Flooded KR Circle underpass where 22-year old girl died after her car got stuck on May 21, 2023, Sunday. (Express photos by Jithendra M)Karnataka Cabinet Highlights: A techie died after the car she was travelling in entered a flooded underpass at K R Circle in the heart of Bengaluru Sunday. The deceased has been identified as Bhanurekha, 22, who was employed at Infosys. The accident occurred after heavy rain pounded the city Sunday afternoon. Seven people were in the vehicle, and six were rescued by locals.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah visited the hospital and declared ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh to the kin of the victim.
In other news, PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti addressed media in Bengaluru on Sunday, May 21, and brought the Narendra Modi-led government under ire by saying that the “BJP doesn’t want to have any opposition. Delhi government has been disempowered. This is going to happen to everyone.”
(Express photos by Jithendra M)
A techie died after the car she was travelling in entered a flooded underpass at K R Circle in the heart of Bengaluru Sunday.
The deceased has been identified as Bhanurekha, 22, who was employed at Infosys. The accident occurred after heavy rain pounded the city Sunday afternoon. Seven people were in the vehicle, and six were rescued by locals.
Bhanurekha was rushed to the nearby St Martha’s Hospital, but was declared dead by doctors. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah visited the hospital and declared ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh to the kin of the victim. Read more
A 22-year-old girl, identified as Bhanurekha, died after her car got stuck in a flooded underpass at KR Circle of Bengaluru on Sunday.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah met the family of the deceased.
Further reports awaited
(Express photos by Jithendra M)
Nationalist Congress party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar on Sunday said the challenge before everyone is to fight powers that are deliberately inciting social and communal divide in the country.
The results of the recently held Assembly elections in Karnataka show the situation is gradually changing, Pawar said at an event in Maharashtra's Ahmednagar district.
"Some powers ruling the country are taking it backwards by inciting tensions on caste and religious lines in society. They are using power not for the welfare of people, but to create divisions among them," Pawar alleged. (PTI)
Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Sunday hailed the people of Karnataka for giving a ray of hope to the entire country by defeating a 'fascist, communal and divisive' BJP in the recently-concluded Assembly election.
'Karnataka has given a ray of hope to the entire country. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and everyone in the BJP were using religion in the Karnataka elections but still people voted them out,' she said in a press conference.
According to her, Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra had laid the foundation for Congress' victory in Karnataka Assembly election.
'Last five years were hit by hatred and communal politics. Divisive politics was played here also in Karnataka. Now Siddaramaiah and D K Shivakumar will heal the wounds,' the PDP chief said.
The former J&K CM also declared that she won't fight Assembly elections till Article 370 is restored. "I won't fight Assembly elections till Article 370 is restored in Jammu & Kashmir...I don't see Assembly elections being held in the near future," she said.
She went on and cautioned, "J&K is now open-air prison. All our passports confiscated. If this can happen to a family where I was CM, it can happen to everyone."
PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti addressed media in Bengaluru on Sunday, May 21, and brought the Narendra Modi-led government under ire by saying that the “BJP doesn’t want to have any opposition. Delhi government has been disempowered. This is going to happen to everyone.”
She added, "G20 is an event for the country but BJP has hijacked it, they have even replaced the logo with Lotus, the logo should have been something related to the country, not a party...it is the SAARC that will establish the leadership of our country within this region...why not have a SAARC summit and address our problems?"
People's Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti said Sunday that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Yatra laid foundation to the party's victory in the state, news agency PTI reported. On the Congress not inviting many Opposition parties for the swearing-in, ceremony of Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar, Mehbooba said that the party "must sacrifice more, or else there are other options."
As the Congress government in Karnataka was sworn-in, former party president Sonia Gandhi on Saturday said the people of the state had given a "historic mandate" for a pro-poor regime and rejected the politics of divisiveness.
Sonia Gandhi, who did not attend the swearing-in ceremony, said in a video statement that the mandate given by the people was for a pro-people and pro-poor government.
"From my heart, I wish to thank the people of Karnataka for giving the Congress party such a historic mandate. This mandate is for a pro-people government, this mandate is for a pro-poor government. It is a rejection of the politics of divisiveness and a rejection of corruption," Gandhi said in her video statement tweeted by the Congress.
"I would like to reassure the people of Karnataka that the Congress government which has been sworn in today will stand by its commitment to implement the promises it made to them," she said. Gandhi said she is proud that the first cabinet meeting has already approved the immediate implementation of "our five guarantees". (PTI)
Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav was conspicuous in his absence at the swearing-in ceremony of the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government in Bengaluru on Saturday, where leaders of several parties and CMs of several states converged, turning it into a big showcase for Opposition unity in the run-up to next year’s Lok Sabha elections.
It is being seen as a significant message to the Congress, with regional parties including the SP saying earlier that the Congress should accept their dominance in the states where they are strong. (Read More)
? Newly sworn-in Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday blamed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the state suffering a loss as its legitimate special grant of Rs 5,495 crore mentioned in the interim report of the 15th Finance Commission was not given to it.
? Hours after taking oath as Chief Minister, Siddaramaiah said the previous BJP government too did nothing for the state to recover its due.
? "In the interim report of the 15th Finance Commission, it was recommended that Karnataka should get a special grant of Rs 5,495 crore, which the BJP government in Karnataka did not take up. Was there any government which did more harm to the state?" Siddaramaiah told reporters.
? "Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman removed it from the final report. And she is a Rajya Sabha member from Karnataka. Because of Narendra Modi, Karnataka suffered a loss," he charged.
? "We are entitled legitimately to that interim relief of Rs 5,495 crore, which is not a small amount. It's our loss. The previous BJP government in Karnataka, 25 BJP MPs including Union Minister Pralhad Joshi did not ask the Centre," he alleged. (PTI)
The Dalai Lama on Saturday congratulated Siddaramaiah on becoming the Chief Minister of Karnataka for the second time.
In a letter sent to Siddaramaiah, the Tibetan spiritual leader said, “Last April marked the 64th anniversary of our life in exile. In order to find a suitable place for resettlement of Tibetans fleeing to India at the time, former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru had appealed to the Chief Ministers of different states to provide land." The most generous response came from Karnataka's former Chief Minister S. Nijalingappa, he said.
“Subsequently, as you know, more than 30,000 Tibetans were settled in Karnataka in the 1960s, the largest group of Tibetans in exile. I remain grateful to the state of Karnataka and in August 2018, took part in a special function in Bengaluru to thank the state and its people for their friendship and generous support,” the Dalai Lama said. (PTI)
Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah has issued an order to implement Anna Bhagya Yojana which provides 10 kg of rice per person per month to BPL families free of cost.
Karnataka got its new Chief Minister on Saturday (May 20), as Congress leader Siddaramaiah was administered the oath of office and secrecy by the Governor. Along with the Chief Minister, the Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar and several Cabinet ministers were sworn in. Read our live updates on the ceremony here.
Attended by leaders like Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, Ashok Gehlot, Sharad Pawar, Farooq Abdullah, and MK Stalin, the swearing-in ceremony created a lot of buzz.
But what exactly is a swearing-in ceremony, and what is the oath that newly elected office bearers take? (Click here to read more)
Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah issued an order to implement Gruha Lakshmi scheme after the first meeting of the state Cabinet of the newly-formed government in Karnataka.
The scheme will provide financial assistance of Rs 2,000 a month to every woman head of household in Karnataka. (ANI)
A WEEK after the Congress scored an emphatic victory in Karnataka, Siddaramaiah was sworn in as Chief Minister on Saturday along with D K Shivakumar as Deputy CM and eight ministers. However, the party’s happy picture was frayed a bit as last-minute differences between the CM and Deputy CM-designates derailed the plans to swear in a near full Cabinet.
The initial plan was to induct at least 25 ministers along with Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar (Karnataka can have a 32-33 member ministry). However, sources said the two differed over the inclusion of some names, among them Leader of Opposition in the Karnataka Legislative Council B K Hariprasad, B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan (who finally was inducted), Dinesh Gundu Rao and Krishna Byre Gowda.
(Read More)
Addressing a press briefing after the first Cabinet meeting in Vidhan Soudha, CM Siddaramaiah said, "Five guarantees in the manifesto were promised and the order for the implementation of those five guarantees was given after the first cabinet meeting. All will be in force after the next cabinet meeting which will be called within a week."
Also, hours after swearing-in as Chief Minister, Siddaramaiah lashed out at the previous Bharatiya Janata Party government saying that the government ruling before was useless."Government which was ruling earlier was useless. They couldn't get us the share of taxes properly. The Centre has to give us Rs 5,495 crores as per the finance commission recommendation." (ANI)
he newly elected Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday said that the first Cabinet meeting has issued orders for the implementation of five guarantees which were promised by the party before the elections.
The five 'main' guarantees are 200 units of free power to all households (Gruha Jyoti); Rs 2,000 monthly assistance to the woman head of every family (Gruha Lakshmi); 10 kg of rice free to every member of a BPL household (Anna Bhagya); Rs 3,000 every month for unemployed graduate youth and Rs 1,500 for unemployed diploma holders (both in the age group of 18-25) for two years (Yuva Nidhi) and free travel for women in public transport buses (Uchita Prayana). (ANI)
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday said the Assembly session will be convened for three days from May 22, during which the newly elected MLAs will be administered oath, and a new Speaker will be elected.
"We are calling the Assembly session for three days -- Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, we are requesting the Governor, because the new Assembly has to be constituted before May 24. Senior most MLA R V Deshpande has been requested to be the Protem Speaker, to administer oaths to MLAs," Siddaramaiah said. (PTI)
? Siddaramaiah stated on Saturday after the first cabinet meeting that the 200 units of free power would cost around Rs 1200 crore per month.
? He said the details of the cost for other guarantees would be worked out ahead of the next cabinet to be held next week and a formal decision on the outlay would be made at the next cabinet meeting.
? "I am confident that we can implement the guarantees without pushing the state into a debt trap. To implement these promises we need approx Rs 50000 crore," he said.
Prominent leaders of Opposition political parties converged on Bengaluru for the swearing-in ceremony of Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, as the Congress leadership turned the event into a show of strength.
Apart from Chief Ministers of Congress-ruled states such as Ashok Gehlot (Rajasthan), Bhupesh Baghel (Chhattisgarh) and Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu (Himachal Pradesh), Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, Tamil Nadu CM M K Stalin and Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren were present at the occasion. Other dignitaries included AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, NCP supremo Sharad Pawar, former Jammu and Kashmir CMs Farooq Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti, Bihar Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav, RLD leader Jayant Singh, actor-turned-politician Kamal Haasan, CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury and CPI leader D Raja. The event clearly attempted to showcase a united Opposition, ahead of the Lok Sabha elections next year. (Read More)
Recent days have witnessed discussions about the Congress victory in Karnataka in general and Siddaramaiah’s appointment as chief minister in particular. Some have expressed the hope that the Congress victory and a break in BJP dominance represents a new opening in what was looking like a closed political system.
Would Rahul Gandhi’s consistent attack on crony capitalism and authoritarianism, for instance, usher in a paradigm shift in political narratives? Will Siddaramaiah represent the idea of the subaltern? Is Siddaramaiah crafting his version of socialism or what has been called “Siddu Samajavada” or “Siddu Socialism”? Congress victory under him has significant implications for contemporary Indian politics, and secular and liberal institutions that are functioning in shrinking spaces, are drawing succour from it. (Read More)
The Karnataka Legislative Assembly session will be held on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of next week, says a report from news agency ANI.
Streets in Bengaluru were plastered with colourful banners congratulating Congress leader Siddaramaiah as he was sworn in as the new chief minister of Karnataka on Saturday.
Pictures of a smiling Siddaramaiah on giant hoardings greeted motorists and other passers-by entering the Garden City from the Kempegowda Bangalore International Airport.
Posters were also put up on lamp posts, pillars and even on trees in the inner areas of the city. However, the most eye-catching among them were the giant circular banners attached with tricolour-theme frills around the images of Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar by turns. (PTI)
'I am confident that we can implement the guarantees without pushing the state into a debt trap, ' Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah said in a press conference after the first meeting of the state cabinet.
"To implement these promises we need approx Rs 50000 crore," he said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday congratulated Congress leaders Siddaramaiah and D K Shivakumar, who were sworn in as Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka, respectively. Along with Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar, eight MLAs were sworn in as Ministers.
"Congratulations to Shri @siddaramaiah Ji on taking oath as Karnataka CM and Shri @DKShivakumar Ji on taking oath as Deputy CM. My best wishes for a fruitful tenure," the Prime Minister tweeted.
Besides, former CM Basavaraj Bommai congratulated his successor Siddaramaiah upon taking oath as the new Chief Minister."Heartiest congratulations to Siddaramaiah for assuming the office as the new Chief Minister of Karnataka and his cabinet members," the BJP leader tweeted. (PTI)
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who attended the swearing-in ceremony of the new Karnataka government on Saturday, said that all five promises that the party made during the campaign "will become law" after the first cabinet meeting which will take place in a short while.
"We made 5 promises to you. I had said we don't make false promises. We do what we say. In 1-2 hours, the first cabinet meeting of the Karnataka government will happen and in that meeting these 5 promises will become law." "We will give you a clean, non-corrupt government," he said.
One of the key takeaways from the Karnataka polls is that a slew of social engineering measures undertaken by the BJP government in the state on the eve of the elections yielded little or no results, and even boomeranged on the BJP.
The Basavaraj Bommai government had announced a series of changes in reservation quotas for various communities – these included a 2% hike in reservations for Scheduled Castes (SCs), a 4% hike in reservations for Scheduled Tribes (STs), removal of a 4% quota for OBC Muslims under the OBC category and redistribution of 2% each to the dominant Lingayat and Vokkaliga communities. Johnson TA writes
Assuring that the five guarantees promised by the Congress will be fulfilled, Rahul Gandhi said, "In the first Cabinet meeting of the new K'taka govt in the next 2 hours, all five 'guarantees' will become a law"
Addressing a gathering at the swearing-in ceremony in Karnataka, AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge said, "Whenever he goes to Japan, PM Modi issues a demonetisation order. He is troubling people".
While addressing the swearing-in ceremony in Karnataka, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said that the Siddaramaiah-led government will fulfil the five guarantees that were promised by the party in their manifesto. But, what are the five guarantees?
?? Gruha Lakshmi: The scheme aims to provide two thousand rupees a month to Every Woman head of a house. “We are keeping the money in the hands of women to ensure that they're in control and in charge of their own life,” says the manifesto.
?? Yuva Nidhi: This scheme aims to provide support to the Youth of Karnataka for two years by paying ?3,000 to unemployed graduates and ?1,500 to unemployed diploma holders every month.
?? Anna Bhagya: Under this scheme, 10 kgs of rice will be provided per person per month to BPL families.
?? Gruha Jyoti: This scheme promises to provide 200 units of free electricity for every single household in the state.
?? Saakhi program: This scheme aims to provide free bus tickets for women to travel around in Karnataka.
“The difficulties you faced in the last five years, only you and I know,” said Congress leader Rahul Gandhi while speaking at the swearing-in ceremony of Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah, and his deputy CM DK Shivakumar
“After Congress’s victory, many things were written as to how Congress won this election, different analyses were done but I want to say that Congress won because we stood with the poor, Dalits, and Adivasis, backwards. We had truth, poor people. BJP had money, police and everything but the people of Karnataka defeated all their powers," he added.
Speaking at the swearing-in ceremony of Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi promised that the government will fulfil all the five guarantees that it promised in its manifesto.
"Karnataka suffered under the BJP government for the last five years," said Rahul Gandhi at the Sree Kanteerava stadium in Bengaluru.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said that the party was able to win in Karnataka as they "stood by the truth" and "had the support of the poor".
Speaking after the swearing-in ceremony of Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said, "I would like to thank the people of Karnataka for their mandate".
AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge's son Priyank Kharge was sworn in as a minister in the Karnataka Cabinet. Kharge is a member of the Scheduled Caste Right community.
Scheduled Tribe leader Satish Jarkiholi took his oath as a minister in Bengaluru
Lingayat leader M B Patil took his oath as a minister in the Karnataka government Cabinet.
Former Home Minister of Karnataka K J George took his oath as a Congress minister at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru
Former Union Minister and Congress MLA KH Muniyappa, who is a Scheduled Tribe leader, was sworn-in as a Minister in the newly-formed Karnataka Cabinet.
Former Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka, and former KPCC chief Dr G Parameshwara takes oath as a minister in the Siddaramaiah Cabinet.
KPCC president DK Shivakumar was sworn-in as the next deputy chief minister of Karnataka at the Sree Kanteerava stadium in Bengaluru.
Veteran Congress leader Siddaramaiah was sworn-in as the new Karnataka Chief Minister in several political leaders including Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, Priyanka Gandhi.
Karnataka Governor Thawarchand Gehlot arrived at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru for the swearing-in ceremony of Karnataka CM-designate Siddaramaiah and deputy CM-designate DK Shivakumar
With Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar likely to be sworn-in as the next chief minister and deputy chief minister of Karnataka respectively, here are the political leaders attending the event.
?? Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot
?? Chattisgarh CM Bhupesh Bhagel
?? Himachal Pradesh CM Sukhwinder Sukhu
?? Bihar deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav
?? Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin
?? Kamal Haasan
?? Former J&K CM and National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah
In this video, Karnataka Deputy CM-designate DK Shivakumar is seen sharing a light-hearted moment with Rajasthan CM and Congress leader Ashok Gehlot at the Sree Kanteerava stadium in Bengaluru. The oath-taking ceremony will begin shortly.
Tamil Nadu CM M K Stalin arrived at the Sree Kanteerava stadium in Bengaluru for the swearing-in ceremony of Siddaramaiah, DK Shivakumar.
Tamil actor and Makkal Needhi Maiam chief Kamal Hassan arrived at the Sree Kanteerava stadium in Bengaluru to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Karnataka CM-designate Siddaramaiah, and his deputy DK Shivakumar.
Amid talk of Opposition unity, the Congress has not invited either Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal or his Telangana counterpart K Chandrashekar Rao for the swearing-in of its Karnataka government on Saturday in Bengaluru.
While the party has not reached out to the BSP’s Mayawati, BJD chief and Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik and YSRCP supremo and Andhra Pradesh CM Jagan Mohan Reddy either, that was expected as the three parties have stayed away from any Opposition grouping. Read here