has been discussed, but who will be given a ticket from where has not yet been finalized. Discussions have happened about Bommai and Jagadish Shettar."

Speculations are rife within the state BJP circles that Bommai, currently an MLA from Shiggaon, may be fielded from Haveri, with the party's sitting MP Shivakumar Udasi announcing retirement from electoral politics after the current term ends. Shettar may be fielded from Belgaum (Belagavi), currently represented by Mangala Angadi, the widow of former Union Minister of State Suresh Angadi. She won by a margin of over 5,000 votes in the 2021 bypolls against the Congress strongman Satish Jarkiholi when the seat fell vacant due to her husband's death.

BJP aims to replace Mangala with a strong candidate to retain the seat, and Shettar’s name is doing the rounds as he also happens to be a relative of the Angadi family and was the poll incharge of this seat during the bypoll. Shettar, who quit the BJP to join the Congress ahead of the state assembly polls last year after being denied the ticket, rejoined his old party in January. Both Bommai and Shettar are from the Lingayat community, which is considered the strong vote-base of the BJP in Karnataka. According to party sources, the community's "slight shift" away from the saffron party in the Assembly polls last year is said to be one of the major reasons for its defeat. Yediyurappa is also a Lingayat.

According to Yediyurappa, there will be another round of discussions with the BJP's central leadership on Thursday at which some decisions may be taken. He also expressed confidence about winning at least 25 seats, and noted that efforts are underway in this direction. Regarding the seats that will be given to JD(S), he said the decision made by Modi and Shah is final. "It is not yet finalized as to which seats will be given to them. Two to three seats may be given to them," he added.

BJP and JD(S) have held discussions on seat sharing, but there is no official announcement yet. As per available information, JD(S) may contest in three seats -- Mandya, Hassan, and Kolar. There may also be a possibility of a JD(S) candidate contesting on the BJP symbol, according to sources, and it is likely to be noted cardiac surgeon and former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda's son-in-law Dr. C N Manjunath from the Bangalore Rural segment, where sitting MP and Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar's brother D K Suresh is likely to be the Congress candidate once again. There is also pressure from party workers on Gowda's son -- former CM and JD(S) state President H D Kumaraswamy -- to contest from the Vokkaliga bastion of Mandya, JD(S) sources added.

The BJP aims to repeat or surpass its 2019 Lok Sabha polls performance, when it swept the state, winning 25 out of the total 28 seats, and ensured the victory of a party-supported independent candidate in Mandya. The Congress and the JD(S), which were running a coalition government back then and fought the election together, each won just one seat. However, the political landscape has changed significantly; the Congress scored a resounding victory in the Assembly elections in May last year and now appears battle-ready, determined to put up a strong show in the Lok Sabha polls. It is also a role reversal of sorts for JD(S), which joined the BJP-led NDA in September last year and aims to prove that it is still a force to be reckoned with, particularly in South Karnataka.

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