Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa. Express PhotoKarnataka Bengaluru News July 22 Highlights: Amid continued speculation of leadership change in Karnataka, a Lingayat seer, Sri Sangana Basava Swami of Kottur Veerashaiva Shivayoga Mandir, Wednesday alleged “an RSS conspiracy” behind the plans to remove Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa. Speaking to reporters in Hospet, Sri Basava Swami said “RSS is a caste-based organisation” and has no “liberal-minded” leaders.
“We know what happened in Maharashtra. Millions of Maratha youth worked hard and brought the BJP to power. But RSS leaders made Devendra Fadnavis, a Brahmin, the CM of Maharashtra. Then the party lost the sympathy of the Maratha community and was defeated. There are reports that RSS wants to replace Yediyurappa with Pralhad Joshi, the Union minister for mines. But that will not work. If the BJP replaces Yediyurappa, it will have to lose its existence in Karnataka. This will only benefit the Congress or JD(S),” the seer said.
Twitter India is an independent entity as its parent company Twitter Inc does not have a single share in it, Twitter India Managing Director Manish Maheshwari claimed in the Karnataka High Court on Thursday.
The submission was made during the hearing by a single judge bench on a petition by Maheshwari, challenging the notice issued by Uttar Pradesh police, seeking his personal appearance as part of its probe into a communally sensitive video uploaded by a user on the Twitter platform.
The order by Justice G Narendra is expected to be pronounced on Friday. As Justice Narendar sought to know whether the US- headquartered Twitter Inc could be called as a parent company, Maheshwari's counsel C V Nagesh said, "Twitter Inc is a parent company.
We have absolutely nothing to do with that (Twitter Inc). It (Twitter India) is an independent organisation and independent institution."
When the judge asked about the promoters and the shareholding patterns of Twitter India, Nagesh said Twitter India is only an affiliated company of Twitter Inc.
The judge then pointed out that there is no such thing like affiliated company. In normal terms it is called a sister company or associate, depending on the shareholding and memorandum of association.
To this, Nagesh said "Let me go on record that Twitter USA (Inc) does not hold a single share in Twitter India.That's why I am submitting that it's a totally different entity."
P Prasanna Kumar, counsel for Ghaziabad police, said that Twitter Inc will face the "consequences for saying that they do not know who Twitter India is".
(PTI)
Traffic is completely blocked on Shiradi Ghat after a landslide at Marnalli on Shiradi Ghat in Sakleshpur taluk, on Thursday.
Commuters travelling to Bengaluru from Dharmasthala in Dakshina Kannada district have been advised to move their vehicles on Charmadi Ghat road or other alternative routes.
Motorists are advised to avoid Shiradi Ghat road in Hassan district following a landslide near Marnalli.
Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa Thursday acknowledged the work of his cabinet colleagues and staff for completing the two-day SSLC (Class 10) exams held across the state amid fears of the Covid-19 pandemic.
"I appreciate all my cabinet colleagues and staff who worked hard to safely conduct SSLC exams amidst the pandemic. It is heartening that more than 8.5 lakh students appeared for exams with 99.6% attendance. My best wishes to students and their parents," he tweeted.
SSLC exams were held in a special format with students answering two combined papers with multiple-choice questions. While the candidates of the exam answered a paper on core subjects on Monday, they attended the paper on languages on Thursday.
Even as Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa hinted about his possible exit, BJP national general secretary Arun Singh, the party's Karnataka in-charge on Thursday ducked questions on leadership change in the state.
"My Namaskar to you all. We will sit together someday and discuss. We will also sit together and have tea," Singh told reporters in Delhi, who sought his reaction on the matter.
Amid the heightened pitch by a section of dissident MLAs seeking Yediyurappa's removal, Singh had visited the state and consulted party leaders, ministers and MLAs in June. He had later appreciated the work done by Yediyurappa, saying that the Karnataka government was doing a good job under his leadership.
"All our party workers, ministers and legislators are united and there are no differences of any kind," Singh said.
(PTI)
Karnataka Congress leaders on Thursday held a protest outside Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru against the alleged snooping by using Pegasus spyware, created by NSO Group of Israel on their leaders by the Centre government.
Reports claimed that the numbers of various Congress and JD(S) leaders were a part of the leaked database of numbers that have been potential targets of surveillance by the Pegasus spyware in the run-up to the collapse of the Congress-JD(S) alliance government in 2019.
With the onset of monsoon in Karnataka and heavy rain rainfall in the forecast, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has sounded a Red alert in three districts of coastal Karnataka, namely Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, and Uttarara Kannada.
According to the IMD, these districts will be on red alert till Friday morning after which and orange alert will be in place till Saturday. Further, a yellow alert has been sounded in these districts from 8.30 am on July 24 to the same time on July 27.
Meanwhile, thunderstorm accompanied by lightning with light to moderate spells of rain and gusty winds speed reaching 30-40 kmph is in forecast this evening in Bidar, Kalaburagi, Bagalkote, Vijayapura, Belagavi, Dharwad, Haveri, Gadag, Koppal, Yadgir, Raichur, Ballari, and Davangere districts.
Amid weeks of speculation about a change of guard in Karnataka, Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa Thursday hinted at stepping down after July 26.
Yediyurappa, who has so far dug in his heels over the chief ministership, told reporters in Bengaluru, “I will know the next step only after July 25, and will abide by the BJP high command’s decision. I will work to strengthen the party and bring the party back to power in Karnataka.”
The Chief Minister was initially scheduled to attend a legislature party meeting on July 26 and hold a lunch with MLAs on July 25, but the programmes have now been rescheduled.
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A few days after he was admitted to a private hospital in Karnataka’s Mangaluru following a fall at home in which he sustained internal injuries, senior Congress leader and former Union minister Oscar Fernandes is likely to undergo a surgery to remove a blood clot from his brain.
According to a close aide of the 80-year-old, Fernandes continues to be in a ventilator after being admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) on Monday. “However, he has shown slight improvement in hands and legs. A team of experienced doctors is observing his health condition. Senior experts including a neurosurgeon from Manipal will assess the feasibility of performing the surgery at least by Thursday evening,” the source told IndianExpress.com.
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Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa’s son B Y Raghavendra, who is also the Lok Sabha MP from Shivamogga, on Wednesday said all speculations revolving around a possible change in leadership in Karnataka government are “baseless”.
“BSY has built BJP in Karnataka over the years and such reports (of a possible change of guard) are baseless. The party’s senior leadership should see to such statements made by other leaders which would, in turn, harm the party itself,” Raghavendra told reporters.
He also pointed out that Lingayat seers have been expressing their opinions honestly and backing Yediyurappa. “This should not be seen as part of lobbying in favour of any person,” he said.
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Karnataka Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar on Wednesday said the teachers of government and private schools would be vaccinated against COVID-19 so that schools could be re-opened without the children getting the infection from the faculty.
In tweets, Sudhakar said the State government wants early re-opening of schools. 'The corona vaccine will be given on a priority basis to teachers and non-teaching staff of all government, aided and unaided private schools in the State for the early re-opening of schools keeping the future of children in mind,' the Minister said.
The schools were shut this academic year in view of the COVID-19 scare though online classes were on. As health experts have expressed apprehension over children getting infected if and when the third wave of COVID-19 strikes, the government intensified the vaccination of adults to ensure they do not pass on the infection to the young.
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The carcass of a wild elephant was found inside a coffee estate in South Kodagu on Wednesday.
The male elephant, approximately aged 40, is suspected to have died of a heart attack, forest department officials said.
The carcass was found inside the estate in Dhanugala village in Virajpet taluk. It was spotted by the owner alongside other estate labourers.
With the second academic year in a row with no offline classes already underway, the Karnataka government is likely to begin offline classes in a phased manner from August, sources in the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) indicated.
"A report by the expert panel headed by the DPI Commissioner will be submitted first to the Primary and Secondary Education Minister soon. The panel, which comprised health department officials, pediatricians, educationalists, private school managements, and representatives of parents’ associations had recommended that offline classes resume from the first week of August," the source told Indianexpress.com.
Meanwhile, Health and Medical Education Minister K Sudhakar Wednesday said vaccination of teachers across schools, including government, aided and unaided private ones, will be carried out to facilitate them to resume offline classes.
Amid continued speculation of leadership change in Karnataka, a Lingayat seer, Sri Sangana Basava Swami of Kottur Veerashaiva Shivayoga Mandir, Wednesday alleged “an RSS conspiracy” behind the plans to remove Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa.
Speaking to reporters in Hospet, Sri Basava Swami said “RSS is a caste-based organisation” and has no “liberal-minded” leaders.
“We know what happened in Maharashtra. Millions of Maratha youth worked hard and brought the BJP to power. But RSS leaders made Devendra Fadnavis, a Brahmin, the CM of Maharashtra. Then the party lost the sympathy of the Maratha community and was defeated. There are reports that RSS wants to replace Yediyurappa with Pralhad Joshi, the Union minister for mines. But that will not work. If the BJP replaces Yediyurappa, it will have to lose its existence in Karnataka. This will only benefit the Congress or JD(S),” the seer said.
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Prerna Wadikar, a student who hails from Bengaluru, has won the Vice Chancellor’s Social Impact Award at the University of Oxford. The recognition was for her work in making portable energy access more affordable by developing a technological model using a lithium-ion battery.
Speaking to The Indian Express, Wadikar said her experience of working in different sectors before signing up for an MBA in the varsity last year had motivated her to contribute towards lives hit by the Covid-19 crisis. “It was evident that micro-entrepreneurs were hit the most by the Covid-19 crisis as their survival then and chances of swift revival were meagre in times of uncertainty. This led to a thought that a push for making energy accessible in an affordable manner would help several street vendors and hawkers in India and in other parts of the world to accelerate their livelihoods to an extent,” she said.
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Karnataka home minister Basavaraj Bommai said the allegations of phone tapping using Israeli Pegasus software is an international conspiracy.
Responding to recent reports of leaked databases of numbers that have been potential targets of surveillance by the Pegasus spyware in the run-up to the collapse of the Congress-JD(S) alliance government in 2019, Bommai said the reports are created to spread misinformation and controversy to malign the nation.
"It is a conspiracy involving foreign press where these kinds of misinformation campaigns have been done against India. Using digital platforms, they try to destabilise different countries. Now, the eyes are set on India,” he added.
Over 8.1 lakh students from across the state are scheduled to attend their second and final SSLC (Class 10) board exam today. The students will answer the languages paper today, with questions from each section carrying 40 marks each.
According to Karnataka Secondary Education Examination Board (KSEEB) officials, the exam will be held from 10.30 am to 1.30 pm. While 8,19,694 students (including 14,010 repeaters) will attend the first language paper, 8,27,988 students have registered to answer the second language paper, including 22,304 repeaters. As many as 8,17,640 students will answer questions based on their choice of the third language.
The exams had begun amid coronavirus fears on Monday, when 99.6 per cent of the total candidates enrolled for the same attended the exam on core subjects on the first day.
With local civic body the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) observing a rise in dengue cases in the Karnataka capital, it has begun door-to-door survey to detect mosquito breeding sites.
According to BBMP statistics, as many as 32 cases of dengue fever have been reported across eight zones since May 5. This has led to ASHA workers and health assistants being directed to intensify routine surveillance activity. "25 per cent of the houses surveyed so far in Bengaluru had mosquito breeding spots which is a concern. Apart from ensuring effective disposal of solid waste to prevent mosquito breeding, finding and eliminating such sources will help better in mitigating the effect of a possible spread," an official said.
The Bengaluru police arrested two persons Pradeep and Ravi on Wednesday after shooting them in their legs, related to the murder of a history-sheeter who was hacked to death inside a bank in Koramangala on Monday.
The accused allegedly attacked the police who tried to arrest them. Both are recovering at a private hospital, police said.
A rowdy-sheeter Babli Joseph (30) was hacked to death by a gang of eight men inside a bank in front of his wife and daughter at the busy Koramangala area in Bengaluru on Monday afternoon.
The murder took place inside the Union bank in Koramangala 8th block around 1.30 pm.
Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) introduced a package tour from Bengaluru to Jog Falls with non A/C Sleeper service on weekends.
According to KSRTC, the tour includes a visit to Varadahalli, Varadamoola, Ikkeri and Keladivia via Shivamogga and Sagar. The first tour is scheduled for July 23. The tour will only be on Fridays and Saturdays.
The KSRTC said in a release, that the fare for adults is Rs 1,900 each and for children (6 to 12 years) Rs 1,700 each, For details, visit https://www.ksrtc.karnataka.gov.in/
The Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) will hold water adalat on Thursday from 9.30 a.m. to 11 a.m. to address the grievances related to water issues including delay in providing supply and sanitary connections, delay in converting domestic to non-domestic connections, billing and other related issues.
The adalat will be held at the following sub divisions: South Village 2, South East 5; West Village-1, South West 4, East Village 3, East Village 1, North West 5, North East 3, and North 1 sub divisions, according to a BWSSB release.
For any problems regarding the water supply, consumers can contact helpline number 1916 or WhatsApp on 8762228888, BWSSB said.
BJP MP from Bengaluru North and former Union minister D V Sadananda Gowda said there was no chance of leadership change in Karnataka as the BJP central leadership was pleased with the developmental activities and the handling of Covid-19 by BS Yediyurappa in the state.
“I don’t think there is any truth in the ongoing discussion about the leadership change because these decisions are taken by our Central leaders keeping in view the political situation in the states," Gowda said.
“It is my strong gut feeling that there is absolutely no chance of leadership change. These are all speculations,” he added.
Karnataka Congress leaders will hold a hold protest rally from Vidhana Soudha to Rajbhavan on Thursday morning protesting against the alleged phone tapping .
The protest rally will start at 10 am from Vidhana Soudha, the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) said.
Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa, who maintained silence over the past four days as members of his Lingayat community and supporters opposed any move by the BJP central leadership to replace him, issued a statement on Wednesday to reaffirm his loyalty to the BJP and to adhere to the party’s discipline.
“I am privileged to be a loyal worker of the BJP. It is my utmost honour to serve the party with the highest standards of ethics and behaviour. I urge everyone to act in accordance with party ethics and not indulge in protests/indiscipline that is disrespectful and embarrassing for the party,” Yediyurappa said amid speculation he would leave office once the government completes two years on July 26.
Yediyurappa traveled to Delhi over the past weekend and was reportedly told by party leaders and Prime Minister Narendra Modi that he should work towards bringing the BJP to power again – in what is being seen as a sign that the BJP is expecting the 78-year-old veteran to resign of his volition in the coming days.
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While the Union Health Ministry said in Parliament on Tuesday that “no deaths due to lack of oxygen have been specifically reported” by states, a fact-finding team appointed by the Karnataka High Court had reported that 24 Covid-19 patients died at the Chamarajanagar Institute of Medical Sciences, which is also the district hospital, due to shortage of oxygen on May 2-3.
In a memo to the court, the state government indicated that three of the 24 deaths were due to lack of oxygen, while 10 other deaths occurred after supply was restored. But the HC, in an order on July 6, told the state government to pay a compensation of Rs 5 lakh each to all the 13 families, saying that all were due to oxygen shortage.
For the remaining 11 families, the HC has decided to wait for the report of the official inquiry commission.
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Senior BJP leader Subramanian Swamy on Wednesday cautioned the party leadership against removing B S Yediyurappa as the Karnataka Chief Minister as he brought the party to power in the State.
"It was Yeddiyurappa who first brought BJP to power in Karnataka. Some conspired to remove him since he would not be a 'chamcha'. Without him, the party cannot return to power in the State. Only upon his return to the BJP could the party win again. Why repeat the same mistake?," the 81-year-old Rajya Sabha member tweeted.
The Lingayat strongman that Yeddiyurappa is got support from Subramanian Swamy even as many seers of Lingayat Mutts have started rallying behind the Chief Minister amid speculation on his removal from the post.
Talks of change of leadership, which have been on for quite some time, gained momentum after Yediyurappa's visit to Delhi last week. He has since strongly dismissed the talks as baseless. (PTI)
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