(Left to right) Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, Siddaramaiah, D K Shivakumar and Ashok Gehlot at the public convention in Ballari on Saturday. (Express Photo)
Bengaluru news highlights: The Congress party held a huge public rally in Karnataka’s Ballari district on Saturday. Thousands of people attended the public meeting, organised to mark 1,000 km (620 miles) of the party’s five-month-long protest march named Bharat Jodo Yatra. At the rally, senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said the ideologies of the BJP and RSS are creating violence in the country. “What they are doing is not nationalism but anti-nationalism,” he said. Gandhi said that the common people and youth are squeezed between unemployment and price hike.
Rajasthan Chief Minister, Ashok Gehlot, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Bhagel and Congress presidential candidate Mallikarjun Kharge arrived at Karnataka to attend Bharat Jodo Yatra in Ballari on Saturday. The Congress stepped into 38th day of Bharat Jodo Yatra today. Congress Bharat Jodo Padyatra resumed from Halakundhi Mutt at 6:30 am today.
In other news, newly appointed Karnataka High court Chief justice Prasanna B Varale took oath on Saturday. He was a former judge at the Bombay High court. Chief minister Basavaraj Bommai and Karnataka governor Thawar Chand Gehlot were present at the oath ceremony.
The ban on hijab was enforced through a February 5 order of the Karnataka government, saying that headscarves are not part of uniforms compulsory for educational institutions. The order was invoked under Section 133(2) of the Karnataka Education Act, 1983.
Karnataka police Friday registered a case against a candidate who obtained 63rd rank in the controversial police sub-inspector (PSI) exam held on October 3, 2021, unearthing a fresh cheating case in the exam using Bluetooth devices.
The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) found that Shrimant Satapur – who secured a total of 144 marks out of 200 (16/50 in the essay exam and 127.5/150 in the multiple choice exam) was using his phone for extended periods while writing both the essay and multiple choice exams, officials said.
The police have arrested Satapur, and are likely to name the others involved in the scam in the new case. The candidate is alleged to have taken a Bluetooth device to the exam hall and received remote support in answering questions through an ‘answering team’ of an exam mafia involved in the PSI exam scam, police said. Read more
A 36-year-old woman who was in Ballari to attend the mega Bharat Jodo Yatra rally on Saturday collapsed and died due to cardiac arrest, officials of Ballari's Gandhi Nagar police station said.
The deceased has been identified as Malana B, a resident of Gadag. She was heading to the venue when she sustained the heart attack and was rushed to Vijayanagar Institute of Medical Sciences where doctors declared brought dead, the police added.
The High Court of Karnataka has directed the State government to fix the fare of app-based autorickshaw aggregators within 15 days. Till then, the court allowed the service providers to also collect 10 per cent additional charge above the fare already fixed by the government. The government last fixed the autorickshaw fares on June 11, 2021.
One of the reasons for the government to ban app-based autorickshaw-hailing service was that they were charging surcharge over and above the fare fixed by the government.
Justice MGS Kamal, in his order issued on Friday, allowed the 10 per cent surcharge along with applicable GST and said this would be a only temporary measure till the new fares are fixed. The aggregators had sought at least 20 per cent surcharge, but the Transport Department was not willing to allow more than 10 per cent. (PTI)
Former Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday charged Prime Minister Narendra Modi with inaction on the letter sent to him by a contractors association accusing the BJP government in Karnataka of charging 40 per cent commission on public work.
Addressing a public meeting in Ballari as the Bharat Jodo Yatra completed 1,000 km, Siddaramaiah said the association president Kempanna wrote a letter to Modi a year ago stating that the BJP government has been demanding the commission. “Today which government is called 40 per cent commission government? It's only the BJP government. It's not me who is saying this but the Contractors' Association president Kempanna who wrote a letter to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi that the BJP government in Karnataka has been demanding 40 per cent commission on every project,” Siddaramaiah said.
The Congress recently launched the PayCM campaign with a QR code showing the image of Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai. “It's been one year since Kempanna wrote the letter but Narendra Modi did not take any action. Whenever we raise the issue he says, “Na Khaunga, Na Khane Doonga” (I will not eat and will not allow others to eat.),” the Congress stalwart alleged. (PTI)
Karntaka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said during the ongoing Jan Sankalp Yatra that he will go to Delhi to discuss with BJP National President JP Nadda and other senior leaders regarding the Cabinet expansion.
Talking to reporters at Sambra Airport on Saturday, he said everyone will be informed when the high command gives permission for the cabinet expansion.
Asked about Shiv Sena opposing the construction of Kannada Bhavan at Kaneri Mutt in Kolhapur, the CM said there already are Kannada Bhavans of various associations and organisations in temples and Yatri Nivas. 'State or language barriers must not come' in these issues, he said.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday tried to strike an emotional chord with people of poll-bound Karnataka by recalling his family's association with the State.
He made reference to Ballari from where his mother and Congress president Sonia Gandhi successfully contested the Lok Sabha election in 1999. The leader pointed out that his grandmother and late former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had contested and won from Chikkamagaluru Lok Sabha constituency in 1978.
“We have a long relationship between my family and Ballari. My mother fought her election from here and got elected due to the wholehearted support of the people of Ballari,” Gandhi recalled while addressing a public meeting here as part of his Bharat Jodo Yatra. “My grandmother Indira Gandhi fought from Chikkamagaluru. So, I cannot forget that,” he pointed out.
Gandhi addressed a public meeting at Ballari to celebrate the completion of 1,000 km by walk. (PTI)
More than 2 lakh people participated in Saturday's Bharat Jodo Yatra rally held at Ballari, according to sources in Karnataka Congress.
A Bangalore-bound Akasa Air flight from here returned to the city airport due to a burning smell in the cabin, which later turned out to be due to a bird strike, a DGCA official said on Saturday.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation is looking into the incident, the official said. The number of passengers on board the flight could not be immediately known.
“The aircraft VT-YAE, operating Akasa Air flight AKJ1103 from Mumbai for Bangalore was involved in air turnback due to the burning smell felt in the cabin. The smell increased as the thrust was increased,” said the official. Read more
Spanning across 15.16 acre in Bangalore South, the Uttarahalli Lake falls in the Vrishabhavathi valley lake series. Experts point out that despite being a major lake, the poor water quality is not conducive for the biodiversity in and around the lake.
While 2.14 acre of the lake has been encroached for the government projects, according to officials of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), the survey to determine the type of encroachments is yet to be carried out.
Raghavendra B Pachhapur, Programme manager with ActionAid Association, India, said, “The lake water is full of algal bloom (water colour turns green and is an indicator that Eutrophication has begun). Eutrophication happens when large amounts of nutrients enter the lake waters due to sewage.” Aksheev Thakur writes
A man who allegedly eloped with an 18-year-old girl and converted her to Islam has been arrested in Bengaluru on charges under Karnataka’s new anti-conversion law, police said Saturday.
Two cases, one under the new Karnataka Protection of Right to Freedom of Religion Act 2022 and the other on a kidnapping charge, have been registered against Syed Muheen (22), a resident of north Bengaluru who allegedly eloped with Khushboo Yadav and converted her to Islam to facilitate their marriage. Read more
Rahul Gandhi Saturday attacked the Karnataka government, calling it a '40 percent sarkaar'.
"You can buy anything in Karnataka by paying 40 percent commission," he said, while speaking at the public convention in Ballari district of Karnataka.
He said, "There have been a lot of recruitment scams in Karnataka where jobs are sold. The recent PSI and assistant professor scams have shown that the government sells jobs for money."
During his speech in Karnataka's Ballari district on Saturday, Rahul Gandhi pointed out that before 2004, the current prime minister showed concern over domestic gas price hike and how it "affected mothers and sisters".
"Now the LPG cylinder prices have increased from Rs 400 to Rs 1050. Will he now ask what they are suffering?" Gandhi questioned.
More than 2 lakh people participated in Saturday's Bharat Jodo Yatra rally held at Ballari, according to sources in Karnataka Congress.
Rahul Gandhi Saturday said the ideologies of the BJP and RSS are creating violence in the country.
"What they are doing is not nationalism but anti nationalism," he said, speaking at a public convention in Karnataka's Ballari. He added that the atrocities against SC/ST has increased by 50 percent.
Gandhi said that the common people and youth are squeezed between unemployment and price hike.
The Congress presidential candidate Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday joined Rahul Gandhi and other leaders in the ongoing 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' in the district.
Kharge, who had served as the union minister and as the Congress leader in the Lok Sabha, also took part in the mega public meeting here to celebrate the yatra reaching the 1,000-km milestone. He took part in the march for the first time today in his home state.
The Bharat Jodo Yatra entered Karnataka on September 30 and will make a final exit on October 20 after covering 511 km in 21 days.
Ahead of the Congress 's mega rally in Ballari, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Saturday dubbed the ongoing 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' as another attempt to relaunch a 'failed missile' called Rahul Gandhi.
As a galaxy of Congress leaders from across the country descended on Ballari to celebrate Rahul Gandhi's 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' reaching a milestone, covering 1,000 kms, Bommai said it is meaningless as the country is united and has full faith in federalism. “There is no meaning to this Bharat Jodo Yatra when the country is strong enough. As I have said in the past, the missile called Rahul Gandhi had failed earlier. Now, he is being relaunched. Apart from this, there is no meaning to the Yatra,” Bommai told reporters.
He sought to know the purpose behind the yatra, when the nation is unitedly progressing with faith in federalism. (PTI)
Rahul Gandhi will be addressing in a massive convention held at Ballari during Bharat Jodo Yatra. The programme is expected to begin at 1.30pm. Senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge has reached Karnataka to meet Gandhi and Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot is also attending the convention.
A case has been registered against five activists of the now-banned Popular Front of India (PFI) for their alleged involvement in unlawful activities after the raids conducted in their premises on October 13.
The accused are from Jokatte, Kasba Bengre, Ullal, Kinya and Adyar, police sources said.
The activists were charged under the provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and various sections of the IPC. The accused are being questioned, they said. (PTI)
Rajasthan Chief Minister and Senior Congress Leader, Ashok Gehlot, arrives at Karnataka to attend Bharat Jodo Yatra in Ballari on Saturday. The Congress stepped into 38th day of Bharat Jodo Yatra today.
Express photo
Newly appointed Karnataka High court Chief justice Prasanna B Varale takes oath on Saturday. He was former judge at Bombay High court. Chief minister Basavaraj Bommai and Karnataka governor Thawar Chand Gehlot were present.
Express photo
In a historic moment for the city, Bengaluru witnessed the arrival of Emirates Airbus A380 at Kempegowda International Airport Friday around 3.40 pm. It marked the first commercial flight of the world’s largest passenger aircraft to the south Indian city.
The aircraft was flown by Captain Nikhil Thiagarajan and Sandeep Prabhu, a Bengalurean. Read more
Congress Bharat Jodo Padyatra resumed from Halakundhi Mutt at 6:30 am today. Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge has joined Bharat Jodo Yatra today. A public meeting is scheduled at 1:30 pm at Municipal Ground, Ballari Municipal Grounds.
According to Greenpeace India’s latest report, ‘Bustling Through Bengaluru’ released Friday, a whopping 79 per cent of the respondents are in support of free bus travel, especially for targeted groups like women and students as they are far more dependent on public transport. Mainly women passengers who are solely dependent on public transport (18 per cent), expressed their apprehensions over the increase in the cost of travel after the pandemic. The report was released during the event, ‘Reimagining The Public Bus In Bengaluru’, which saw participation by some of the noted mobility experts in the city. Read more
A group of people have been booked for allegedly brandishing swords during a Durga Daud procession at the Kadiyali Mahishamardini temple in Shivalli village in Karnataka’s Udupi district on October 2. Police have also registered a hate speech case in connection with the event.
In a complaint filed with the Udupi police on Wednesday, a local resident said that 10-15 participants of the Durga Daud procession had created fear among people by brandishing swords. Police said no arrest had been made in the case. Read more
After taking suo moto cognisance of a report in The Indian Express on the issue, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has imposed an environmental compensation of Rs 500 crore on the Karnataka government for its failure in maintaining Chandapura lake in Anekal taluk and taking steps to restore the water body.
The NGT had taken cognisance of a November 21, 2021 report – ‘Lakes of Bengaluru: Industrial effluents, raw sewage; stinky tale of Chandapura lake’ – published in The Indian Express and constituted a seven-member joint committee to look into the facts related to the violation of buffer zone and solid waste management guidelines at Chandapura lake. Read more.
The Karnataka Police have registered a new first information report (FIR) against Shivamurthy Muruga Sharanaru, 64, the head pontiff of the Murugarajendra Mutt in Chitradurga under the Protection of Children against Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act on the basis of a complaint filed by a woman who worked at the Mutt.
According to the complaint, the seer allegedly assaulted the two children of the woman who were staying at a hostel run by the Mutt. The FIR has named seven persons, including the warden of the hostel Rashmi S, 26.
The seer was arrested on September 1 in connection with an FIR filed by the police on the basis of a complaint filed on August 26 by a child protection officer on behalf of two girls who left a hostel run by the mutt in July this year over alleged harassment by the seer and the hostel warden. Read more.
Karnataka School Education Minister B C Nagesh Thursday clarified that the age limit policy of fixing six years as the age for children to get enrolled in class 1 would be enforced only after two academic years, from 2025-26.
Many parents who had enrolled their children in LKG and UKG at an early age had raised concerns about losing a year, in case their child has not turned 6 years when he/she comes to class 1.
“Parents who have already enrolled their kids need not worry about their children not qualifying for the age limit of 6 years. We will allow the kids to be promoted to class 1 for the current academic year, 2023-24 and 2024-25. As per education experts, it was not appropriate to apply academic pressure on students under 6 years. Because the intellectual ability of children aged 5 and 6 has a lot of differences,” said the minister. Read more.
The Congress on Thursday shared a video purportedly showing officials instructing a Dalit family to serve only branded and packaged tea powder instead of ordinary tea to Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and BJP leader B S Yediyurappa, among others.
Bommai, Yediyurappa, along with Tourism Minister Anand Singh, Water Resources Minister Govind Karjol and other BJP leaders had breakfast in a house at Kamalapura in Vijayanagara district on Wednesday. Later, the Chief Minister’s office shared pictures and videos of their breakfast.
Today, Congress came up with a video on the Twitter handle wherein the officials were purportedly giving instructions to the family even before Bommai and his team reached there. Read more.