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Wednesday, July 17, 2019
Tuesday, July 16, 2019
Cong MLAs unhappy with K'taka coalition, tell leaders to pull the plug: Sources
Congress sources say that MLAs demanded that the party withdraw support from coalition government and sit in the opposition.
Early on Monday morning, the Congress’ 65 legislators, who are still with the party met at Taj Vivanta in Bengaluru’s Yeshwanthpur to discuss a crucial issue – must the Congress withdraw its support from the coalition or should it try to convince the rebelling MLAs cooped up in Mumbai to return? Congress insiders say that several MLAs expressed their concerns over expressing solidarity with the JD(S) as most of the renegade MLAs had placed the blame squarely on Chief Minister HD Kumaraswmay’s shoulders for rebelling against their own party. Congress sources say that the legislators demanded that the party withdraw its support from the coalition government and willingly sit in the opposition to avoid further embarrassment. “Most of the MLAs were of the opinion that staying in the opposition and building up a strong base for the party is the only thing Congress must do. Most of them are concerned about the BJP and JD(S) making inroads into Old Mysuru,” the source said. A Congress leader told TNM that several veterans were of the opinion that the JD(S) was only using the Congress’ support in the government for its own gains. “They [JD(S)] are gaining ground in Mysuru segment. GT Devegowda and Sa Ra Mahesh have been using this opportunity to destroy the Congress in segments which matter. In the meantime, BJP has gotten stronger in central Karnataka. The party must concentrate on becoming strong enough to face elections in four years and not play a game which is futile,” the Congress leader said. The leaders were allegedly unhappy that Deputy CM Parameshwara and Water Resources Minister DK Shivakumar had supported HD Kumaraswamy and his brother PWD Minister HD Revanna when MLAs had complained about their high-handedness and refusal to cooperate in running the government. “Many leaders were blaming Lakshmi Hebbalkar, who is DK Shivakumar’s supporter for the whole drama. The crisis started when Ramesh Jarkiholi rebelled against the party after the PLD Bank elections. Lakshmi Hebbalkar was elected with the help of Dk Shivakumar. Soon after that many more MLAs were being convinced by Ramesh to join him in his rebellion. Many were convinced that Kumaraswamy and HD Revanna would only destroy their reputations. They also were not happy that DK Shivakumar was supporting Kumaraswamy,” the Congress leader alleged. However, insider say that Water Resources Minister DK Shivakumar and his supporters are still confident of pulling a rabbit out of the hat and convincing the rebel MLAs to return to the party. “DK Shivakumar informed the leaders that he would at least try to bring back five or six MLAs before the trust vote. They also proposed seeking more time from the Speaker Ramesh Kumar for this purpose. Now that they have a two-day respite, the seniors are trying to convince the rebels. But a majority of the MLAs are of the opinion that withdrawing support from the coalition before the trust vote would give the Congress a chance to recover from this drama,” the Congress leader added. Sixteen MLAs of the coalition – including three JD(S) MLAs and 13 Congress MLAs – have so far submitted their resignation letters to the Speaker. Most of the MLAs in the state are lodged in various resorts across cities: The Congress MLAs are put up in Taj Vivanta in Yeshwanthpur, JD(S) leaders are at Prestige Golfshire and the BJP MLAs are at Ramada hotel in Yelahanka and Sai Leela hotel in Rajanakunte.
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Committee recommends diverting Linganamakki waters to Bengaluru instead of generating power
The report by an expert committee states that this move will solve city's drinking water needs by 2051.
Linganamakki reservoir
A committee headed by former Bangalore Water Supply and Sewage Board (BWSSB) chairman BN Thyagaraju has recommended the Karnataka government to stop power generation at the Linganamakki reservoir in phases so that the water can instead be used to address Bengaluru's drinking water needs. According to the report, in 2051, Bengaluru's drinking water requirement will be 69.45 tmc feet, taking into account the increase in population. It concludes that diverting a main chunk of the water, after finding alternate sources of power, would help address Bengaluru's water needs by 2051. The ten-member expert committee submitted a report - "Identifying water bodies to meet Bengaluru's long-term drinking water needs" - which states that the 60 tmc ft of water from the Sharavathi river, on which the Linganamakki reservoir is built, will address the drinking water needs of Bengaluru. The reservoir is located in Shivamogga district, around 400 km west of Bengaluru, and is the source of water for the Sharavathi Hydel project. Linganamakki Dam | Photograph via: USAID, Historical Archive The water from the reservoir will have to be pumped to the Yagachi reservoir, 130 km away in Hassan district, from where the water will be transported by pipelines to Arkavathi basin around 170 km away. The water will then be supplied for use in Bengaluru. The report also notes that some amount of electricity will be required for pumping the water. It urges the state government can turn to alternative options to generate power including oil, coal, nuclear, solar and wind energy. This comes at a time the state government is set to prepare a detailed project report on drawing water from the reservoir. The BJP, whose former Chief Minister Yeddyurappa hails from Shivamogga, has termed the plan 'unscientific'. Despite the reservations, the Karnataka government is set to prepare a detailed project report (DPR) on drawing water from the Linganamakki reservoir in Shivamogga, which is built on the Sharavathi river. The hydel project in the reservoir, which has ten units generating power, can generate up to 1035 MW of power every day. According to engineers at the Linganamakki reservoir, the hydel project has the capacity to generate up to 24 million units per day. The Karnataka government, after studying power generated by various sources, requests around 14 million units of power generation per day, according to engineers at the dam. Residents and environmentalists organise protests Environmentalists in Shivamogga have held public meetings in Shivamogga, Sagar, Hosanagara and Soraba ever since news of the government's intention to divert water from the Sharavathy River emerged in June. A district-wide bandh and protest was also held in July 10 in Shivamogga. "We will give a response to the committee report in due time. Many villages in Sagar taluk were forced to bring water from tankers this year. When there is a drought-like situation, such a project is unfeasible and we will continue our protest against it," says Akhilesh Chipli, a Sagar-based environmentalist. Residents and environmentalists have organised themselves under the banner 'Sharavathi Ulisi' (Save Sharavathi). They have held agitations in Bengaluru over the issue and urge the state government to take up initiatives like rainwater harvesting and rejuvenation of lakes in the city to address its water woes instead of taking water from river Sharavathi that lies almost 400 km away.
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Supreme Court to pass order on rebel Karnataka MLAs petition on Wednesday
The order will come a day ahead of the floor test which is expected to seal the fate of the Kumaraswamy-led government.
The Chief Justice of India-led bench of the Supreme Court said it would pass the order on the plea made by 15 rebel MLAs on Wednesday at 10:30am after hearing detailed arguments from all sides. The apex court’s observation on Tuesday is crucial as a floor test scheduled on Thursday is set to seal the fate of the Kumaraswamy government which is currently struggling with the numbers. The BJP is at an advantage leading with 107 MLAs including the support of two Independents, while the coalition is stuck at 101. Arguing for the rebel MLAs seeking acceptance of their resignations, former Attorney General of India Mukul Rohatgi claimed that the top leadership of both the Congress and the JD(S) was using disqualification as a means of “coercing and threats”. He mentioned Article 190 of the Representation of The People Act which he argued allows an MLA to resign if he has no faith in the government and seek re-election. He said, “If the Speaker is not deciding the resignations on some reason or other, means he is not impartial.” Rohatgi further argued that the threat of disqualification by the coalition leaders was a means to scupper the resignations. For this, he cited the case of Kerala MLA PC George when he was allowed by the Kerala HC to resign even though disqualification proceedings were initiated against him. Responding to that, the CJI observed, “Mr. Rohatgi, we cannot say how the Speaker should decide resignation or disqualification of MLAs. We cannot fetter him. The question here is if there is any constitutional obligation for him to decide resignation before disqualification or to club his decision on both.” On this, Rohatgi insisted that the top court, like it did in a midnight hearing in May 2018 in the case of holding a floor test, order the Speaker to decide the resignations within 24 hours. He prayed the court to grant exemption to the 15 MLAs from appearing in the Assembly on Thursday. "We have the fundamental right to resign," he maintained.. Following Rohatgi’s arguments. Abhishek Manu Singhvi, appearing for the Speaker, said the disqualification petitions for the MLAs have to be recognised first as all disqualifications are prior to resignations. He also cited a Constitution Bench order stating that disqualification of an MLA applies retrospectively and it supersedes resignation. The court also questioned if the Tenth Schedule (anti-defection law) and Article 190 (to vacate seats in the House/resignation) are interdependent or mutually exclusive. The court also pointed out, “You cannot question our jurisdictionary powers when we, to your benefit, had ordered a floor test, appointed a protem Speaker in a midnight hearing. The exercise of jurisdiction of our powers depends only on self-restraint.” Responding to this, Singhvi told the apex court that if allowed, the Speaker will decide on both the resignation and the disqualification of these MLAs. Mentioning the Kihoto Hollohan case, he said that there was a direct link between resignations and disqualifications. Following that, Rajeev Dhawan argued for the Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy. He said that the case is not between the Speaker and the judiciary but between the CM and those wanting to be the CM. "The only purpose of resignation is to become ministers. Speaker can't be unmindful of what's happening. These MLAs are hunting in a pack. These aren't individual requests," he told the court. He added, "This Court can interfere only after the decision is made and not before that. Judicial review cannot be exercised before the Speaker has taken a decision."
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Rebel Cong MLA Roshan Baig moves Karnataka HC after being detained by SIT
Baig is among the 15 MLAs who have moved the Supreme Court to direct the Speaker to accept their resignations.
Rebel Congress MLA Roshan Baig, who was detained on Monday evening by the Special Investigation Team probing the multi-crore IMA ponzi scheme, moved the Karnataka High Court on Tuesday challenging the SIT’s move. Baig had courted detention as he was set to board a chartered flight to an unconfirmed location on Monday evening where many of the rebel MLAs of the ruling coalition are staying. The news of his detention on Monday evening was tweeted by Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy himself. "BJP MLA Yogeshwar was present at the time (of Baig's detainment). It’s a shame that BJP is helping a former minister escape, who is facing a probe in the IMA case. This clearly shows BJP's direct involvement in destabilizing the govt through horse-trading,” the CM tweeted. The timing of the detention has been questioned by Baig as he was asked to appear before the SIT by July 19. The SIT in a statement said, "Baig was detained for questioning at the Kempegowda International Airport when he was about to take off in a private aircraft to an unconfirmed destination from Bengaluru." On Tuesday, the Supreme Court is set to resume hearing the case concerning the political crisis in Karnataka and a floor test is to be held on Thursday. Baig is among the 15 MLAs who have moved the Supreme Court to direct the Speaker to accept their resignations and effectively dislodge the current government. Members of the SIT declined to comment on the timing of his detention. However, SIT sources told TNM that Roshan Baig had sent a letter to the investigators stating that he would not be able to appear for questioning until July 25 and sought more time. SIT officials suspected that Baig would abscond if given the opportunity, and hence detained him. Soon after the news of the scam broke out, Revenue Minister RV Deshpande stated that Roshan Baig had requested officials from the Revenue Department to grant Mansoor Khan a no-objection certificate for a Rs 600 crore bailout. Meanwhile the BJP had attacked Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy for using “state machinery” to save his government. CM @hd_kumaraswamy is using the state machinery to save his govt now. Mr. Roshan Baig was given time till 19th July to appear before SIT. This shows how the state Govt is blackmailing and treating their own MLAs’ using the institutions. pic.twitter.com/m3u09OFRkD — BJP Karnataka (@BJP4Karnataka) July 15, 2019 It added, “CM @hd_kumaraswamy met @rroshanbaig at Taj west end on the night of July 12th. Everything was fine until Mr Baig pledged his support to Kumaraswamy’s govt but the minute he withdrew his support opportunist @hd_kumaraswamy started using state Machineries to blackmail the MLA.”
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11 Karnataka govt school kids hospitalised after drinking water laced with insecticide
Police suspect that some miscreants from the village mixed insecticide in the water tank to exact revenge from the school’s principal.
Seven months after the harrowing insecticide poisoning of ‘prasad’ at a temple in Chamarajanagar that killed at least 15 people, a similar case has been reported in Karnataka’s Mandya. Eleven school children of a government primary school in Mandya district have been hospitalised, allegedly after consuming water laced with insecticide. Students of the government primary school in A Hulikere village, just 7 kilometres away from Mandya town, began vomiting and complaining of stomach ache on Monday afternoon after consuming water from the school's drinking water tank. The victims have been identified as Chandu, Darshan, Dhanush, Mayur, Nisha, Prajwal, Shivalinga, Somashekar, Tejas and Yeshwanth, all of whom are below the age of 15, Mandya SP Shiva Prakash Devaraju said. "The children came into school on Monday morning as usual and during the mid-day meal, they consumed the water. Soon after that, they began vomiting and complaining of stomach pain," Shiva Prakash added. The teachers took the children to Kothathi Primary Health Centre, where they were diagnosed with insecticide poisoning. They were then rushed to Mandya Institute of Medical Sciences immediately, where they are currently undergoing treatment. "All the children are recovering now. It was very fortunate that the teachers acted quickly," an officer with the Mandya Rural Police Station, who is investigating the case, said. Police say that miscreants laced the drinking reverse osmosis water tank, containing 10 litres of water, with insecticide. Police now suspect that the miscreants wanted to exact revenge against the school's principal. "Over a week ago, the school principal and a few teachers had come to the police station and complained of miscreants usurping the school's play ground to hold gambling games. The police had warned the men, who are from the same village. We believe that the men poisoned the water to exact revenge. They were not allowed inside the school after the complaint was filed, and they did not have a new place to sit around, play cards and gamble. They would also get drunk in the school campus, which was not good for the children," the police official added. An FIR has been registered under section 304 (manslaughter), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 34 (acts done by several persons with a common intention) of the IPC at the Mandya Rural police station, and officials are investigating the case. Mandya SP Shiva Prakash said that the miscreants would be nabbed in a couple of days.
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How the BJP chipped away at Siddaramaiah to bring down coalition in Karnataka
The BJP has gained by discrediting and breaking down the one person who could have prevented the imminent collapse and revived the Congress in Karnataka – Siddaramaiah.
PTI file image
With the BJP coming out in the open about engineering the political crisis that appears set to drown the JD(S)-Congress government in Karnataka, the manner in which former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s closest aides have been targeted for the poaching stands out for its clinical clarity. The BJP and its national President and Home Minister Amit Shah have struck the coalition at its weakest point. And in the process, they have the additional gain of discrediting and breaking down the one person who could have prevented the imminent collapse and revived the Congress in the state, Siddaramaiah. Coalition partner JD(S) firmly believed Siddaramaiah was behind the crisis as at least six of the legislators sitting in the Mumbai hotel are among the former CM’s closest aides. Two of them -- Byrati Basavaraj and MTB Nagaraj -- belong to Siddaramaiah’s caste and have been funding his political career from several years. The BJP was so successful in fanning internecine fires that factions of the Congress party also believed that Siddaramaiah had sent his legislators to rebel against the coalition. That thought still persists and could even have a semblance of truth, as people feel it is entirely possible Siddaramaiah told his supporters to take their money and profits where they could, rather than depend on him to advance their careers in the current situation. Till the Karnataka Assembly Elections of May 2018, Siddaramaiah was the sole leader and undoubted mascot of the Congress party. Even after the party failed to secure a majority and had to settle for 25 seats less than the BJP in the 224-member house, Siddaramaiah was the sole leader trusted by most of the party and by the outgoing Congress President Rahul Gandhi. The CM post went to HD Kumaraswamy of the JD(S) -- a man Siddaramaiah has a mutually antagonistic relationship with -- and the deputy CM’s post went to the then state unit President of the Congress party, G Parameshwara -- another man with whom Siddaramaiah has a mutually uncomfortable relationship. The Congress High Command, however, made it clear that Siddaramaiah would be the Legislature party leader and the Chairman of the Coordination Committee between the coalition partners, making him a clear power centre. Siddaramaiah, however, appears to have visibly failed to live up to the additional pressure and responsibility of keeping afloat a coalition that goes very much against the grain for him. He did not ‘help’ his followers, he did not intercede or persuade Kumaraswamy-Parameshwara to carry out their wishes, he did not smooth differences among the coalition factions or even within the Congress party. To all intents and purposes, Siddaramaiah just let things go without keeping a check or control on it. The most charitable interpretation of his actions would be that he was too heartbroken over the decisive loss he faced in his home constituency of Chamundeshwari in the May 2018 poll. Though his second constituency Badami elected him, his situation was similar to what Rahul Gandhi is facing now (defeat in home constituency Amethi, elected from Wayanad) and he had similar instincts of not wanting to have anything more to do with direct politics for at least a while. He stated several times to people around him that he had no desire to fight an election ever again. And none of the Siddaramaiah shrewdness was evident in the selection of candidates to the Lok Sabha polls -- it caused more suspicion from the JD(S) and the other Congress factions that Siddaramaiah was only looking out for himself and not for either the party or the coalition. Now, with his close supporters sitting in the BJP camp and his image as a strong leader with staunch followers all in tatters, if it is true that Siddaramaiah engineered the coalition fall, as some people still believe, he has shot himself in the foot. The BJP has reaped the full benefit of the situation, something their party president would have definitely accounted for: they have nearly removed Siddaramaiah as any kind of threat to stop their sweep of the state and also succeeded in their goal of pulling down the ‘Congress’ part of the coalition government. Sowmya Aji is a political journalist who has covered Karnataka for 26 years. Views expressed are author's own.
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