Bengaluru man calls police control room posing as commissioner’s PA, seeks donation

Crime

The man allegedly asked cops to donate money to a blind school.

TNM Staff

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The Whitefield police are on the lookout for a man from Bengaluru who called the police control room posing as the police commissioner’s personal assistant and asked the officers at the station to donate some money to a blind school. Although the incident took place on June 29, it came to light only now. The man made the call to the control room of the Deputy Commissioner of Police’s office in Whitefield and instructed the staff to donate money to a blind school. According to reports, the man allegedly stated that the Commissioner had issued the order to all police officials about the donation. He further added that while police inspectors were to donate Rs 2,000 each, sub-inspectors were to donate Rs 1,000 each. He claimed that a representative of an Indiranagar-based blind school would visit the police the next day, to whom the money should be handed over. The staff members passed the message onto senior officials, who were able to verify the false nature of the call. Following this, Whitefield police filed a case of extortion against the man. According to the Deccan Herald, police officials investigating the case were able to trace the call to Doddabalapura and have sent a team to track the culprit. This is not the first time that a hoax call or a prank call has been made to police in the city. On several instances, there have been cases of a hoax call being made to officials. In one such instance in April, a 65-year-old man was arrested by the city police after having made a call to the police control room, claiming that a terror attack would be carried out in seven states, including Karnataka.

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Rebel Karnataka MLAs reach Mumbai in private flight belonging to BJP MP's company

Politics

The MLAs are reportedly staying at a luxury hotel in Mumbai's Bandra Kurla Complex.

Theja Ram

The political drama unfolding in Karnataka has now crossed state borders with Congress and JD(S) rebel legislators landing in Mumbai. At around 8.35 pm on Saturday, nine Congress and JD(S) MLAs arrived at Sofitel Hotel in Mumbai's Bandra Kurla Complex. Sources in the BJP say that former Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa's personal assistant Santosh, MLA Ashwathnarayana and CP Yogeshwar ushered the rebel MLAs from Raj Bhavan to Bengaluru's HAL Airport, where they boarded a private charter flight said to be owned by BJP MP Rajeev Chandrashekar's company Jupiter Capital. This despite Yeddyurappa releasing a pores statement claiming that the BJP had nothing to do with the rebellion in the coalition. A spokesperson for Jupiter Capital said, "Yes, the plane does belong to Jupiter Capital. It must also be noted that when the company receives a request to hire the private plane, it is up to the discretion of the company head to rent it out. The MLAs did travel in a plane owned by Jupiter Capital." On Saturday afternoon, 12 MLAs -- 9 from Congress and 3 from the JD(S) -- knocked on Speaker Ramesh Kumar's door at Vidhana Soudha and tendered their resignations. The MLAs also rushed to meet the Governor Vajubhai Vala to apprise him of the political turmoil in the coalition. The MLAs include former state Home Minister Ramalinga Reddy, Ramesh Jarkiholi, AH Vishwanath, Somashekar, Pratap Gouda Patil, Gopalaiah, BC Patil, Mahesh Kumtahallli, Narayana Gowda, Byrati Basavaraj and Shivram Hebbar. The 11 Karnataka MLAs, who submitted their resignation, have done so demanding a change in leadership in the Congress-JD(S) led government, helmed by Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy. If five more MLAs resign, the coalition will no longer have a majority in the Karnataka Assembly. "There are way too many power centres in the coalition. There is Kumaraswamy, who is hoarding 11 portfolios. There were several requests to expand the number of cabinet berths and share the portfolios with seniors and veterans. That did not happen. On the other hand, Siddaramaiah has also been controlling Congress MLAs. There was a perpetual stalemate between Kumaraswamy and Siddaramaiah. Constant transfer of officials and the power struggle resulted in several veterans being sidelines. They realised that staying with the coalition was worthless," a highly placed source in Congress said. The strength of the coalition government is 120 now, including the Speaker. Congress has 80 MLAs, the JD(S) has 37 MLAs and there is 1 BSP MLA. Two independent MLAs - R Shankar from Ranebennur and H Nagesh from Mulbagal constituencies - are also supporting the coalition. The BJP’s strength in the Assembly is 105. The majority mark is 113.

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Karnataka crisis: Huge drama as DK Shivakumar tears up Cong MLA's resignation letter

Politics

Sources say that when DK Shivakumar found out that Munirathna had accompanied eight other MLAs to submit their resignations, he arrived at the Vidhana Soudha in a fit of rage.

Theja Ram

The crisis in Karnataka politics continues to intensify as 11 MLAs have submitted resignation letters. Their resignation signals the growing disillusion within the weakening Congress-JD(S) coalition, as it teetered towards collapse on Saturday. Karnataka minister and troubleshooter DK Shivakumar has been working to pacify the rebelling MLAs but drama ensued after he learned that RR Nagar MLA Munirathna had also tendered his resignation. Sources say that when DK Shivakumar found out that Munirathna had accompanied eight other MLAs to submit their resignations, he arrived at the Vidhana Soudha in a fit of rage and tore up Munirathna’s letter.  The MLAs who have submitted their resignations include former state Home Minister Ramalinga Reddy, Ramesh Jarkiholi, AH Vishwanath, Somashekar, Pratap Gouda Patil, Gopalaiah, BC Patil, Mahesh Kumtahallli, Narayana Gowda, Byrati Basavaraj, Shivram Hebbar. Munirathna then went to the Governor to directly voice his concerns regarding the party.  And in their meeting with the Governor, the MLAs complained about DK Shivakumar tearing up Munirathna’s resignation letter. The Governor, Vajubhai Vala, then got Bengaluru Commissioner Alok Kumar to hear them out.  According to sources, since the letter was torn, Munirathna’s resignation was not considered official.  The 11 Karnataka MLAs who submitted their resignation to Speaker Ramesh Kumar claimed they made the decision due to their loss of confidence in the leadership of Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy, sources say. DK Shivakumar meanwhile is busy trying to sort out the issue. "It was shocking to me that Ramalinga Reddy offered his resignation. He is a senior leader of the party, a seven-time MLA like me. He feels humiliated by the party and the ministry. I hope to sort it out,” Shivakumar told TNM outside his residence in Bengaluru on Saturday.  If five more MLAs resign, the coalition will no longer have a majority in the Karnataka Assembly.  The strength of the coalition government is 120 now, including the Speaker. Congress has 80 MLAs, the JD(S) has 37 MLAs and there is 1 BSP MLA. Two independent MLAs - R Shankar from Ranebennur and H Nagesh from Mulbagal constituencies - are also supporting the coalition. The BJP’s strength in the Assembly is 105. The majority mark is 113. Read also: ‘Anybody but Kumaraswamy as CM’: What 11 Karnataka MLAs who resigned claim they want 

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'Shocked that Ramalinga Reddy gave his resignation', DK Shivakumar to TNM

Politics

Sources say that Ramalinga Reddy has asked for Bengaluru Development ministry.

Prajwal Bhat

Karnataka Water Resources Minister DK Shivakumar on Saturday stated that he was shocked that a senior leader like Ramalinga Reddy submitted his resignation from the Karnataka Assembly. Speaking to TNM outside his residence in Bengaluru, Shivakumar said, "It was shocking to me that Ramalinga Reddy offered his resignation. He is a senior leader of the party, a seven-time MLA like me. He feels humiliated by the party and the ministry. I hope to sort it out.” According to sources, Ramalinga Reddy is keen on getting the Bengaluru Development portfolio, which is currently held by Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara. Ramalinga Reddy had been miffed with Kumaraswamy for not including him when the cabinet was formed and further excluding him during the reshuffle. The developments come on a day when eight Congress MLAs and three JD(S) MLAs submitted their resignation letters to Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar. The Speaker, however, was not in his office. Though one more Congress MLA wanted to submit his resignation, Congress leader DK Shivakumar tore it. Despite this, Shivakumar expressed confidence that the coalition government in power in Karnataka will continue. "We are confident (that it will continue). There may be interpersonal differences. Each MLA has his or her own set of problems and we will settle them. I cannot tell what I have discussed with them. BJP leaders are pretending to be innocent but I know who they are speaking to. Let us wait and see,” he said. He further added that the coalition is ready to make sacrifices to ensure the government is secure. "We will rectify what is wrong and save the government. We are ready for all sacrifices. We can't stop who is leaving but leaders have left in the past and then returned,” he added. It was DK Shivakumar who acted as troubleshooter this time too and rushed to the Speaker's office in Vidhana Soudha when the MLAs went to hand over their resignations. DK Shivakumar managed to take at least four MLAs home with him. But in his conversation with TNM later, it was clear that he had not fully managed to convince these Congress MLAs to take back their resignations. The rebel 11 MLAs are currently on their way to Mumbai. Their resignation spells trouble for the Karnataka government, as they are 4 MLAs away from losing majority in the Assembly. Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy is in the US and is rushing back to Bengaluru. The majority mark in the Karnataka Assembly is 113 and the Congress had 80 MLAs, the JD(S) has 37 MLAs and there is 1 BSP MLA. There are two independent MLAs who have supported the coalition. The opposition BJP’s strength in the Assembly is 105.

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‘Anybody but Kumaraswamy as CM’: What 11 Karnataka MLAs who resigned claim they want

Politics

Ramalinga Reddy has however demanded that he should be given the Bengaluru Development ministry.

Theja Ram

The 11 Karnataka MLAs who submitted their resignations to the Karnataka Speaker on Saturday claim that they did so as they were unhappy with Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy’s leadership, sources told TNM. Former Karnataka Congress Minister and senior leader Ramalinga Reddy has however demanded that he should be given the Bengaluru Development ministry which is currently being held by Deputy Chief Minister Parameshwara. Ramalinga Reddy and 10 other MLAs – Ramesh Jarkiholi, AH Vishwanath, Somashekar, Pratap Gouda Patil, Gopalaiah, BC Patil, Mahesh Kumtahallli, Narayana Gowda, Byrati Basavaraj, Shivram Hebbar – have submitted their resignations. Highly placed sources told TNM that out of these, three Karnataka Congress MLAs – ST Somashekar, Byrathi Basavaraj and Munirathna – have demanded a change of leadership and demanded that Kumaraswamy be ousted as the Karnataka Chief Minister. The three have demanded that former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah be made the Chief Minister. Other rebel MLAs have suggested that anybody but Kumaraswamy be made the Chief Minister, sources stated.  However, a top Congress source denied this and said that other than Ramalinga Reddy, all other MLAs were in talks with the BJP and were ready to jump ship. "Demanding a leadership change is just their ploy to deepen the fissures in the coalition." These developments have put the JD(S)-Congress’s ruling coalition in Karnataka in a tight spot. While 11 MLAs have resigned, if five more do so, the coalition will no longer have a majority in the Karnataka Assembly.  Also read: Leading the rebellion against K'taka govt is former Congress Home Minister Ramalinga Reddy The 11 MLAs were accompanied by rebel Congress leader Anand Singh, who has tendered his resignation already, and Congress MLA Munirathna, whose resignation was reportedly torn by Karnataka Minister DK Shivakumar earlier on Saturday.  Karnataka Minister and troubleshooter DK Shivakumar told TNM that he is trying to convince the MLAs and that they want to resign over ‘petty reasons.’ The strength of the coalition government is 120 now, including the Speaker. Congress has 80 MLAs, the JD(S) has 37 MLAs and there is 1 BSP MLA. Two independent MLAs - R Shankar from Ranebennur and H Nagesh from Mulbagal constituencies - are also supporting the coalition. The BJP’s strength in the Assembly is 105. The majority mark is 113.  

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Leading the rebellion against K'taka govt is former Congress Home Minister Ramalinga Reddy

Politics

Reddy is unhappy that neither he nor his daughter were made ministers in the cabinet.

Theja Ram

In a significant setback to the JD(S)-Congress government in Karnataka, former Karnataka Home Minister Ramalinga Reddy submitted his resignation as an MLA, however, Speaker Ramesh Kumar is yet to accepting this resignation. Speaking to ANI, Ramalinga Reddy said that he would not blame the party or the high command, but was resigning because he felt "neglected".  "I somewhere feel I was being neglected over some issues. That is why I have taken this decision," he said. When asked if the BJP is in touch with him, he said, "Nothing like that.” When asked whether his daughter and MLA Sowmya Reddy, who is also reportedly likely to resign, will be joining BJP, Reddy said, "That is her decision." Though Congress troubleshooter DK Shivakumar managed to take away Ramalinga Reddy and two others with him, Reddy for now seems adamant about his resignation. Reddy is unhappy that neither he nor his daughter were made ministers in the cabinet. Though he was supposed to be accomodated in the recent reshuffle, it did not happen, leaving Reddy miffed. Moreover, there is tussle between Ramalinga Reddy and Deputy Chief Minister Parameshwara over the garbage tenders given in Bengaluru, as this used to be Reddy's turf. Along with former Ramalinga Reddy, 10 other MLAs - Ramesh Jarkiholi, AH Vishwanath, Somashekar, Pratap Gouda Patil, Gopalaiah, BC Patil, Mahesh Kumtahallli, Narayana Gowda, Byrati Basavaraj, Shivram Hebbar - have submitted their resignations to the Speaker’s office. Some of the dissenting MLAs also met Governor Vajubhai R Vala. These developments have put the JD(S)-Congress’s ruling coalition in Karnataka in a tight spot. While 11 MLAs have resigned, if four more do so, the coalition will no longer have a majority in the Karnataka Assembly.  The developments have come as a shock to leaders of the ruling coalition. Soon after the news of the legislators reaching Vidhana Soudha got out, Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee President Dinesh Gundu Rao rushed to former Home Minister Ramalinga Reddy’s residence as the latter’s name was doing the rounds as one of the MLAs likely to quit. Also read: Live blog: JD(S)-Congress govt in K'taka in crisis as over 10 coalition MLAs want to quit

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11 Cong-JD(S) MLAs tender resignation, but Karnataka Speaker plays hide and seek

Politics

Claiming he didn’t know the MLAs were coming to meet him, the Speaker said, “You may want to marry the Mysuru Maharani, but does that mean she has to accept?”

TNM Staff

As crisis brews in the Karnataka government and there are several speculations about what may happen by the end of Saturday, the Karnataka Assembly Speaker Ramesh Kumar playing hide and seek. The Speaker is the only person who can accept resignations of elected legislators in the state, and as 11 MLAs from Congress and JD(S) lined up in front of his office on Saturday, Ramesh Kumar made a quick disappearing act. First, he went off to a hospital, and then, speaking to the media, he said he wouldn’t return to his office till Tuesday. “I did not know that the MLAs were coming to meet me,” Ramesh Kumar – a Congressman – told mediapersons around 3 pm on Saturday, hours after 11 MLAs turned up at his doorstep to tender their resignations. “Did they call me? Did they write to me? Did they tell me they were coming to meet me? Then how am I supposed to know?” he asked, adding, “You may want to marry the Mysuru Maharani, but does that mean she has to accept?” The Speaker said that a relative of his – a cousin of his wife – was extremely unwell and was at the Jayadeva Hospital. He had therefore gone to meet him on Saturday afternoon, right when the MLAs came to meet him. “I am a farmer and I need to go home on Sunday,” he said, “And there is already a programme for Monday that I need to attend. So I will be back on Tuesday.” The 11 MLAs who have given resignation letters to the Speaker’s office are JD(S) leaders AH Vishwanath, and Gopaliah Narayana Gowda, and Congress leaders Ramalinga Reddy, Mahesh Kumthalli, BC Patil, Ramesh Jarkiholi, Shivaram Hebbar, Narayan Gowda, Byrathi Basavaraj, ST Somashekar, and Pratapgouda Patil. “I have told my office to take their letter,” Ramesh Kumar said. Ramesh Kumar’s blink-and-miss act seems to be just another part of the ruling coalition’s efforts to bring the disgruntled MLAs back in their fold. Congress troubleshooter and Water Resources Minister DK Shivakumar reached the Speaker’s office soon after the rebel MLAs grouped there. He managed to sneak away Ramalinga Reddy, Byrathi Basavaraj, and Somashekar for talks, even as the other MLAs left to Raj Bhavan to meet the Governor.

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