South India LIVE Updates: Telangana CM Revanth Reddy challenges BJP to form govt in state following minority quota remarks

Tamil Nadu Minister Thangam Thennarasu on Friday attacked the opposition AIADMK and said that it can only make poll promises, but it is the DMK which implements projects that have been announced in its election manifesto.

Hitting out at AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami, the minister for Finance and Environment Climate change, said even those who were not part of the DMK were criticising the AIADMK for having announced what the ruling government has already implemented in the state.

"There have been widespread comments that the AIADMK has photocopied whatever schemes that the DMK has been executing already in the state. I even heard from those who do not belong to the DMK that AIADMK has announced new schemes (in its election manifesto) that have already been executed by the DMK. They (AIADMK) can only make poll promises. But it is the DMK that will be fulfilling them," he told reporters here.

(PTI)

Karnataka BJP MP Iranna Kadadi on Friday raised the issue of dwindling air connectivity at Belagavi airport in the Rajya Sabha, urging the government to take strict action against airlines that have discontinued services despite high passenger demand.

Raising the matter during Zero Hour in the Upper House, Kadadi pointed out that while Belagavi was supposed to be connected to 13 cities through five airlines under the Udaan-3 scheme, connectivity has now been reduced to just five cities, served by two airlines.

"Airlines only provide services until they get viability gap funding or subsidy from the government. As soon as the subsidy expires, they stop flying," he said.

(PTI)

Former AIADMK Minister D Jayakumar on Friday expressed frustration over his defeat in the 2021 Assembly election and sought to know what wrong he had done to deserve the "punishment".

Addressing a meeting in Royapuram, the Assembly constituency in Chennai, from where he won in 1991, and continuously in the successive Assembly elections held in 2001, 2006, 2011 and 2016, Jayakumar sought to know the reason for his defeat.

He was trounced by a greenhorn 'Idream' R Murthy, fielded by the DMK in the 2021 polls.

Jayakumar, who had served as Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker, asked, "What wrong did I do? You made me win in 1991 and also on four consecutive terms but abandoned me in the 2021 elections."

(PTI)

Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy referred to Union Home Minister Amit Shah's remarks in the past that BJP would end reservations for minorities if voted to power in Telangana, and challenged the saffron party to form government in the state.

Speaking at Consultative Meeting of Jamiat Ulama Telangana here on Thursday, he also said he has requested former Supreme Court judge Justice Sudarshan Reddy to help in preparing the proposed legislation against hate speech.

Reddy referred to BJP president Nitin Nabin addressing a public meeting at Mahabubnagar on Wednesday and the comments of Shah in the past on ending the four per cent minority quota.

"You have seen Wednesday. Somebody came to Mahabubnagar from Delhi. You have seen what he spoke. Amit Shah made a speech that four per cent reservation to Muslims would be removed if they form government in Telangana. I am asking (PM Narendra) Modi and Amit Shah. If you have courage, form government in Telangana," he said.

He indicated that BJP had won impressive number of seats in Telangana due to a vote transfer by the BRS by sacrificing its prospects.

(PTI)

Puducherry Chief Minister N Rangasamy has said that his government was implementing housing subsidy scheme to ensure concrete structures for the poor by replacing huts.

Handing over enhanced monthly pension to elderly people, destitute women and the poorer sections of people at a function in neighbouring Tirukanchi village on Thursday, the chief minister said, "Integrated housing scheme combining the subsidies provided by the territorial government and the Centre's Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana had been brought into force. The intention is to ensure that the poor and the marginalised sections are aided replace the huts with concrete houses".

The Union Territory was poised to emerge as "hut free" by implementing the housing scheme fast, he said.

(PTI)

Police have registered an FIR against eight outsourced staff members working at the Infosys Lab billing counter at the Government run Victoria Hospital, alleging misappropriation of government funds amounting to Rs 23.78 lakh collected from patients for blood tests.

These accused are the Data Entry Operators (DEO), who had allegedly put up their own UPI QR code and diverted money to their account.

The case was registered at the Visvesvarapuram police station on February 3 following a complaint by Dr Deepak S, Superintendent of Victoria Hospital, Bengaluru.

The alleged offence took place at the Infosys Lab counter located within the hospital premises between January 1, 2025 and May 31, 2025, police said.

(PTI)

The Bengaluru metro on Thursday announced an annual automatic fare revision for Namma Metro, which will come into effect from February 9.

The hike is somewhere between four per cent and 10 per cent, ranging from Re 1 to Rs 5 based on the distance.

The Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) said that it is being implemented as per the First Fare Fixation Committee (FFC) constituted under the Metro Railways (Operation & Maintenance) Act, 2002.

The BMRCL, in a release, said the FFC, while recommending the revised fare structure, had observed that "revision of fare after 7.5 years and optimisation of fare zones from 29 to 10 has resulted in an average increase of 51.55 per cent."

To avoid such steep increases in the future, the committee recommended "to revise the fare annually by having a transparent Annual Automatic Fare Revision Formula linked with O&M cost or 5 per cent per annum, whichever is lower by rounding off to the nearest rupee." It added that this mechanism helps with the introduction of a small annual fare revision.

(PTI)