Karnataka, Bengaluru Live: Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai participated in the mid-night flag hoisting on Independence Day. (Photo credit: CM Bommai/ Twitter screen grab)Bengaluru, Karnataka Highlights: Karnataka Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister J C Madhuswamy’s purported remarks that the “government is not functioning, we are somehow managing”, has drawn criticism from some of his cabinet colleagues, with Horticulture Minister Munirathna even advising him to quit the Ministry. This came after a purported phone conversation between Madhuswamy and Bhaskar, a Channapatna-based social worker, went viral on Saturday.
Meanwhile, multinational pizza restaurant chain Domino’s came in for sharp criticism after a Twitter user posted a picture purportedly showing a mop and a toilet brush hanging above the pizza dough almost touching it. As the photo went viral, Domino’s issued a statement saying that it is an isolated incident and “strictest action” has been taken against the restaurant in question.
In other news, the Indian flag was hoisted for the first time at the controversial Idgah Maidan in Bengaluru by revenue department officials Monday morning amid tight security as part of the celebration of 75 years of Independence. The Idgah Maidan at Chamarajpet has been embroiled in a controversy on account of competing claims for its ownership between the Wakf Board and civic authorities.
Hockey coach Shanmugham P, (second from right), with Jude Felix (second from left) during a visit to JFHA by Dutch coaches from the Bovelander Hockey Academy. (Express/sourced)
Rajendra M (centre) played for the Racing Club France in 2019 in the European Hockey League. (Express/sourced)
Terming Basavaraj Bommai the "most incompetent Chief Minister" in the entire country, Congress national General Secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala on Tuesday said his party has taken a resolve not to back down, until and unless it is able to throw out the BJP government in Karnataka, with the blessings of the people.
The AICC in-charge of Karnataka along with the party's state leadership, held a key meeting to discuss the current political situation and strategy in the run-up to the 2023 Assembly polls.
According to party sources, they are said to have discussed the strategy to be adopted during the next six months and issue-based campaigns to be held across the state, leading up to the polls. (PTI)
Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Tuesday sought to downplay comments attributed to a senior minister in the state – that the BJP government was non-functional and merely managing things – by claiming that the said comments were made in a specific context to the cooperative sector and that everything else was alright in the government.
“He has said it in a different context. I have spoken to him. There is no need to misunderstand. Three months ago, he made the comments with respect to something in the co-operative department. The remark was restricted to this alone and everything else is alright,” Bommai told reporters on Tuesday. Read more
A single-judge Bench of the High Court of Karnataka on Tuesday said there are strong hints of private interests in a bunch of public interest litigations (PILs) that came up for hearing regarding the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) elections.
The court said it cannot stop the process of elections to the BBMP, and if there were any problems in the wards delimitation, they could be rectified by the time of the next elections.
The petitioners sought an interim order that the High Court rejected. The number of wards in the civic body has been increased from the existing 198 to 243. The government has also issued the ward reservation list on August 4. (PTI)
While dismissing a petition filed by social activist Gireesh Achar on the issue of non-mutation of forest land in Shivamogga on March 15, the Karnataka High Court asked deputy commissioner of Shivamogga Dr Selvamani to expedite the mutation of 1,08,747.35 hectare land notified as forest land.
Since not even an inch of the land has been mutated, the petitioner through his lawyer had sent a reminder to the forest department, regional office of the Union environment ministry and the revenue department. The lawyer said if the directions issued by the court are not complied within a month, he will file a notice of contempt of petition. Read more
Accusing "some Muslim goondas" for communal tension in Shivamogga, Senior BJP leader K S Eshwarappa on Tuesday warned them stating that Hindu society should not be considered weak and if the whole community stands up together they will not be able to survive.
Complementing police for swift action, he urged the elders of the Muslim community to guide their youngsters, who have chosen the wrong path.
"Government is making all attempts to maintain peace, I'm not saying all Hindus and Muslims are involved in such things. Hindu society is strong, it is not weak. If Hindu society really stands up, Muslim goondas will not survive, but Hindus don't want to take law into hands and wants government to take action," Eshwarappa said. (PTI)
State Bank of India's (SBI) Chairman Dinesh Khara on Tuesday said that things might get "better" on the inflation front towards the end of September. He said the supply side constraints getting addressed and crude oil prices trending low will help ease the situation.
"Inflation...the recent numbers which came out was 6.7. Going forward the way things are - the supply side constraints which are there are getting addressed, so the situation should be improving going forward," he said in response to a question.
Speaking to reporters here, he said one of the important factors of inflation is crude oil prices, and with them also trending lower, it will also support the inflation to be further tapered down. (PTI)
Karnataka chief minister Basavaraj Bommai Sunday launched 75 electric buses of the Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC). The buses started operating from Monday. Know more...
In July 2021, when the BJP began an exercise to find a suitable candidate to replace Lingayat strongman B S Yediyurappa from the post of Karnataka chief minister, one of the candidates who was high on the list of contenders was a no-nonsense minister in the government — J C Madhuswamy.
Madhuswamy, now the minister for Law, Parliamentary Affairs, and Minor Irrigation in the state government, is at the centre of a political row in the state, with an audio clip going viral of his purported conversation with a social worker in which read more...
A Twitter user shared an interesting experience from Bengaluru on Monday. Parag Jain shared how he had a mixed ‘Peak Bengaluru’ moment as a Rapido rider came to pick him up at his office WeWork, a provider of coworking spaces. Read his experience here
With a Karnataka Minister's alleged remarks that the "government is not functioning, we are somehow managing", causing an embarrassment to his administration, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Tuesday tried to do damage control by stating that the comments were made in a "different context".
He also said that he will talk to other Ministers, who are upset about the remarks made by the Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister J C Madhuswamy, and have openly expressed their displeasure against him.
Madhuswamy's comments have drawn criticism from some Ministers, with Horticulture Minister Munirathna even advising him to quit the Ministry.
"He (Madhuswamy) had said in a different context. I will talk to him. The context was different, so there is no need to take it in a wrong sense. He had spoken specifically with respect to some cooperative related issue. Things are fine, there is no problem," Bommai told reporters here. (PTI)
Omicron sub-lineages BA1.1.529, BA.2, BA.3, BA.4, BA.5 continue to be the dominant Covid-19 strains in Karnataka, according to data shared by the department of health and family
Out of 1,300 samples genome sequenced in July, 1,279 were found to be infected with Omicron sub-lineages. Though ETA/Kappa/Pango were found in 26 samples, they constituted only 2 per cent of the total samples sequenced.
BA.2 is the most dominant sub-lineage, found to be present in 618 samples (48.50 per cent). While BA1.1.529 sub-lineage was found in 351 samples (27.55 per cent), BA.5, which was present in 112 samples till June, was found to be present in 279 samples in July and thereby constituting 21.89 per cent of the total samples sequenced. (Read More)
The Shivamogga police in Karnataka have arrested three men in connection with a case registered over alleged attempts to remove a banner with an image of V D Savarkar from the Ameer Ahmed Circle in the city Monday evening.
The arrested have been identified as Nadeem, Jabiullah, and Abdul Rehman, said the police. The police fired a shot at the right leg of Jabiullah after he resisted the arrest, a senior police official claimed.
The issue of the removal of the Savarkar banner resulted in tension in the city and a 25-year-old youth Prem Singh was stabbed by unidentified people while he was shutting his shop in the Upparkeri area. (Read More)
Karnataka government will be releasing 81 convicted prisoners who have served more than 50 per cent of their tenure in the prisons.
Five people, including four of a family from Hyderabad were killed and four others injured when the car they were travelling in crashed into a truck which was moving in the same direction on Mumbai-Hyderabad highway, police said on Tuesday.
The family was returning from the famous Dattatreya temple in Kalaburagi district when the incident occurred, on Monday evening, they said.
Bodies have been shifted to Hyderabad. (PTI)
Karnataka Police’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID) is probing the financial transactions of a senior IPS officer, arrested in connection with the police recruitment scam in the state, with a real estate businessman and a financier to find the trail of the Rs 1.36 crore bribe he allegedly received.
Paul was arrested on July 4 for allegedly facilitating the scam in a police sub-inspectors (PSI) recruitment exam conducted in October 2021. The IPS officer was the head of the Karnataka Police Recruitment Cell between 2019 and 2021 when the alleged scam took place. The CID has alleged Paul was party to the recruitment scam.
The senior officer is alleged to have received Rs 1.36 crore that was collected by deputy superintendent of police Shanthakumar, working at the recruitment cell, as part of bribes to facilitate the selection of candidates following the recruitment exam. (Read More)
A controversy has erupted in Karnataka following the emergence of an audio recording linked to Law Minister J C Madhuswamy, who allegedly said the government in the state is not functioning and that the BJP is just managing things until the 2023 Assembly polls.
The purported conversation between Madhuswamy and a social worker, Bhaskar from Channapatna, also indicates differences between senior ministers in running the affairs of the government. The audio clip was posted on social media by the Karnataka unit of the Congress party.
Minister of cooperation S T Somashekhar, who is accused of not working in the interest of farmers during the alleged conversation, told reporters in Mysuru Monday it was wrong of the law minister to talk about his department. (Read More)
he Karnataka police have caught an inmate of a mental health centre here, who had escaped from the hospital on August 14 midnight, sources said.
The escaped inmate was apprehended by Karnataka police on Monday and a team of Kerala police personnel is expected to bring him back to the institution by noon, they said.
The inmate -- 23-year old Vineesh -- is an accused in a murder case and his escape was discovered only on Monday morning, they said. Vineesh had stabbed and killed Perinthalmanna native Drisya (21) allegedly for rejecting his marriage proposal in June 2021. (PTI)
Multinational pizza restaurant chain Domino’s came in for sharp criticism after a Twitter user posted a picture purportedly showing a mop and a toilet brush hanging above the pizza dough almost touching it.
A Twitter user by the name of Sahil Karnany, who said he was an IT graduate, posted the photograph and video and wrote, “This is how @dominos_india serves us fresh Pizza! Very disgusted. Location: Bangalore.”
He claimed that the outlet in question was on Hosa Road in the city. (Read more)
The 76th Indian Independence Day celebration was also a joyous moment for the city bus commuters as the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation made the travel free for a day. Going by the Karnataka government's decision, the BMTC offered a free ride to the commuters to travel in any part of the city.
Chaitra, a student chose the bus as she was able to save at least Rs 70, which she spends daily on the metro train from Yelachenahalli to Vidhana Soudha. The student said she wanted to enjoy the free ride given to the people of the city to mark Independence day.
According to a BMTC official, every day 16 lakh to 27 lakh people travel in the BMTC bus. "Since it was a holiday, free ride was offered. We believe about 27 lakh people used it," the officer told PTI on condition of anonymity. (PTI)
The Idgah Maidan at Chamarajpet has been embroiled in a controversy on account of competing claims for its ownership between the Wakf Board and civic authorities. The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) declared the ground to be a property of the state revenue department on August 3 and said that any decision on its usage will be decided by the revenue department amid threats by right-wing activists to hoist the national flag on the occasion of Independence Day. Know More
Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Monday said his government has decided to launch new schemes on sanitation, nutrition, and for the well-being of farmers, labourers and the brave soldiers of the state on the 75th anniversary of India's independence.
He also said that the state government wants to empower Karnataka to make a contribution of at least USD 1 trillion to realise Prime Minister Narendra Modi's dream of transforming India into a USD 5 trillion economy.
In his address at the 76th Independence Day event at the Manekshaw Parade Ground here, he said a loan-cum-subsidy scheme up to Rs 50,000 will be launched to support potters, blacksmiths, carpenters, sculptors, Bhajantri, basket weavers, Vishwakarmas, Madars and other artisans.(PTI)
The police in Karnataka have arrested three activists of a right-wing group in Bengaluru and a Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) worker in Shivamogga over controversies linked to the images of freedom fighters put on display to celebrate the 75th Independence Day, said officials Monday.
The complaint was filed by Congress worker B Manjunath. He has alleged unidentified people tore down the flex banners put up by the Congress party to mark the 75th Independence Day. The banners had images of Tipu Sultan and the national flag, he alleged. Read More.
Bengaluru Division of South Western Railway today celebrated 76th Independence Day at Railway Institute Grounds, Bengaluru.
Chief Guest, B Shyam Singh, Divisional Railway Manager unfurled the tricolour and took a salute from RPF platoons, scouts and guides.
In a symbolic tribute to daily wage workers, Bommannahalli constituency MLA and BJP leader Satish Reddy and former deputy mayor of Bengaluru Mohan Raju have tied the tricolours to 50 tractors and 50 bulldozers. They said, "Although bulldozers these days have a different connotation, our effort is to recognize the efforts of tractor and bulldozer drivers who have volunteered in numbers on the occasion of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav."
Students of Government Higher Primary school in Puttenahalli wear the attires of various freedom fighters including Mahatma Gandhi, Kittur Rani Chennamma, Netaji Subash Chandra Bose among others, as part of the fashion show event to mark the 75 years of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav.
After drawing flak from the Opposition Congress for omitting the name of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru from a list of freedom fighters in publicity material to mark the 75th anniversary of Independence Day, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Monday mentioned the former prime minister as a key contributor to the freedom struggle in his Independence Day speech.
“A large number of freedom fighters laid down their lives to liberate India from the British administration. The contributions and sacrifices of Mahatma Gandhi, Subhas Chandra Bose, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Bhagat Singh Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Jawaharlal Nehru and many others are historic,” Bommai said. Read More.
(PTI Photos)
Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai announced that the state government will provide 100 per cent toilet coverage to government schools and colleges in an attempt to create a clean and hygienic environment.
He also said, 4050 new Anganwadis will be formed creating job opportunities for 8100 women.
A Mangaluru-Mumbai flight was delayed by six hours after a woman passenger raised an alarm about a suspicious text message received on the mobile phone of a fellow traveller here.
All the passengers were asked to alight from the aircraft and their luggage was thoroughly checked for any sabotage before the IndiGo flight was allowed to leave for Mumbai on Sunday evening, police said. A woman passenger noticed a message on the mobile phone of a man onboard the flight and brought this to the notice of the cabin crew.
The man was chatting with his girlfriend who was to catch a flight to Bengaluru from the same airport. The man was later not allowed to board the flight. All the 185 passengers were later reboarded on the Mumbai-bound flight after thorough checking of the baggage and the aeroplane left at 5 pm. (PTI)
In what is touted be a historic moment, residents of Chamarajpete Monday, were witnesses to the hoisting of the Indian flag at the communally sensitive Idgah Maidan ground as part of the 75 years of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav for the first time.
The tricolour was hoisted at 8 am by the assistant commissioner of Bangalore Urban, Dr MG Shivanna, along with Chamarajpete MLA Zameer Ahmad Khan, member of Lok Sabha from Bengaluru Central constituency, PC Mohan, additional commissioner of police Bangalore west, Sandeep Patil and DCP West, Laxman Nimbargi.
Following the event, members of Chamarajapete Nagarikara Okkuta Vedike announced that they will now be seeking permission from the revenue department to celebrate festivals like Rama Navami, Shivaratri, Ganesha Chaturti, Deepavali at the Idgah Maidan ground.
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On behalf of Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMA), administrator Rakesh Singh and Chief Commissioner Tushar Giri Nath today, hoisted the tricolour on the BBMP premises and paid floral tributes to Mahatma Gandhi as part of Independence Day celebrations.
The ruling BJP in Karnataka and the opposition Congress party today will conduct two mega rallies in Bengaluru city.
The ruling BJP will take out rallies from each of the 28 assembly constituencies in Bengaluru at 9 am and converge at the Kanteeerva Stadium.
The Congress will march from the Krantiveera Sangolli Rayanna Railway Station (the Bengaluru City railway station) at 2 pm and will walk to the National College ground in South Bengaluru. Read More.
National Congress Youth President Srinivas Bhadravathi Venkata participated in the Independence Day celebration by singing the national anthem at MG Road, Bangaluru.
Srinivas Bhadravathi Venkata is from the Shimoga district of Karnataka.
In celebration of Independence Day, the Kudroli temple in Mangaluru, the abode of Lord Shiva decorated its premise with the national flag made of grains and pulses.
On the midnight of India's Independence Day, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavraj Bommai inaugurated and viewed The 'Exhibition of Tragic Incidents of Partition' at the state BJP office Jagannath Bhavan as part of the terrible partition commemoration day.
(Photo credit: CM Bommai/Twitter screen grab)
The mid-night flag hoisting was held as a part of celebrating Independence Amrit Mahotsav at Malleswaram Barangay in Bangalore. Aside from the CM, the Minister of Education, Dr. Ashwathnarayan C. N was among the high-ranking ministers present at the event.
(Photo credit: CM Bommai/ Twitter screen grab)
An 83-year-old woman who lived alone in the HSR Layout in south-east Bengaluru was found smothered to death at her home Saturday.
The body of the woman was discovered by her tenant, who went to check on her after she did not come out of her room on Saturday morning, sources said. Read more here.
A video blaming the Congress and Indian Communists for Partition and Jawaharlal Nehru’s photo missing from a Karnataka government advertisement on Sunday triggered sharp responses from the grand old party, which accused the ruling party of disrespecting those who lost their lives during Partition and nursing “unending hatred” for India’s first prime minister.
Sharing the video on its Twitter account on the second Partition Horrors Remembrance Day, the BJP wrote read more
A 24-year-old woman was hacked to death by her estranged husband after the couple attended a mediation meeting at a local court in the Hassan district of Karnataka on Saturday, said the police Sunday.
Shivakumar, 32, who works as a driver in Bengaluru, killed Chaitra within the court premises shortly after they agreed to continue efforts for a settlement of their issues after filing for divorce. Read more...
Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Sunday flagged off 75 "Switch EiV 12 buses" to cater to the needs of the people in Bengaluru. (PTI)
Taking strong exception to the non-inclusion of former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in the list of freedom fighters in the government advertisement published in newspapers on Sunday, the Congress attacked the BJP government in Karnataka, with its leader Siddaramaiah calling Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai a "RSS slave". (PTI)
Following rows of a Tipu Sultan poster put up by Karnataka Congress that was vandalised by miscreants, State Congress Chief DK Shivakumar said, "Someone is trying to create disturbance in the state. They are not able to digest Congress' Freedom March", ANI reported.
A poster featuring Tipu Sultan put up by Karnataka Cong ahead of I-Day at Hudson Circle was vandalised by miscreants last night, reported ANI.
Posters with pictures of different freedom fighters have been put up by the party to commemorate the Freedom Fighters and in preparation for the Freedom March. State Cong Chief DK Shivakumar visited the incident spot yesterday.
Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai took part in 'Azadi ke Amrit Mahotsav' celebrations for 75 years of Independence, in Bengaluru on Saturday. (PTI photo)
Bengaluru netizens hoisted the national flag at their homes as part of 'Har Ghar Tiranga' campaign under 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav' celebrations to commemorate 75 years of Indian independence, in Chikmagalur on Saturday. (PTI photo)
Students took part in 'Azadi ke Amrit Mahotsav' celebrations for 75 years of Independence, in Bengaluru on Saturday. (PTI photo)
Nirmala Sitharaman, Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs and Karnataka BJP leaders and workers participated in the Har Ghar Tiranga bike rally in Shantinagar, in Bengaluru Saturday 13th August 2022.
In Jayanagar, she distributed the national flag and interacted with the people.
Express Photos by Jithendra M.
Karnataka Congress President, DK Shivkumar rejoiced on Twitter over having more than 90,000 registrations for Freedom March.
In an attempt to commemorate India's Freedom Fighters, the state Congress party has arranged several activities in KR Circle, National College Ground and other areas of Bangalore.
Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said in Pune on Saturday that patriotism was the only way to keep India united, adding that crores of houses in India have hoisted the Tricolour on a clarion call given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Bommai launched the ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ campaign at the Amanora Township in Hadapsar area in Pune on Saturday in the presence of Aniruddha Deshpande, managing director, City Corporation Limited (CCL), C T Ravi, member of Karnataka Legislative Assembly, Aditya Deshpande and Vivek Kulkarni from CCL. Read More.
Rejuvenated in 2017 after citizens took up the initiative, the 55-acre Kowdenahalli lake in Bengaluru’s K R Puram is once again in a deplorable state. While the residents say that western portion of the lake needs attention, civic body Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) maintains they do not have funds to carry out the repair works.
Last year, BBMP had proposed to set up CCTV cameras at 11 different lakes, one of them was Kowdenahalli lake but the same is yet to be done.
C Narayanappa, president of the K R Puram Lake and Environment Protection Trust, said the trust in 2017 received a grant of Rs 1.2 crore under the local MLA’s (Byrathi Basavaraj, presently urban development minister) fund for developmental works. The funds were utilised to put up LED lights, toilets and benches. Read More.
Vidhana Soudha is lit up with tricolours as part of the 75th Independence Day celebrations, in Bengaluru on Saturday 13th August. Express Photo by Jithendra M.
Tipu palace at Chamarajapet is lit up with tricolours as part of the 75th Independence Day celebrations, in Bengaluru on Saturday 13th August. Express Photo Jithendra M.
‘Diligent’, ‘prompt’ and ‘big moustache’ – these are what people think of when they recall head constable Marichikaiah Thimmaiah, fondly known as ‘Meese (moustache) Thimmaiah’.
Those who have passed the General Post Office (GPO) traffic signal at Ambedkar Veedhi road in Bengaluru can hardly be oblivious to Thimmaiah’s statue installed near the signal. Ask traffic police officers nearby about him and you will be sure to hear tales of respect and discipline.
Installed in 2019 by the Bengaluru city police in collaboration with Fortis Hospital to pay tribute to Thimmaiah, the bust of the celebrated traffic cop, along with his trademark bushy imperial moustache, symbolises sacrifice and valour, according to officers. Read More.
Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai Saturday felicitated the family members who donated organs of their deceased loved ones at an event held at Vidhana Soudha on the occasion of World Organ Donation Day.
On the occasion, Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar said the government is planning to launch an air ambulance facility to hasten the process of donation, harvest, transportation, and transplant of organs. Read more.