Karnataka MP Pralhad Joshi becomes Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Coal and Mines

Politics

Pralhad Joshi is one of the three MPs from Karnataka to make his way into the Union cabinet.

TNM Staff

Four-time MP from Dharwad constituency in north Karnataka, veteran politician Pralhad Joshi of the BJP has been allotted the portfolio of Parliamentary Affairs, Coal and Mines. Pralhad Joshi is one of the three MPs from Karnataka to make his way into the Union cabinet in the Narendra Modi-led government. The 57-year-old is one of the three MPs from Karnataka to make his way into the Union cabinet alongside DV Sadananda Gowda and Suresh Angadi. The heavyweight from the BJP has never lost since 2004 from the Dharwad seat winning four consecutive times. This time, he prevailed against Congress’ former minister Vinay Kularni by a margin of more than two lakh votes. In his previous terms, he has been part of several parliamentary committees including the Committee on Chemicals & Fertilizers, Joint Parliamentary Committee on Wakf, Committee on Transport, Tourism & Culture and also the Committee on Railways among others. He was also part of the Indian delegation to the 63rd Session of the General Assembly in the United Nations in 2008 where he spoke against the atrocities on women and children. Prior to this, he was also touted to be one of the candidates for the Speaker’s position for the Lower House of the Indian Parliament. Before being an MP, he had held the position of General Secretary, Karnataka State Unit of the BJP. He was inducted into the RSS at an early age and he was part of the infamous Idgah Maidan agitation in which a group of BJP leaders hoisted the national flag in Kittur Channamma Circle (Idgah Maidan) in Hubballi in 1992. The agitation was led by BJP leaders Uma Bharathi and BS Yeddyurappa and helped the BJP to become popular in northern Karnataka. He was made the district President of the BJP in Dharwad from 1995-1998. In 2004, Pralhad contested the Lok Sabha Elections from the then Dharwad (North) constituency and defeated Congress leader BS Patil. He subsequently won from the Dharward constituency in 2009, 2014 and 2019.   Some of the issues on which he has been vocal as a lawmaker has been expansion and modernisation of railway services in north Karnataka and crop insurance schemes. In 2013, he was made the President of the BJP’s Karnataka unit and completed his term of three years. Later, in 2018, Pralhad courted controversy when he likened Sadarsofa, a Muslim-dominated area in Hubballi to Pakistan

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Karnataka MP Suresh Angadi appointed junior minister for Railways

Politics

Suresh Angadi is an educationist, with his foundation running several schools and colleges in Belagavi district.

TNM Staff

Four-time MP from Karnataka’s Belagavi, Suresh Channabasappa Angadi was inducted into Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s cabinet on Thursday. He was allotted the Ministry of State under Ministry of Railways portfolio. An educationist and a staunch BJP loyalist, Suresh Angadi became a strongman in Belagavi ever since he was made the party’s district President in 2001. He first contested elections in 2004 from the Belagavi segment and was re-elected in 2009, 2014 and in 2019. When Angadi won a hattrick in 2014, he was an aspirant for a Union cabinet berth. However, the BJP national high command did not approve his name. He, however, has served in various parliamentary committees. Between 2004 to 2009, Suresh Aangadi was a member of the Standing Committee for Food, Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution. He later went on to serve in the Standing Committee on Human Resource Development between 2009-2014. He was also the member of the Joint Committee on Pension and Salaries and allowances of MPs and the Advisory Committee on Central Direct Taxes during the same period. He has served as the Chairperson of the Committee on House since 2016. As an educationist, he started the Suresh Angadi Education Foundation in 2008. The foundation has started several schools and colleges in Belagavi district including the Angadi International School, Angadi College of Commerce and Science, Angadi Institute of Technology and Management and Angadi School of Architecture. A Lingayat strongman from Belagavi, Suresh Angadi also runs the Angadi Sugars and Power Limited, which is involved in manufacturing sugar along with processing of meat, fruits and vegetables. Angadi was given the ticket to contest Lok Sabha polls despite several top BJP leaders standing in line. His candidacy was pushed by BJP state President BS Yeddyurappa as Angadi. Prior to the 2009 elections, Angadi was considered a staunch loyalist of Yeddyurappa. However, when Yeddyurappa formed the Karnataka Janata Paksha in 2012, Suresh Angadi had refused to leave the BJP and support Yeddyurappa. In 2014, when KJP was dissolved, Suresh Angadi had, however, played a pivotal role in recommending to his party men that Yeddyurappa must be brought back into the BJP’s fold. He is also one of Yeddyurappa’s key conspirators in Operation Lotus – the plot to poach ruling coalition MLAs and bring down the government. When Yeddyurappa announced that the state government would definitely fall in the coming days on May 23, Angadi had his back and had proclaimed that Operation Lotus would begin in Belagavi.  

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After bomb scare at Bengaluru’s KSR Railway Station, train movements restored

Railways

KSR Railway station in Majestic at the city centre is the busiest railway station in the city with a daily footfall of about 2 lakh passengers.

Soumya Chatterjee

A bomb squad was rushed to the Krantiveera Sangolli Rayanna (KSR) Railway Station in Bengaluru on Friday at around 8:45 am after an object looking like hand-grenade was spotted on the side of the tracks between Platform No 1 and 2. Security staff present at the station cordoned off the area and ensured the vicinity of the area was evacuated. At that time, Sanghamitra Express which plies from Bengaluru to Patna was on Platform No 1. Little over an hour after the suspicious object was spotted by passers-by, the bomb squad assessed the area to be safe. The police, as a precautionary measure, searched the entire station premises, including trains, and found it to be safe. Following this, Additional Director General of  Police Railways Alok Mohan, who had also rushed to the spot, said, “There is no threat to any place. There was a beeping sound within a train which triggered the scare. Upon investigation, it was found that the sound alerting about the malfunction of the CCTV inside the coach.” Sources in the police told TNM that the suspicious object was a dummy and not an actual grenade. An official confirmation is awaited. Police are investigating how the suspicious object reached the spot in the first place. “At 8:45 am, the Railway Security Control reported that a hand grenade was spotted at KSR Bengaluru Station near trolley path on platform no 1. Railway Protection Force immediately swung into action. The area was cordoned off. Senior railway officers including Divisional Railway Manager (Bengaluru) have reached the spot. Divisional Security Commissioner led the team of Railway security force to thoroughly search the entire premises, including the trains,”  E Vijaya, Chief Public Relations Officer of South Western Railways, told TNM. She added, “Train movement was normal, except for on platform no 1 and 2. The grenade was handed over to the bomb disposal squad at 9.55 am. After thorough checking, trains on platform No 1 and 2 were allowed to leave. Normal operations were restored fully. Railway workforce has been put on alert. Intensive checks at the entrance, platforms, and train coaches and at parcel office are being conducted.” KSR Railway station in Majestic at the city centre is the busiest railway station in the city with a daily footfall of about 2 lakh passengers and around 100 trains leaving and arriving daily. The Railway Station is also connected to the metro station and both intra-city and interstate bus stations through subways and skywalks.

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Setback for former B’luru civic body Commissioner as HC sets aside clean chit

Court

M Lakshmi Narayana, IAS, was embroiled in controversy after he granted a trade licence to an eatery named 154 Breakfast Club in Koramangala.

TNM Staff

In a setback to Karnataka-cadre IAS officer M Lakshmi Narayana, the Karnataka High Court on Wednesday quashed a clean chit given to him in connection with a controversy regarding trade licence he issued to a Koramangala restaurant in 2016. When Lakshmi Narayana was the BBMP Commissioner, he granted a trade licence to an eatery named 154 Breakfast Club. This was opposed by residents in the area and the Namma Bengaluru Foundation (NBF), who approached the Urban Development Department. Additional Chief Secretary Mahendra Jain was then approached, who gave Lakshmi Naryana a clean chit after probing the allegation. Following this, NBF and residents approached the High Court. Residents alleged that the entire process was fast-tracked allegedly at the behest of Lakshmi Narayana, and said that the trade licence was illegal as it was a residential area. The High Court said that  Additional Chief Secretary Mahendra Jain was not the concerned authority to probe Lakshmi Narayana and hence, set aside his findings. The bench comprising Chief Justice AS Oka and Justice Dinesh Kumar said that NBF can approach the Department of Administration and Personnel Reform. In his probe, Jain had noted "lack of administrative prudence" rather than "malafide" intentions on Lakshminaryana's part. Citing lack of authority, Jain had then said he did not have powers to act further on the matter. Lakshmi Narayana retired from service earlier in 2019. Reacting to the order, Suresh NR, Director of NBF, said: “The Namma Bengaluru Foundation welcomes the Hon’ble High Court order and are determined to ensure prosecution of those officials who are complicit in violating laws.” The issue in mid-2016 had spiralled into a major controversy as the restaurant in question is co-owned by  Pranav, son of ex-Infosys CEO Mohandas Pai. According to Revised Master Plan of 2015 which was in effect then, the granting of licenses to the eatery was illegal as the land fell into a residential main zone. Even an interim order by the HC had cautioned BBMP against issuing trade licenses to establishments in residential areas.      

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Traffic in Bengaluru’s CBD area likely to be affected due to metro work

Civic

The work is part of the Gottigere-Nagavara line of the Bangalore metro, as part of which iconic buildings like Fatima Bakery and Hotel Tom’s are set to be demolished.

TNM Staff

Image for representation

Traffic in Bengaluru's busy Central Business District (CBD) area is likely to be affected due to the work taken up by Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) on the underground section between Vellara Junction and Pottery Town. The work is part of the Gottigere-Nagavara line of the Bengaluru metro. It led to Bengaluru's iconic Fatima Bakery and Hotel Tom's at Vellara Junction shutting shop on Thursday. The two outlets are set to be demolished along with a portion of the All Saints Church in the area. Two fuel outlets, BPCL and the Nagpal Service Station, on Residency Road were earlier shut down in February.  The metro station at Vellara Junction is going ahead despite protests by members of the All Saints'Church. The protestors and commuters feel that the construction work will create a traffic jam in the area. "Traffic on this road is already in a mess during peak hours. We are worried that the metro works will worsen the problems and make the stretch extremely dusty,” said Vignesh, a regular commuter speaking to Times of India.  BMRCL is planning to demolish Fatima Bakery, Hotel Tom's, Daniel Auto Garage among other buildings. Larsen and Tourbo has taken up the design and construction of underground structures.  Meanwhile, metro authorities’ plan to link Bengaluru city to the Kempegowda International Airport still remains unclear after airport authorities reportedly rejected proposals to construct elevated stations near the airport.  “Our DPR clearly states that the two stations at the airport will be elevated. One will be at the entrance near the Sky Garden and another near the terminal. We will look at the plan again and decide whether one of the stations can be at the ground level. Our work is going ahead and only the plan for these stations is on hold,” a BMRCL official told Deccan Chronicle.

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Even if Roe is upheld, abortion opponents are winning

A drip, drip, drip of state restrictions has made abortion harder to obtain.

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Kohli meets Queen Elizabeth, netizens asks Indian captain to bring back Kohinoor

Social Media

Social media users were quick to term Kohli the 'Kohlinoor Diamond'

TNM Staff

Ahead of the 2019 Cricket World Cup, captains of all ten teams participating in the tournament were invited for a gathering at the iconic Buckingham Palace in London.  The ten captains including India's Virat Kohli met Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Harry before the opening ceremony of the tournament on Wednesday.  It was an honour meeting Her Majesty the Queen and Prince Harry at the Buckingham Palace yesterday. @RoyalFamily pic.twitter.com/m552H9tPlt — Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) May 30, 2019 Photographs of the captains shaking hands with the queen in the 1844 room in the palace were shared on social media soon after the interaction. While one photograph showed the queen laughing in an interaction with Kohli and English captain Eoin Morgan. In another photo, the queen was seen seated with all the competing captains. While some social media users wondered what was being talked about, others termed the interaction between Kohli and Queen Elizabeth II as a king meeting a queen.    Great opportunity for Kohli to ask the queen to give our Kohinoor back. https://t.co/4WjW3kzrxj — . (@iamsrktheking) May 29, 2019     #CWC19 to jeet k layenge hi, saath me Kohinoor bhi le aao. #TeamIndia pic.twitter.com/2OzfHhOP2F — God (@TheGodWhispers) May 30, 2019 >p?   U have 2 opts king kohli. Either u have to bring back kohinoor diamond or 2019 worldcup. — chandrashekar R (@chandru22792) May 30, 2019 /p> Others decided to dub Kohli as the 'Kohlinoor.   When you realize India still has the real Kohinoor! IT'S KOHLINOOR. #ICCWorldCup2019 #TeamIndia pic.twitter.com/djkoTDFMII — vikash sharma vicky (@vicky_sbl) May 30, 2019     * When KOHLInoor's brand value is more than Kohinoor itself * #CWC2019 #ViratKohli #ENGvSA pic.twitter.com/MUL4qMI9wN — Harshit Singh (@harshits009) May 30, 2019     When you realize India still has the real Kohinoor! IT'S KOHLINOOR. #ICCWorldCup2019 #TeamIndia pic.twitter.com/djkoTDFMII — vikash sharma vicky (@vicky_sbl) May 30, 2019   Whether the Kohinoor diamond, which was confiscated by the British in the 19th century, returns to India remains in doubt. But there is a chance Virat Kohli and the Indian team comes back to India with the Cricket World Cup trophy from England.  India plays its first game in the competition on June 5 against South Africa. India last won the competition in 2011 on home soil and are one of the favorites to go on and win the competition this year.  Others decided to dub Kohli as the 'Kohlinoo

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