Kumaraswamy's explosive allegation: BJP offered bribe of Rs 50 crore to Speaker

Politics

Yeddyurappa has denied the allegation and said that he will retire from politics if the charge is proven.

Theja Ram

Even as BJP legislators in Karnataka disrupted the state Assembly for two days in a row accusing the coalition government of not having majority in the House, Chief Minister Kumaraswamy on Friday pinned the blame on Prime Minister Narendra Modi for attempting to bring down his government. Lashing out at the Prime Minister Modi and BJP leaders in Karnataka, Kumaraswamy accused Modi of "trying to destroy democracy" and alleged that the BJP tried to bribe Karnataka Speaker. In a hurriedly-called press conference at his home office in Bengaluru before presenting the state budget on Friday, Kumaraswamy alleged, “BJP is saying they will give 50 crores to Assembly Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar. Where are you getting the money after demonetisation? Are you giving white money or black money? That too to the Speaker.”  Claiming to expose the real face of the BJP and Prime Minister Modi, Chief Minister Kumaraswamy went on to release an audio file of allegedly the BJP trying to lure a JD(S) MLA through his son. Kumaraswamy alleged that Gurmitkal MLA Nandangouda Kankur's son Sharan Gouda had received calls from Yeddyurappa in the wee hours of Friday, asking the MLA to defect to BJP.   Sharan Gouda, who was also at the press meet, alleged that he went and met with Yeddyurappa in Devadurga at 12.30 am on Friday after informing Kumaraswamy. Alleging that the BJP claimed they had 11 Congress and JD(S) leaders, Sharan Gouda went on to allege, “They said they would give my father district in charge minister post. They asked my father and me to go to Mumbai and also offered Rs 25 crore. They offered me a ticket to contest elections.” However, when Sharan Gouda asked Yeddyurappa why he was doing this, the BJP state chief allegedly replied to him, “Yeddyurappa said, ‘Brother, we have given Rs 50 crore and booked the Speaker. We have judges on our side.’” The audio Voice purported to be that of BJP leader: You speak to Saheb.  Voice purported to be BSY: I can tell you one thing is confirmed. You are important and the plan is to make 15 MLAs resign. And to ensure resignations are accepted, Ramesh Kumar has been offered Rs 50 crore.  Sharangouda: But the Speaker is a Congress leader. So… BSY: Ramesh Kumar is a good friend. I will tell the Governor that it will be against the constitution for the coalition to continue as they don’t have majority. Amit Shah and Modi and... will ensure that the Governor will side with us. Even if the Speaker creates problem, they will take care of it. Kumaraswamy concluded his press conference stating, “I am writing a letter to the Speaker stating that the BJP has brought shame up on the Assembly by claiming to have the Speaker in its pocket. I will ask him to take an inquiry if needed.” Yeddyurappa, however, responded to the allegation in a press conference, stating that the audio is fake and that he would retire from politics if Kumaraswamy could prove it. “I haven't met anyone. This is a drama that they are playing. The coalition govt in Karnataka has lost the trust of the people and have no moral right to continue Kumaraswamy is an expert in voice recording and can produce anything he wants. Whatever he has produced in the press meet today is fake and baseless.” He added, “If the allegations (of bribing Speaker) are true, I will leave politics. I will resign my MLA post. If Chief Minister can prove this, I will resign from MLA post and retire from politics. He's a cinema producer, he's an expert at all this. Let him prove first. Within 24 hours I'll retire from politics, 101%, if he can prove it.”

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JD(S) MLA releases video from hospital bed, says can't attend Budget session

Politics

Rumours were rife that KR Pete MLS Narayana Gowda was miffed and wanted to defect to BJP.

Theja Ram

Amid speculations that JD(S) MLA from KR Pete, KC Narayana Gowda, was joining the BJP, the legislator has now released a video saying he is unwell. On Thursday, several WhatsApp groups were flooded with a video recording of Narayana Gowda's statement that he is suffering from food poisoning and that he will not be able to attend the budget session on Friday. “I have been admitted to the hospital due to food poisoning and the doctors say I will be discharged in a couple of days. I have spoken to Kumaranna (CM HD Kumaraswamy) and the Speaker (Ramesh Kumar). I have told them about my predicament. I have also informed them that I will attend the assembly sessions once I am well,” Narayana Gowda says in the video. JD(S) sources say that Narayana Gowda has been admitted to Jaslok Multi Specialty Hospital and Research Centre in Mumbai as he is suffering from food poisoning.   Rumours were rife that Narayana Gowda had been holding talks with the BJP after his absence was noticed on the first day of the Assembly session on February 6. However, on Thursday, Narayana Gowda's followers held a meeting in KR Pete and decided that they would follow him to the BJP if he decides to quit JD(S). JD(S) insiders told TNM that Narayana Gowda has been miffed after Kumaraswamy allegedly refused to grant him Rs 40 crore funds for the development of his constituency. "Narayana Gowda is a well-known figure in Mandya. He has been feeling sidelined. It is true that the BJP approached him and held talks with him. He has now said he will stay with the JD(S),” the source added. Nine Congress leaders, too, were absent during the session on day one and the BJP began shouting slogans against the Congress-JD(S) coalition alleging that they did not have the numbers to pass the budget. The Congress leaders are holding a legislative party meeting ahead of the Budget presentation to decide whether these legislators must be disqualified as a party whip was issued on February 5.

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Live blog, K’taka Budget: Amid speculation of toppling coalition, CM presents budget

Budget

Like in the previous budget, HD Kumaraswamy has once again promised to fulfil the Rs 46,000 crore farm loan waiver in the second budget as well.

TNM Staff

Amid speculation that the BJP in Karnataka is planning to topple the coalition government, Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy will table the second budget of the JD(S)-Congress coalition government for 2019-20 fiscal on Friday. As in the previous budget, Kumaraswamy has once again promised to fulfil the Rs 46,000 crore farm loan waiver in this budget, too. The current budget is expected to dole out sops to the farmers, just like the interim Budget presented by the Union government. In January, the Chief Minister had held a pre-budget meeting with representatives of various farmers’ organisations. The farmers demanded that the coalition government drop the numerous conditions for the loan waiver scheme and also sought higher compensation for crop damage due to floods and drought. "Without violating Fiscal Responsibility Act, I am clearing it completely with allocation for it. In the next financial year, the money that will be released will clear the Rs 46,000 crore loan waiver commitment made," Kumaraswamy had told the media last week. The farm loan waiver scheme is expected to be implemented in one stroke with adequate budgetary allocation, instead of completing the process in four stages as was planned earlier. In the 2018-19 budget, the government had hiked petrol and diesel prices and also the excise duty. The excise duty is expected to increase in this budget, too. The Budget is also expected to address the issue of several incomplete infrastructure projects in Bengaluru and also the government's programmes to set up industrial zones in two-tier cities to create employment. Last week, Kumaraswamy had met with a Japanese delegation, which has agreed to set up a Japanese Industrial Zone in Tumakuru.  

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In rare case, 8 bonded labourers in B'luru get Rs 9.6L pending wages soon after rescue

Labour

Typically, those rescued from bonded labour have to wait until the conviction of their employers to get the back wages.

Geetika Mantri

Image for representation

In an exceptional case in Bengaluru, nine persons rescued on Tuesday from bonded labour from a borewell unit in Sahakara Nagar did not have to wait for months and years to get the wages they were owed from the owners. Eight of the rescued labourers were paid a cumulative sum of Rs 9,61,560 by the employers through individual cheques. One person had taken a larger advance from the offending employer, and was paid a nominal undisclosed amount in back wages in cash.  The rescue was facilitated by Madhya Pradesh based NGO Jan Sahas, and International Justice Mission (IJM), a global non-governmental organisation focused on human rights, law and law enforcement. IJM India works with the central and state governments to tackle two forms of human trafficking – bonded labour and sex trafficking of minors. Jan Sahas, which is a partner organisation of IJM, found out about the bonded labourers when the relatives of the one of them called up their helpline and intimated them. What makes this case exceptional is that usually those rescued from bonded labour have to wait until the conviction of their employers to get the back wages. And cases can drag on in Indian courts for years. The rescue was also a joint effort between district administration, Madhya Pradesh police and Bengaluru police.  When TNM spoke to Wahid, Communications officer for Jan Sahas, on Thursday afternoon, he and the rescued persons were at the collector's office in Bengaluru getting the Rescue Certificates (RC) for the former labourers. The RC allows those rescued from bonded labour to be eligible for rehabilitation benefits.  The labourers’ condition From the nine labourers, seven are from Madhya Pradesh, and one each is from Chhattisgarh and West Bengal. They had been living and working in inhuman conditions at Ganga Borewells at Sahakara Nagar in Bengaluru for over a year. Unable to understand Kannada and at the mercy of the manager at the workplace, the workers had no way out. “They were promised wages of Rs 10,000 per month. But they were paid almost nothing; only a few hundred rupees now and then for daily expenses. They worked for 15 hours a day from 5 am to 9 pm. They had to just boil some rice near the truck near their workplace and only got a certain quantity, nothing more than that. After work, they would have to sleep inside the truck or under it,” Wahid told TNM. There were times when they were slapped and physically assaulted by the manager as well.  Further, the employer went a step ahead and created fake entries in the accounts of having paid the workers, when in reality they did not get a single penny in wages except a nominal sum for buying toiletries and such things, Wahid added.   How the case came to light While the workers had a basic phone, they were unable to contact local police because they did not understand Kannada, Wahid said. “All of them are from disadvantaged tribal communities. So even if they contacted their relatives back home, the relatives did not know or did not have access to law enforcement or people who could help these people in Karnataka,” he added. Finally, it was a relative of a labourer in Madhya Pradesh who came to know about Jan Sahas’ helpline number, and called them in the second week of January 2019. The next week, Jan Sahas filed an application with the local SP in Madhya Pradesh. Things moved steadily and about three weeks later, the police from the two states, along with Jan Sahas, carried out the rescue. Why remuneration should be accompanied by rehabilitation While it’s commendable that these nine people did not have to wait for too long for get the wages they were due, Shantanu Dutta, director, of Thought Leadership Initiatives at IJM, stated that this must be accompanied by proper rehabilitation including skills and vocational training so that such persons do not end up in a vulnerable situation again. “This is one of the largest sums that we have secured for persons who have been rescued by IJM so far,” Shantanu said. “But giving them money is not enough. They need to be trained in how to use this money well, how to run a small shop or business so that they are able to truly sustain themselves and become financially stable in the long run.” That being said, not long ago, it was difficult for rescued bonded labourers to even get their Rescue Certificates; compensation and overdue wages were a long shot. For instance, as per Ministry of Labour and Employment (MoLE) data, out of the 4122 persons rescued from bondage by seven NGOs across Bihar, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh from May 2016 to May 2018, only 2252 received their RCs under the new Bonded Labour (BL) Rehabilitation Scheme. On January 17, 2017, MoLE announced that the initial rehabilitation, increased to Rs 20,000 from Rs 5,000, would be given to those rescued immediately regardless of conviction proceedings. However, this was not followed. In Karnataka for instance, while 228 RCs were issued since January 17, 2017, 212 of those rescued did not get the sum of Rs 20,000. However, in Kerala and Telangana, all those issued RC after that date were given Rs 20,000 rehabilitation money. Experts say that Karnataka officials are especially is notorious for brushing aside rescued bonded labourers, and sometimes do not even issue RCs. They repatriate the rescued back to their home states so that they do not have to register a case and acknowledge that the state has a trafficking problem. However, Shantanu believes that things are changing, thanks to increased awareness among district officials and workers also asserting their rights more now. 

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4 men seen in video pushing down pillar at Hampi heritage structure arrested

Crime

According to Ballari police, the men had come to Ballari a year ago to take the Railway Recruitment Board exams and decided to visit Hampi after this.

Theja Ram

Over a week after a video of men vandalising a heritage site in Hampi went viral, the police have arrested four men in connection with the case. The arrested men allegedly told the police that they were not aware that the pillars belonged to a heritage site and that the monuments were of importance. The three men have been identified as Rajbabu, a daily-wage worker at Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), RA Raja, an engineering student in Bengaluru and Rajesh Chowdhury, who is also a daily-wage worker. According to the police, the man who filmed the incident, Ayush Shahu, works at a digital marketing firm in Bengaluru. Rajbabu and Rajesh Chowdhury hail from Madhubani district in Bihar while Ayush Shahu is from Madhya Pradesh and Raja is from Bengaluru.  The police told TNM that the men began pushing the pillars out of "extreme excitement". The Archaeological Survey of India had filed a complaint with the Hampi police on February 2 after locals launched protests demanding better vigilance for preserving the heritage structures. According to Ballari SP Arun Rangarajan, the men had come to Ballari one year ago to write the Railway Recruitment Board exams and decided to visit Hampi after writing the paper. “Five men went on that trip last year. Three of them toppled the pillar at Vishnu temple while one friend videotaped the whole incident,” SP Arun Rangarajan said. “The other man was just seeing the sights and was not part of the vandalism incident. He was not aware that the four others were destroying heritage structures,” he added. The Hampi Police tracked down the four men with the help of Bihar Police and detained one man in Hyderabad and three in Bengaluru. The accused allegedly told the police that they were "extremely excited" that they were able to push a pillar, which was so heavy. “They said that they did not know that the ruins were heritage structures and that they did it out of sheer excitement,” the police added. For over a year, the four men allegedly received multiple threats from various groups from Hampi due to the video, which had been doing the rounds. “Some locals had seen the video a year ago and ever since these men left Hampi after the visit, they have been receiving threats. We are yet to verify this,” the police added. Last week, a video had surfaced that showed three men vandalising a pillar at Hampi, at a UNESCO world heritage site. In the video, they are seen pushing an ancient pillar, causing it to topple and fall to the ground. After the video went viral, people started blaming the ASI for not taking better care of India's heritage sites. ASI, meanwhile, claimed that the video was not a recent one and a year old. ASI officials also filed a complaint with the Hampi Police last Saturday, urging them to take quick action. Contrary to the ASI’s claims, however, the residents in the area said that the video cannot be a year old because they had seen the pillar erect only a couple of days ago. At the time, the Vijayanagara Smaraka Samskrithi Samrakshana Sene (VSSS) convener Vishwanath Malagi had told TNM, "No one cares about the monuments here. Two to three years ago, someone damaged pillars at Achyutha Raya Bazaar. The ASI does not care about these structures either. In fact, ASI is responsible for damaging the pillars at the Virupaksha Bazaar.”

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Bellandur lake fine: SC dismisses Karnataka government’s plea to reverse NGT order

Environment

The NGT had earlier directed the state to deposit Rs 500 crore and also levied a fine of Rs 75 crore for “environmental degradation of lakes”.

TNM Staff

In the latest turn of events regarding the fine imposed by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on the Karnataka government and Bengaluru Bruhat Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) for not cleaning Bellandur lake, the Supreme Court (SC) has rejected the state’s plea of reversing the NGT order. On Thursday, the SC dismissed the Karnataka state government’s demands to not pay the fine which had earlier been imposed by the NGT. In its final order dated December 6, the NGT had directed the state to deposit a total of Rs 500 crore in an escrow account. It had also levied a penalty of Rs 75 crore on the Government of Karnataka and the BBMP for “environmental degradation of lakes.” A fire which occurred in Bellandur Lake in February 2017 led to the NGT taking suo motu cognisance of the issue. “The NGT has repeatedly reprimanded the Government of Karnataka and parastatal agencies for failing to protect the lake and its failure to discharge its duties to society. It has even stated that their sheer colossal neglect has caused immense harm to innumerable citizens and the brunt of which will be borne by several generations,” stated the press release issued by Namma Bengaluru Foundation (NBF), an organisation which intervened in the issue recognising the environmental impact. Expressing satisfaction at the SC’s decision, NBF Director, Suresh NR said, “SC decision to dismiss the review petition by State Government of Karnataka is reassuring and is another victory for Namma Bengaluru, its lakes and water bodies. NGT had rightly ordered the state government to deposit Rs. 500 Cr in an escrow account and levied Rs 75 Cr penalty for degradation of Bellandur lake. We urge the government to immediately implement the order in word and spirit.” The NGT had earlier stated that the state government was neglecting lakes in the city and was not making proper efforts to protect them. It further asked the government to control pollution and added that water pollution was a criminal offence.

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Supreme Court extends hold on Louisiana abortion law

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