Karnataka Congress formally invites Rahul Gandhi to contest from state

Politics

In a letter, KPCC chief Dinesh Gundu Rao said that if Rahul contests from Karnataka, it will “not only boost the rank and file of our party in the entire state but also in South India.”

Theja Ram

The Congress in Karnataka on Monday formally invited All India Congress Committee President Rahul Gandhi to contest from Karnataka. In a letter addressed to Rahul Gandhi, KPCC President Dinesh Gundu Rao said, “Your candidature from Karnataka will not only boost the rank and file of our party in the entire state but also in South India. The ruling NDA is losing its shine and our alliance in the south is on a strong wicket.” Sources in the Congress say that the state leaders have been scouring for a candidate to contest from Udupi-Chikkamagaluru and Ballari. With no appropriate candidate to pick, the party handed it over to the JD(S). “JD(S) does not want to contest from Udupi-Chikkamagaluru. They want to contest from another segment. If Rahul Gandhi decides to contest from this segment, it would help the alliance,” a source said. Party insiders say that if Rahul Gandhi decides to contest from the state, it would help boost the party's morale and quell rebellion. "Party workers are not happy about the alliance with JD(S). If Rahul Gandhi is contesting from the state, it would give them the incentive to work together and ensure that the alliance is strong," the source said. Rahul will be in Kalburgi on Monday to campaign for senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge. There have been calls for Rahul Gandhi to contest from Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, with leaders from both states tweeting to the Congress chief. Sources in the Congress earlier told TNM that Rahul was being persuaded to contest from South India. "It will have to be Karnataka but Rahul Gandhi is also being persuaded by Tamil Nadu Congress to contest from there as the anti-Modi wave is strong in the state,” a source earlier said. This is not the first time a member of the Gandhi family will be turning to the south. In the 1977 Lok Sabha polls, then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, facing massive anti-incumbency following the Emergency, contested from Chikkamagaluru to get elected to Parliament.

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K’taka CM’s private SUV caught violating traffic rules twice in February

Traffic violations

On both the days, CM Kumaraswamy was in the city and the fines are yet to be paid.

TNM Staff

File image

Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy’s private high-end luxury SUV was caught violating traffic rules in the city twice in the month of February. According to reports, the offences include that of using mobile phone while on the wheel and the other of overspeeding. The offence related to using the phone was noticed on February 10 while the speeding violation was registered on February 22. Both the fines amount to Rs 400 in total. On both the days the CM was in the city. On February 10, he was deliberating on the audio-gate scandal while on February 22 he held a meeting with Railway Minister Piyush Goyal to discuss the city’s suburban rail project. Police officials said these violations for the black Range Rover with registration number KA42P002 were based on the automated enforcement cameras, and notices for the same have been sent to the registered postal address of Kasturi Media Pvt. Ltd Officials say that the fine amount is yet to be paid. Prior to this, officials say that the vehicle was fined for parking at a no-parking zone and once for taking an illegal u-turn. But those fines have been cleared by the chief minister. The CM is allotted two Toyota Fortuners as per the current protocol. CM Kumaraswamy, who assumed office in May, 2018, has been advocating austerity measures to make up for the farm loan waiver scheme and had chosen to use his Rs 1.5 crore private vehicle instead of his official vehicle. The move was criticised by some as the luxury SUV is known to be a fuel guzzler giving a maximum mileage of just 12 kilometres per litre. However, his office claims the car is a preferred choice given the CM’s health condition. They say the vehicle has special shock absorbers to minimise body strain for the CM.      

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Bengaluru FC wins maiden ISL title, edges past Goa in nail-biting final

Sports

Defender Rahul Bheke provided the winner in the dying minutes of extra time and prevented the match from going to a penalty shootout.

TNM Staff

Bengaluru FC clinched its maiden Indian Super League title on Sunday after a captivating final against FC Goa in Mumbai after last year’s heartbreaking defeat in the finals against Chennai. The winner automatically qualifies for the AFC Cup next season.   The evenly contested game had to be stretched to extra time after the initial 90 minutes failed to produce any goals. The winner came from defender Rahul Bheke in the dying minutes of the second half of the extra time. A corner from Xisco was met by Rahul who provided the only goal of the mammoth final.   This came moments after Miku squandered an easy opportunity for the Blues by placing his shot just wide off the far post.   At the 106th minute, FC Goa suffered a blow with Jahouh getting a second yellow card and was asked to leave the field.   At the end of first half, none of the teams had a shot on goal with possession almost evenly shared between the two teams.    To Bengaluru’s credit, FC Goa striker Corominas, the league's top scorer was kept well marked throughout the game.   The summit clash between FC Goa and Bengaluru FC was preceded by an intense two-legged semi final tie between Bengaluru FC and North East United FC, with the Blues edging past NUEFC after a 2-1 away defeat. On the other hand, FC Goa had a comfortable run in the semis when they proved to be a handful for Mumbai FC.   Bengaluru had earlier topped the league stage of the tournament narrowly edging out FC Goa. It was the two best teams in the league that faced off in the final. It was also a tactical battle between managers Carles Cuadrat and X, both known for their possession based 'Barcelona' style of football.

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K’taka BJP prepares final list of candidates, most sitting MPs likely to be given ticket

Lok Sabha 2019

While the Karnataka BJP has made recommendations for 27 out of the 28 seats in the state barring the Mandya segment, where actor Sumalatha is likely to contest.

Theja Ram

With just over a month to go for the Lok Sabha Elections in Karnataka, neither the Congress, JD(S) nor the BJP have announced the final list of candidates for the 28 seats in the state. On Sunday afternoon, BJP state President BS Yeddyurappa presided over a meeting held at the party office in Bengaluru’s Malleshwaram. BJP General Secretary and state unit in-charge P Muralidhar Rao, BJP Organising Secretary in-charge of south India BL Santosh, along with BJP leaders DV Sadananda Gowda, Jagadish Shettar, R Ashoka, Arvind Limbavali CT Ravi, Prahallad Joshi and Dakshina Kannada MP Nalinkumar Kateel came up with a final list of recommendations. The list has been sent to the high command in Delhi and is pending approval. BJP sources say that the high command has guaranteed tickets to incumbent MPs and will announce its final list of candidates by Tuesday night. The party has also not made any recommendations for the Mandya segment as the state leaders are awaiting former Congress MP Ambareesh’s wife Sumalatha’s announcement on whether she will contest as a BJP candidate. “If she decides to join the BJP, then she will get the ticket. We are also yet to decide whether we will support her if she contests as an independent or if it would be a friendly fight,” the source added. Here is the final list of candidates: Chikkodi – Ramesh Katti Belagavi – Suresh Anand Bagalkot – PC Gaddigoudar Vijayapura – Ramesh Jigajigani Kalaburgi – Umesh Jadav Raichur – Anantaraju Nayak / Amaresh Nayak / Mahadevamma Bidar – Bhagawant Khuba Koppal – Karadi Sanganna Ballari – Devendrappa (Ramesh Jarkiholi’s father-in-law) / J Shantha Haveri – Shivakumar Udasi Dharwad – Prahallad Joshi Uttara Kannada – Anantkumar Hegde Davangere – GN Siddeshwar Shivamogga – BY Raghavendra Udupi-Chikkamagaluru – Shobha Karandlaje Hassan – A Manju Dakshina Kannada – Nalin Kumar Kateel Chitradurga – Janardhan Swamy / Manappa Vajjal Tumakuru – GS Basavaraju Mysuru-Kodagu – Pratap Simha Chamarajanagar – V Srinivas Prasad Bengaluru Rural – CP Yogeshwar / Rudresh Bengaluru North – Sadananda Gowda Bengaluru Central PC Mohan Bengaluru South – Tejaswini Ananth Kumar Chikkaballapura – BN Bacche Gowda Kolar – DS Veeraiah / Chalavadi Narayanaswamy Mandya – nil

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NGT fines Adani group Rs 5 cr for Udupi power plant, cancels its extension plans

Environment

Adani is, however, expected to challenge the order in the Supreme Court.

Soumya Chatterjee

In a big win for residents of Yellur village and other surrounding areas in Karnataka’s Udupi district, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) cancelled the environmental clearance given to industry behemoth Adani to expand its power plant in the area. Moreover, taking cognisance of the findings of an expert committee appointed by the NGT itself, Adani was fined Rs 5 crore as per the ‘polluters pay’ principle under Section 20 of the National Green Tribunal Act, 2010. The residents of the area have been complaining for years about the ill-effects on public health and decreasing agricultural yield due to the Udupi Power Corporation Ltd. The company has to pay the fine amount to the Central Pollution Control Board as an “interim environmental compensation” within one month. Moreover, Rs 1 lakh has to be paid by Adani to the petitioner in the case, Balakrishna Shetty, the executive president of Janajagruthi Samithi. The same order noted that the extension of the environmental clearance granted in April 2002 of the current plant itself was illegal and done under ‘questionable circumstances at the request of the project proponent’. The court further ordered that a committee comprising a senior scientist of the Central Pollution Control Board, a senior representative of IIT Chennai and a senior scientist at IIT Bangalore will assess the damage on account of the environmental violations in the areas of fly ash management, ash pond, ambient air quality, fugitive emissions, etc., which have undoubtedly caused severe damage to the environment and ecology of the area and submit its report within three months. Noted human rights activist Vidya Dinker, who is associated with the case, said, “People have been speaking against the plant for a long time but when the Adanis took over, it was like all ways were blocked for them. Their only hope was the court. The NGT judgement now gives us vindication and there is hope that the proposed expansion won’t go through even though the Adanis will appeal in the Supreme Court. At the same time, there is a feeling that justice can prevail in this country.” A 2012 report by a team of six scientists led by Professor TV Ramachandra said mismanagement of the environment was evident from the contamination of water (surface and ground), soil and air, apart from the impaired functional aspects of the biotic elements. The report titled ‘Environmental Profile and People’s Livelihood aspects in the vicinity of Coal Based Thermal Power Plant’, said, “This is evident from the reduced productivity (grains, jasmine flower, and horticultural produce – coconut, areca nut, and livestock – milk), reproductive ability (livestock, poultry animals). Deposition of dust on the leaves is evident during the dry seasons. Also, deposition of dust with toxicants in the floral parts of the vegetation has induced phyto-toxicity leading to poor pollination and hence reduced productivity. Reduced population of pollinators (bees, etc.) has been reported in these villages due to the degradation of the environment.”

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Bengalureans, parking your vehicle on the street? You’ll have to pay for it soon

Transport

People will now need to pay for all street parking, even if they are using the space in front of their house.

Soumya Chatterjee

Vincent Bloch via Wikimedia Commons

Citizens of Bengaluru will soon have to pay for all street parking, even if it is in front of their house on the street.  The proposed Management and Maintenance of Parking Rules, 2018, which has received the Cabinet’s nod, will make all forms of street parking payable. It will come into place after the Model Code of Conduct for the Lok Sabha polls is lifted. It will also increase revenue for the government. As per the rules, there will be a total ban on the restriction of street-side parking in high-density mobility corridors. Even road permits for new vehicles will be issued or renewed only upon submission of proof of parking space. Parking plans for each area will be formulated following the provisions of Revised Master Plan, 2015, and will prioritise pedestrians, followed by public transport integration facilities and others, and the least will be for the overnight parking for transport vehicles. The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike will be responsible for implementation of the law in phases. An apex monitoring committee, headed by the state Chief Secretary, will review the proper implementation and compliance of these rules. The committee will comprise of Additional Chief Secretary, Urban Development and Home Department; Principal Secretaries of the Transport and PWD Department; Commissioner of Directorate of Urban Land Transport; and the Managing Director, Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation. Mahendra Jain, the Additional Chief Secretary of the Urban Development Department told TNM, “The modalities will be deliberated and decided once the model code of conduct is lifted.” A base parking fee will also be finalised by this monitoring committee based on the recommendations of the Parking Fee Committee, which will have Zonal Commissioners of all BBMP zones, and representatives of Transport Department, Bengaluru Traffic Police, Bengaluru Development Authority, Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited, Directorate of Urban Land Transport and the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation. The parking plans will be prepared in a phased manner, with parking plans for all arterial roads, commercial areas and major roads with heavy traffic flows as determined by the Apex Committee. This has to be prepared in Phase-1 within four months, as per the Management and Maintenance of Parking Rules, 2018. Based on learnings from Phase-1, the next phase of expansion of the parking plan shall be determined by the apex committee. The parking rules will be enforced by the Bangalore Traffic Police, which will be the primary agency for towing away vehicles for all major and minor roads. The Transport Department will tow away vehicles parked in “other” roads. Sanjeev Dhyamnavar, a sustainable transport expert at Praja-RAAG, said, “Paid parking on streets will bring discipline on the otherwise irregular parking habits in the city. Since this will add to the total cost of owning and using personal vehicles, it will force people to use public transport and hence decrease the number of vehicles on the roads. Fees collected can be used for reducing ticket prices and improving pedestrian facilities.”  

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Bengaluru North or Tumakuru? Deve Gowda weighs options ahead of 2019 battle

Lok Sabha 2019

Sources say that former PM and JD(S) supremo Deve Gowda is also considering asking one of his grandsons to step aside, either in Mandya or Hassan.

Theja Ram

Giving in to pressure from his grandson Prajwal Revanna, former Prime Minister and JD(S) supremo HD Deve Gowda, a five-time MP from Hassan, gave up his bastion. With Prajwal gearing up to file his nomination from the Hassan segment this time around, the party supremo is now mulling over his decision and more importantly, whether he should contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections at all. The JD(S) is contesting elections from eight segments and although the 86-year-old veteran has several options at his disposal, the risk factors too are huge. Party insiders say that Deve Gowda is even considering removing his grandson’s nomination from Hassan and contesting from the segment himself. “There is a lot of opposition for Prajwal’s nomination and there were discussions on whether he should ask Prajwal to step away and contest from Hassan himself,” a source said. Another option Deve Gowda is looking into is to contest from Mandya, especially since Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy’s son Nikhil Gowda is facing the heat from local Congress leaders and party workers. Sources say that the “Go Back Nikhil” campaign, which has gained momentum, has reduced Nikhil’s confidence. “Another option he is considering is to revoke Nikhil’s nomination from Mandya and contest there himself,” the source said. This after Sumalatha, actor and wife of late Congress leader Ambareesh, who was the MP from Mandya, is considering taking the political plunge. Party insiders say that Deve Gowda is waiting for Sumalatha to announce her decision on contesting from Mandya on Monday before taking a call on which segment he should contest from. “Depending on the odds, he will decide. But he has also said that not contesting elections is also an option he is considering. If he loses now, it would bring down the morale of the JD(S) and the coalition. A lot depends on his decision now,” the JD(S) source added. In January this year, when Deve Gowda announced that he would relinquish his seat in Hassan to Prajwal, he was mulling over contesting from Mandya. Soon pressure began mounting on offering Nikhil a ticket and Deve Gowda handed over Mandya as well. Deve Gowda then wanted to contest from Mysuru-Kodagu. But his arch rival and former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah refused to part with his home constituency and the JD(S) was not offered the Mysuru ticket. The JD(S) was left with Bengaluru North and Tumakuru constituencies and in both segments the fight is a risky one for the former Prime Minister. Bengaluru North has a considerable population of people from the Muslim and Christian communities and also has a huge population of Vokkaligas. During the 2018 Assembly Elections, the eight constituencies that fall under Bengaluru North were won by the Congress and JD(S). Although this seems like a logical choice for Deve Gowda, the rebellion in the Congress is brewing trouble for the octogenarian. “ST Somashekar, M Krishnappa and Priya Krishna, who are Siddaramaiah loyalists are refusing to support Deve Gowda. In addition, leaders like Byrathi Suresh are also distancing themselves from campaigning for Deve Gowda. This would make contesting a risky business,” a Congress source said. On the other hand, Deputy Chief Minister Dr G Parameshwara is unhappy about the high command giving away Tumakuru to the JD(S). “Parameshwara’s loyalists are not keen on supporting the JD(S) in Tumakuru as this would bring down the Congress’ popularity in the region,” the source said. With Deve Gowda facing so many dilemmas, sources in the JD(S) say that he is also mulling over contesting from both Tumakuru and Bengaluru North segments to avoid any risk. “If he loses in Bengaluru North, he has a slightly higher chance of winning in Tumakuru. This would be the best option for him now. If he takes away Mandya or Hassan, then there would be a huge family feud and his own family members will go out of their way to sabotage his chances,” the JD(S) source said.    

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