Amit Shah holds roadshow in Bengaluru South, campaigns for Tejasvi Surva

Lok Sabha 2019

IANS

BJP President Amit Shah held a massive road show in Bangalore South Lok Sabha constituency on Tuesday night to campaign for the party candidate Tejasvi Surya. Braving hot and humid conditions, about 5,000 party cadres, including women, accompanied Shah's convoy on foot, motorbikes and cycles as the procession wound its way through Banashankari area in the city's southern suburb. Party's state unit leaders, including B.S. Yeddyurappa, Tejaswini Ananth Kumar and Surya stood along Shah atop the hi-tech bus, customised for electioneering across the southern state. Addressing the crowds who gathered in hundreds en route, Shah said the party fielded young Surya to contest from the high-profile parliamentary seat in view of the demographic dividend the constituency has with lakhs of techies employed in IT firms like Infosys, Wipro, and TCS living in the area. Waving party flags, sporting saffron placards and raising slogans in favour of Surya, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Yeddyurappa, the BJP leaders urged the gathering to vote for the party's lotus symbol on the ballot box. As the 10pm deadline to stop campaign was nearing, Shah and his entourage made a quick exit from the venue. Bangalore South will go to polls on April 18 with 13 others of the state's 28 constituencies. Polling to the other 14 will be held on April 23. Vote count is on May 23.  

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Progressive leader confronts Pelosi aide over 'Medicare for All'

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‘Won’t give tickets to Muslims as they don’t believe us’: K’taka BJP leader Eshwarappa

Lok Sabha 2019

KS Eshwarappa later clarified that he is “not the hater of any community including Muslims” and that his comments were in response to a specific question on whether former JD(S) MLA Iqbal Ansari would get a BJP ticket.

TNM Staff

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Senior BJP leader KS Eshwarappa said that it won’t give tickets to Muslims as the community doesn’t trust the party. In a video clip aired by CNN-News 18, Eswarappa says, "The Congress believed Muslims were vote bank. But because Muslims have stopped voting for them, they've stopped giving seats to Muslims.”  He goes on to add, “We won't give tickets to Muslims in Karnataka. Why? Because you don't believe in us. Believe us and we'll see."     #NewsAlert – @BJP4India leader @ikseshwarappa polarizes ahead of elections. “No tickets for Muslims as they don’t believe in us”, says Eshwarappa. #ElectionsWithNews18 #BattleOf2019 | @deepab18 with more details pic.twitter.com/s64yyHZbdA — News18 (@CNNnews18) April 2, 2019   The former Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister was speaking a party gathering targetted towards Muslims and his own Kuruba community. Eshwarappa, however, later clarified that he is “not the hater of any community including Muslims” and that his comments were in response to a question on whether Iqbal Ansar, who jumped from JD(S) to BJP recently will get a ticket.   Correction:I'm not the hater of any community including Muslims. My statement was about a question asked will "Iqbal ansari" get ticket from BJP?Whenever a new person joins he is not given any post,he has to work hard and earn the post,similarly i had mentioned about Iqbal Ansari https://t.co/aQ9L8UrFtY — Chowkidar K S Eshwarappa (@ikseshwarappa) April 2, 2019   Reacting to a media report on Monday’s speech, Hyderabad MP and AIMIM chief Assaduddin Owaisi on Twitter, said, “A con job only works when the victim doesn’t know they’re being conned.” Eshwarappa, however, is no stranger to controversies and has made multiple such politically incorrect statements in the past. Ahead of the Karnataka Assembly Elections in 2018, he had alleged Muslims who are with Congress were “killers” while those with the BJP were “good Muslims”. “Muslims who killed 22 RSS and BJP activists are with the Congress and those who are good Muslims are with the BJP," he had told reporters in Tumakuru on January 31, 2018. In December 2017, he had stirred controversy after a video of him purportedly telling his party workers to lie went viral. “Lie if you have to, but don't admit you don't know,” he reportedly said. He also allegedly added, “Did you know that Pakistanis hacked Indian soldiers to death during Vajpayee’s rule. But have you seen it? In such situations, say that Pakistan never dared to threaten us during Vajpayee period. At the same time, during Manmohan Singh's period, Pakistani soldiers attacked and slaughtered Indian soldiers. When it comes to Narendra Modi, tell that the Pakistanis are never spared. Ten people were killed and Narendra Modi is a strong man. What's wrong in saying it? There may not be much you know, but use Narendra Modi's name. The entire world accepts the fact that Modi is a strong man, so what's the harm in hyping it?

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Turning cars to cots: Meet the man making furniture from old automobiles

Art

Himanshu and his team also conduct a moving art festival which features colourful automobile artwork and they were in Bengaluru and Visakhapatnam this year.

Sreedevi Jayarajan

Ever wondered the fate of used cars in India? For car lovers who have a hard time letting go of their ageing beauties, selling your vehicles to a scrap parts dealer or secondhand shop can be hard. However, thanks to a Jaipur based car restorer, you can now make your car a part of your house by turning it into cosy yet quirky furniture. The Cartist, a 5-year-old automobile art initiative based in Jaipur, has now begun converting car parts into tables and watches which they plan to sell. The team has so far converted a lovely Merc and a Nissan RD 280 engine into colourful furniture in the last year.  “We turn 90% of the cars into usable furniture. The chassis into beds, the car doors into dining tables, the suspension arms into a centrepiece and the radiator assembly of the vehicle again into a showpiece. We have even turned the piston into watches and the engine and rear door assembly into tables,” Himanshu, founder of Cartist and the brain behind the unique venture, tells TNM. Though not an artist himself, Himanshu was responsible for popularising automobile art in India, which he says did not have many takers in the country. “My primary motive when I founder Cartist 5 years ago was to give young artists and designers a platform through automobiles. As I am a vintage car restorer myself, I wanted to collaborate in art with automobiles and make it a young artists' collective. This is how Cartist was born,” Himanshu recalls. Cartist Yatra Himanshu and the rest of his team, which includes designers, restorers and artists, have been touring different cities in the country to promote their work every year. In December 2018, they began their second Yatra and covered nearly 9000 kms and 10 cities all over India, including Bengaluru and Visakhapatnam in the south. Once they reach these cities, they halt for a few days to showcase their artworks and even collaborate with local artists to create new auto art during the exhibition.  “We traveled in 2 trucks, 8 cars, 1 support vehicle, 1 Innova, 1 tempo traveller. One of the trucks was converted to an artists' home to house the traveling artists. In Bengaluru, we collaborated with over 25 local artists to create new work. Our most exciting project included painting a 1964 Volkswagen Beatle and painting pictures of wood craft - which is Karnataka’s dying art work - and Jaipur dolls on it,” Himanshu adds. In Visakhapatnam too, the team was joined by over 100 locals artists who created a dolphin using tyres and car parts on the RK Beach. “The dolphin was later donated to the Visakhapatnam marine museum. We even painted an Innova car during the exhibition,” he says. Today, as the Cartist finds ways to sustain itself due to a lack of funds, it has launched a line of auto furniture and Cartist merchandise for sale. “We are looking to catch the eye of automobile manufacturers as our initiative is only about automobiles and art. Next year, we are planning a Yatra and will be ending it in the famous automobile expo which will take place in Delhi in the end of February,” Himanshu adds. The group is also eyeing an International Yatra either via the ASEAN route (newly opened) or the Road to London route. “Eventually, Cartist should be a globally recognised brand which breaks barriers, includes local and traditional crafts and automobiles to create unique designs," says Himanshu.

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After being denied ticket, Tejaswini Ananth Kumar made Vice President of BJP K’taka

Lok Sabha 2019

The BJP High Command picked 28-year-old Tejasvi Survya to contest from Bengaluru South, a constituency that was represented by Tejaswini's late husband Ananth Kumar since 1996.

Soumya Chatterjee

Tejaswini Ananth Kumar, wife of late Bengaluru South MP Ananth Kumar has been made the Vice President of the Karnataka unit of BJP in an effort to placate her and supporters of the former Union minister after she was denied a party ticket. The announcement was made by the BJP state President and former Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa on Tuesday. The announcement comes the same day party’s National President Amit Shah is set to visiting the city for a road show to campaign for youngster Tejasvi Surya, the party’s choice of candidate for the same constituency. Tejaswini did not hold a post in the party until Tuesday.  The decision to deny Tejaswini a ticket had come as a surprise to many given that Yeddyurappa had endorsed her candidature and recommended the same to the High Command just a day before the first list of candidates was released by the party. Instead of Tejaswini, the BJP’s national leadership had chosen 28-year-old Tejasvi Surya, a Yuva Morcha leader and nephew of Basavanagudi MLA Ravi Subramanya over Tejaswini. The move had reportedly created many fissures within the state party who had endorsed her candidature. Ananth Kumar had represented the Bengaluru South segment since 1996 and after his demise in November last year, the party’s state leaders had wanted his wife Tejaswini to contest elections. BJP party workers, who had been campaigning in the constituency on Tejaswini’s behalf had even staged a dharna outside her house in VV Puram, when news of Tejasvi’s nomination came in. Despite the disappointment, she had told reporters that she would selflessly work for the party. "It is shocking to me and the BJP workers. Let us not ask any more questions. If we have to contribute to this country, we have to work together for Modi,” she said after Tejasvi’s candidature was confirmed. The move to make Tejaswini the Vice President is similar to a move by the party in April  2018 when Yeddyurappa’s son Vijayendra was made the Youth Wing President. This after he was denied a ticket to fight from Varuna constituency in Mysuru against then CM Siddarmaiah’s son Yathindra.

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Pelosi aide sought to undercut Medicare for All

Wendell Primus told roughly two dozen attendees at a November meeting that House Democratic leadership worried a progressive push risked diverting attention from the party’s core health agenda.

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Plan to skip voting in Karnataka on April 18? Tourist hotspots to refuse bookings

Lok Sabha 2019

This comes in anticipation of many flocking to holiday destinations to escape the summer heat, with days before and after the polling day in the first phase being holidays.

TNM Staff

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In order to ensure a higher voter turnout for Lok Sabha polls in Karnataka, including Bengaluru which already has a poor track record, the Shivamogga district administration has adopted a novel measure. In an order issued by Deputy Commissioner KA Dayananda, all resorts, homestays and hotels in the tourist district have been asked not to entertain guests from constituencies which are going to polls on April 18 and 23.  This comes in anticipation of many flocking to holiday destinations to escape the summer heat with days before and after the polling day in the first phase being holidays. The Times of India reported that the two-page order has asked all tour operators and resort/hotel owners to verify the address proof and voter ID cards of the guests before giving accommodation.   “All voters must exercise their franchise to strengthen democracy. Keeping this in mind, I’ve issued such an order,” the Deputy Commissioner told the newspaper. While in Shivamogga, it is the district administration, in Hassan and Kodagu, hoteliers have taken the responsibility upon themselves. Hotels and resorts in Sakleshpur in Hassan and many such establishments in Kodagu are refusing to take bookings for April 18. Speaking to Deccan Herald, Santosh, one such resort owner, said, “This is our bit to ensure the citizens take part in the elections. For the people who have done the advance booking, we are requesting them to reschedule their plans. There are a few bookings on the above mentioned dates, we have asked them to advance or postpone their plans and also given the option of refund. Now it’s up to the people to consider it. If they deliberately want to skip the polls, we can’t help.”   Similarly, Viju Changappa, the president of Kodagu Homestays Association said that its members will ask tourists from across the country about their voter participation.   “We are doing this in our limits. Our members are aware of the election dates across the country, who will ask tourists about their participation in elections if they book on their respective voting days,” he told DH.      

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