Former Union Minister and 4-time Mangaluru MP V Dhananjay Kumar passes away

Obituary

V Dhananjay Kumar served as Union Minister and held multiple portfolios. He was 67.

TNM Staff

Former Union Minister and Congress leader V Dhananjay Kumar passed away in Mangaluru on Monday due to multi-organ failure. V Dhananjay Kumar was admitted to the BGS Hospital in July 2018 as he was suffering from a kidney-related ailment. By December 2018, he had slipped into a coma and his condition worsened over the last few months. He was 67 years old and is survived by his wife Vanitha and two children Pavithra and Parinith.  Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy condoled Dhananjay Kumar's death and said he was "saddened by the death". "Former Union Minister Dhananjay Kumar passed away today (Monday). I am deeply saddened. He was served as a Union Minister and held multiple portfolios. May his soul rest in peace. May his family have the strength to bear the pain his death will bring," Kumaraswamy said. A lawyer by profession, Venur Dhananjay Kumar secured his law degree in 1973 from a college in Udupi and practiced in Mangaluru. A firm believer of the RSS' Hindutva ideology, he soon became an integral part of the BJP’s youth wing. In the 1983 Karnataka Assembly Elections, he contested and won from Mangaluru constituency. The victory made him the first BJP MLA to win an election from Dakshina Kannada region.  In the 1991 Lok Sabha polls, he contested on a BJP ticket from Mangaluru Lok Sabha constituency. He was also one of the first few BJP MPs to be elected from south India, at a time when the Congress party's reach was at its peak. He went on to win Lok Sabha elections three more times from Mangaluru - in 1996, 1998 and 1999. In 1996, Dhananjay Kumar was appointed as the Union Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism. In the NDA government, he was given the portfolio of Union Minister of State for Finance between 1999-2000 and was appointed as Union Minister of State for Textiles between 2000 and 2003. During Yeddyurappa's tenure as chief minister between 2008 and 2011, Dhananjay became one of his closest confidantes. He was known for being staunchly loyal to BJP state president BS Yeddyurappa and was in the news in October 2012 for allegedly making abusive remarks against the central leadership for ousting Yeddyurappa from the Chief Minister's post. He was soon expelled from the BJP and he followed Yeddyurappa as he formed the Karnataka Janata Party (KJP). Dhananjay was even made the state president of the short-lived party. He then rejoined the BJP amid strong opposition after the KJP dissolved. In March 2014, Dhananjay switched allegiances to the JD(S) before returning to the BJP in 2015. However, in 2017, Dhananjay once again jumped ship to the Congress after holding talks with Rahul Gandhi.

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It's official: Kumaraswamy's son Nikhil to contest Lok Sabha polls from Mandya

Politics

Speaking to the media, Nikhil Gowda said that the coalition partners have decided to support his candidacy.

Theja Ram

After months of speculation, the JD(S) has finally decided to give Kumaraswamy's son and actor,  Nikhil Gowda a ticket to contest from the Mandya Lok Sabha segment. On Monday, over 50 persons were hospitalised after a bus turned turtle in Mandya's Maddur. Nikhil Gowda visited the Mandya Institute of Medical Sciences around 10 am to check on the injured persons. Speaking to the media after his visit, Nikhil Gowda said, “Yes, the party's national president and state leaders have decided to give me a ticket to contest from the Mandya Lok Sabha segment. I am here to serve the people.” He was also quick to add, “No, I am not contesting from Mysuru. The party's leaders have spoken with their alliance partners. The Congress and the seniors in both parties have decided to support me.” ‘Have utmost respect for Sumalatha’ When questioned about him going up against actor Sumalatha, Nikhil Gowda said that he has the utmost respect for her and her husband and the late Congress leader Ambareesh. “I do not want to make any statement about Sumakka (referring to Sumalatha). I have the utmost respect for her. I do not want to speak about the contest between us. I will meet her and speak with her. Abhi (Sumalatha's son Abhishek Gowda) is like a younger brother to me. Ambareesh used to treat me like a son. I had spent a lot of time with Ambareesh while shooting for the film, Krukshetra,” Nikhil Gowda said. ‘Not worried about outsider tag’ Over the last few months, since speculation of Nikhil's entry to politics began, there have also been talks of Nikhil being an outsider to Mandya. The JD(S) first family, which is primarily from Hassan district, had always relied on its regional leaders in other parts of Old Mysuru, including Mandya, to ensure a win for the party in these districts. Responding to the tag of an outsider, Nikhil said that he is not worried about it. “I am not worried about it and do not want to say anything further. I am here to stay. I will soon take up residence in Mandya and prepare for the elections," Nikhil Gowda added. ‘People in Mandya want Nikhil to contest’ On Sunday, JD(S) supremo HD Deve Gowda told reports in Mangaluru that it was not wrong for anyone to want to contest polls. He added that the Mandya and Hassan segments have always been JD(S)’ seat and there was no way a JD(S) candidate would not contest from these two segments. Deve Gowda, however, conceded that he was considering offering the ticket to Nikhil Gowda and that he has been a ticket aspirant for a while. “He (Nikhil) did not say he wants to contest. But people there (Mandya) want him to. He had decided to step into politics only after a couple of years or more but the youth are pressuring him. It may be because of the glamour associated with him, as he a film star," Deve Gowda said. He further stated that he had asked Nikhil if he wanted to contest the Lok Sabha polls. “He should not feel his grandfather was more interested in Prajwal (HD Revanna’s son) and not him. Why should I get the bad name at this age," Gowda added. With Nikhil Gowda’s entry into politics, Deve Gowda now ensured that the third generation of the JD(S) first family are firmly embedded into the party’s politics. Earlier in January, Deve Gowda had announced that his grandson Prajwal Revanna would contest Lok Sabha polls from Hassan. Soon after, Nikhil Gowda, too, began making appearances at political functions and JD(S) party meetings along with his grandfather. Over the last couple of months, Nikhil has openly asked for support from the party workers and the people. As talks of Nikhil’s entry into politics began, JD(S) insiders believed that he may not get a ticket as it would give the opposition a reason to accuse the senior leaders of dynasty politics. “They want to keep the power within the family and looks like it will not change,” a JD(S) leader told TNM.

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‘Moral policing is not acceptable’: K’taka Home Min on prof forced to kneel by ABVP

Controversy

Home Minister MB Patil is also President of the non-profit Bijapur Lingayat District Educational Association which runs the college.

Soumya Chatterjee

PTI/ File image

Karnataka Home Minister MB Patil on Monday said “moral policing is not acceptable” after a professor of a Vijaypura district college was forced to kneel down and apologise by ABVP activists on Saturday for his Facebook posts that were critical of the BJP amid the simmering tensions with Pakistan.  The ABVP activists had objected to the Assistant Professor of Civil Engineering, Sandeep Warthar’s Facebook posts, which they claimed were “anti-national”. The college— Dr PG Halakatti College of Engineering and Technology, incidentally is run by non-profit Bijapur Lingayat District Educational Association of which the minister is the president.  “The institution is looking into it. I am also looking into the matter. He (the professor) said only one thing - about the destruction that war could bring. But there is nothing wrong with that. I have asked the college and the police to look into the matter because this kind of moral policing is not acceptable. The police is there, the law is there,” Home Minister Patil told TNM.  “Even if someone had posted something, which offended people or which people think is seditious, the police is there to look into it. This kind of moral policing is not acceptable. I have seen the professor’s post and there is nothing wrong with it,” he added. On Saturday, Sandeep Wathar was forced to kneel down inside the college premises by the ABVP members in the presence of even the police. In his Facebook posts, Wathar had criticised the BJP-led Centre’s stance in the aftermath of the Indian Air Force’s preemptive strike in Balakot and apparently praised the Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan. In one of the posts which has now been deleted, Wathar had written, “Who sounds more intelligent in all this? You **** all bhakts. You will [be] the reason for [the] destruction of millions of lives if this tension escalates. BJP is **** all party absolutely zero shame.” Speaking to TNM on Monday, Vijaypura SP Prakash Nikam said, “We cannot take any action now. There is no complaint yet. If a complaint is there, we will take action. It is between two groups, I cannot take any suo motu action, the person has to give a complaint. I have already contacted him.” Defending its action, the ABVP in a Twitter reply to a journalist said, “Being responsible student wing, we always stand with National Security, lecturer of particular college gave an anti-national statement which was condemned by the student community.”   ABVP forces Karnataka lecturer to kneel, apologise for abusing BJP, praising Imran Khan in "anti national" social media post, while police look on in college run by Congress home minister. Police chief: whatever happened was wrong but can't act without complaint! #NewIndia pic.twitter.com/GgQBFakwBm — Samar Halarnkar (@samar11) March 3, 2019  

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Bengaluru bakery attacked after owner’s brother supports Pak army on Facebook

Controversy

The mob has been booked for rioting, and Abdul has been booked for sedition for his Facebook post. No arrests have been made so far.

Prajwal Bhat

Sreedevi Jayarajan

Angered by an alleged Facebook post supporting the Pakistan army, a mob of around 10 members vandalised the Plaza Bakery in Madiwala in Bengaluru on Saturday. Plaza bakery is run by a man called Muneer. Three days ago, when wing commander Abhinandan Varthaman was in the custody of Pakistan, Muneer’s brother Abdul Saleem allegedly added a ‘I stand with Pakistan Army’ filter to his Facebook profile picture. The filter has the image of an armed Pakistan soldier. The post went viral, after which the bakery – located on 4th Link Road in Madiwala – was attacked. While neither Abdul nor Muneer were at the bakery at the time, the mob broke the sign board and showcase of the bakery, police said. “The building owner Arasappa tried to reason with the mob and stop the attack by saying that the bakery owners had taken the space on rent, but the group the group did not listen," explained a police official at Madiwala police station.   Madiwala police have registered a case of rioting under Section 146 of the IPC against the mob based on a complaint by Arasappa. Police have also filed a suo motu complaint against Abdul Saleem for allegedly provoking the public, under IPC sections 124A (Sedition), 507 (Criminal intimidation by an anonymous communication), 153A (Promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth), and 155 (Liability of person for whose benefit riot is committed). So far, no arrests have been made in either case. None of the members of the group that attacked the bakery have been identified yet, the police said. Meanwhile, they are searching for Abdul in Kannur in Kerala, where he hails from. Meanwhile in Kerala, Abdul’s uninhabited ancestral house in Thalamunda, Kannur, has been vandalised by unknown persons. “We investigated the issue and found that a mob had attacked Abdul’s house in Thalamunda a few days ago. This is his ancestral house and no one lives there. We haven’t received a complaint against the riots from any of his family members yet. Saleem has been living in Bengaluru for the last 20 years and does not visit Kerala often. The Kannur police are not involved in investigating the case,” Chakkalakkal station SI Renjith told TNM.                  

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Siddaramaiah calls PM Modi heartless for his distasteful joke on dyslexia

Politics

The National Platform for the Rights of the Disabled (NPRD), a coalition of disability rights groups across the country, has condemned the Prime Minister's statement

TNM Staff

A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a distasteful joke on dyslexia, former Chief Minister of Karnataka - Siddaramaiah, took to Twitter and and called PM Modi heartless.  "Just came across a video of our Narendra Modi taking political potshots using the name of dyslexic people. Shame on you Modi!! You just can't go below this. Your insensitivity can't be washed away by dipping in any river. They may be slow in learning but not heartless like you," Siddaramaiah said in a tweet.  Just came across a video of our @narendramodi taking political potshots using the name of dyslexic people. Shame on you Modi!! You just can't go below this. Your insensitivity can't be washed away by dipping in any river. They may be slow in learning but not heartless like you. — Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) March 4, 2019 On Sunday, a video of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's interaction with students at IIT-Rourkee went viral on social media. The Prime Minister was interacting with the students at an event held on Saturday. In the video, a student is seen speaking of her project to help people with dyslexia and says, “Dyslexic children are those whose learning and writing pace is very slow but creativity level and intelligence is quite good,” to this the Prime Minister made a veiled attack, presumably on Congress President Rahul Gandhi and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and said, "If the project helps the 40-50 year old child, then that would make his mother very happy.”   The National Platform for the Rights of the Disabled (NPRD), a coalition of disability rights groups across the country, has condemned the Prime Minister's statement and called it “disrespectful and insensitive”. “In an uncalled for and totally insensitive response where the Prime Minister tried to portray all dyslexic people in poor light. It is all the more unpardonable as it comes from a person holding such a high office. And this disgusting attitude comes from a person who had equated disability with divinity and coined the term “divyang”. Even during the 2014 Lok Sabha election campaign Narendra Modi had used terms like blind, deaf, lame etc. to belittle his rivals,” the statement says. The NPRD demanded that the PM Modi apologise to persons with disabilities for his statement. “The PM should under no circumstances be making such a remark. It also displays scant respect for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 according to which this constitutes an offence. The least the PM can do is apologise for his remarks,” the statement reads.  The statement by the PM has been widely condemned by others too. "Just when you think that Narendra Modi cannot get any lower in political discourse, he sets new benchmarks. It is disgraceful of a PM to mock dyslexia," Karnataka Minister for Social Welfare, Priyank Kharge said. Just when you think that @narendramodi cannot get any lower in political discourse, he sets new benchmarks. It is disgraceful of a PM to mock dyslexia. https://t.co/dlL8I6wCrv — Priyank Kharge (@PriyankKharge) March 4, 2019 "The incidence of dyslexia in India is believed to be 15%. As per a 2013 report, there are 228,994,454 dyslexic students enrolled in recognized schools This message for an insensitive PM Modi who doesn’t mind mocking them for political point scoring," Priyanka Chaturvedi, Congress National spokesperson said.  The incidence of dyslexia in India is believed to be 15%. As per a 2013 report, there are 228,994,454 dyslexic students enrolled in recognized schools This message for an insensitive PM Modi who doesn’t mind mocking them for political point scoring. Brilliantly done @arvindtm pic.twitter.com/rEQrSxxLpd — Priyanka Chaturvedi (@priyankac19) March 4, 2019  

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Congress MLA Umesh Jadhav submits resignation to Karnataka Speaker

Politics

Dr Umesh submitted his resignation in person to Assembly Speaker Ramesh Kumar on Monday morning.

TNM Staff

Karnataka Congress MLA Dr Umesh Jadhav submitted his resignation on Monday as the MLA of Chincholi in Gulbarga district in Karnataka ending days of speculation that he was planning to leave the party. He submitted his resignation in person to Assembly Speaker Ramesh Kumar. According to political observers, the disgruntled MLA is likely to contest against Congress heavyweight Mallikarjun Kharge, the current leader of the party in Lok Sabha, from the Gulbarga seat in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. The same has been suggested by his brother Ramachandra in a recent interview with Deccan Herald. The tiff between the Jadhavs and the Kharges is not new. Incidentally, Umesh had made his displeasure known after he failed to get a ministerial role, while Priyank Kharge, a first-time MLA, was inducted into the cabinet by then Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in 2013. Even CM HD Kumaraswamy in the coalition government in 2018 did not induct Umesh into his cabinet while Priyank made the cut again. Umesh was one of the four MLAs whom Congress top brass wanted to be disqualified for not following the party whip in attending the Budget session of the state Assembly. The four MLAs — former minister Ramesh Jarkiholi from Gokak, Mahesh Kumathalli Athani, B Nagendra from Bellary assembly seats and Jadhav had failed to attend a special legislative party meet called ahead of the budget session on February 8. Prior to this, they were issued show cause notices for not attending a special legislative party meet earlier in January at the Eagleton resort. On February 11, Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader and former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara and KPCC president Dinesh Gundu Rao submitted a petition to the Speaker in his chamber under the anti-defection law. The four had claimed to be loyal to the party in letter written as a reply to the show cause notice.

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As 80-yr-old banyan tree goes ‘missing’, Whitefield residents plan tree census

Environment

The police had registered an FIR against an unidentified person for chopping off a massive 80-year-old Banyan tree on Whitefield Main Road.

TNM Staff

After an 80-year-old Banyan tree went ‘missing’ from Whitefield Main Road, the residents of the area have decided to carry out a tree census to determine the number of trees in the area. Whitefield residents have reached out to environmentalist Vijay Nishanth, who has been working for the conservation of Bengaluru’s green cover, for his help. This comes after an FIR was registered against an unidentified person for chopping off a massive 100-year-old Banyan tree on the Whitefield Main Road. Nitya Ramakrishnan, a member of the resident group Whitefield Rising, realised that the tree was missing on February 24. After conversations with several residents about the missing tree, she filed a complaint at the Whitefield Police Station. “An FIR was registered on February 26. We have taken up a case under the Karnataka Forest Act,” said a police official, speaking to The Hindu. Police confirmed that they are investigating the case since trees cannot be cut down without necessary permissions from the forest department. The BBMP had planned a tree census to determine the number of trees in Bengaluru which is set to begin from Jayanagar this month. "The long-planned tree census is beginning on March 17 from Jayanagar. But after the incident in Whitefield, I have received requests from residents in the area to carry out a tree census there as well,” says Vijay. According to residents, the banyan tree was around 80 years old and it needed a group of people, heavy machinery and vehicles to cut it down and transport it. "It is impossible to cut it down in a single day. This is a process that has been undertaken over a period of time because you have to rope the tree and then cut it down. Even if it happened at night, it should have been spotted by residents. We need better awareness,” adds Vijay.

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