Senior BJP leaders unhappy over Karnataka cabinet expansion after being sidelined

Politics

The discontent among leader arose hours after 16 BJP legislators and a councilman took oath as ministers in Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa’s cabinet on Tuesday morning.

TNM Staff

The cabinet expansion in Karnataka has sparked discontent among leaders in the state BJP, with several legislators openly expressing their disillusionment with not being given a cabinet berth. The developments occurred hours after 16 BJP legislators and a councilman took oath as ministers in Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa’s cabinet on Tuesday morning. Speaking to the media, six-time MLA from Chitradurga assembly segment, Thippa Reddy said that he was disappointed at not being offered a cabinet berth. “I have been in politics for the last 50 years and I have been elected six times as the MLA. I have worked so hard to gain the trust of the people. But just like always, an outsider will be named as the district-in-charge minister for Chitradurga. I am a senior leader and I had expected a cabinet berth. I am not someone who lobbies through followers. I hope the high command will take this into consideration,” Thippa Reddy said. Several BJP leaders, who were allegedly responsible for pulling off Operation Lotus in Karnataka and ensuring that the party got 16 Congress and JD(S) leaders to resign, have not been given ministerial posts. Among them are Virajpet MLA and former Speaker KG Bopaiah, nine-time MLA from Hukkeri Umesh Katti, Honnali MLA Renukacharya, Mahadevapura MLA Aravind Limbavali and Arabhavi MLA Balachandra Jarkiholi. A BJP source close to Balachandra Jarkiholi said that the leader was responsible for convincing his brother – Gokak MLA, Ramesh Jarkiholi to defect from Congress and stage a rebellion. Balachandra’s brother Satish Jarkiholi was the Minister for Environment and Forests in the Kumaraswamy cabinet. No matter which party is in power, one of the Jarkiholi brothers – Ramesh (Congress rebel MLA), Satish (Congress) or Balachandra (BJP) always manage to get a ministerial post due to their influence in Belagavi. This time around, the Jarkiholi family was sidelined during the cabinet expansion. Several of Balachandra Jarkiholi and Thippa Reddy’s supporters staged demonstrations in Arabhavi and Chitradurga, demanding that the leaders be given ministerial berths. “Since I have worked for the party for so long, my followers expected me to get a cabinet berth. I am just going about my work now. I am sure that one of the Jarkiholis will get a cabinet berth. But it is my personal opinion that a senior leader like Umesh Katti must have been given a ministerial berth. He has been with the party for so long and was crucial for its success. He should not have been sidelined,” Balachandra Jarkiholi told the media in Arabhavi. BJP insiders say that the high command had expected the state leaders to rebel, due to which only 17 names were confirmed this time around. “Bye-polls have to be held for 17 segments after the spate of resignations. Several of the rebels were promised ministerial berths. Depending on who will win or lose in the bye-polls, the next round of cabinet berths will be allotted. The rebels will be pacified as they can now expect to get berths during the next expansion,” the BJP source added.    

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Humanity first: In Kodagu, a Hindu and Muslim donate over 1.5 acres to flood victims

Karnataka rains 2019

While Haji gave the land for the new houses, Lokesh pledged his for an accessible road that can be built towards the plot.

Mubarak

In the face of terrible tragedy, the only glimmer of hope is often people coming together in solidarity and healing each other with love. Placing humanity ahead of religious differences, a Muslim man and his Hindu counterpart from Kodagu district have united to donate over 1.5 acres of agricultural land for the rehabilitation of flood victims.  According to Kodagu Deputy Commissioner Annies Kanmani Joy, the recent rains accompanied by flood in the Kodagu region have washed away over 5000 homes in several villages close to the Kaveri river, including Kondangeri. It was then that 55-year-old Abdulla Haji came forward with an offer to part with 1.5 acres of his 6-acre agricultural land and donate it to the Kondangeri Masjid Committee, so that the government can put it to use.  "When a person sees the people around him suffering so much, it is only natural that he would go and help others. Although I'm a not a rich farmer, I'm in a position to help them. I hope that the bereaved people get some strength from God to overcome their losses and grief,” Haji said. As per Haji’s proposal, the land is suitable for building permanent houses for the flood victims. But while the Masjid committee was considering the housing proposal, they soon realised that the construction site will face the problem of an inaccessible road. “But without any hesitation, another Kondangeri resident, Lokesh, approached the Masjid committee and pledged that the Masjid may attach his part of land to the charitable cause and lay down a road towards the residential project,” said Yusuf Haji, President of Kondangeri Muslim Jamath.  According to the Masjid authorities, most of the flood victims are labourers who've lost whatever little they had. “Almost all the flood victims whose houses have been destroyed are labourers from coffee plantations. They had to forcibly leave their homes as the water level rose and in the process, they also lost their possession and valuables along with their home,” said Yusuf. While government authorities are engaged in the rehabilitation process, there is a lack of temporary relief centres built by the government at Kondangeri village. Hundreds of victims, including women and children, irrespective of their religious beliefs, have taken shelter in relief centres at the Kondangeri Masjid while mourning their losses. “Haji was thoroughly involved in serving the needy at the Masjid when they had started coming to this shelter. We think he was overwhelmed by their losses and felt that it was necessary to look into providing the people with long-term solutions,” Yusuf said. This duo’s decision was hailed by the local authorities who confided that the district was facing a shortage of land to rehabilitate the victims of floods and landslides.  “There is already an ongoing process undertaken by the district administration to identify government land that has been encroached by a few agriculturists. The process of its recovery will commence. In the meanwhile, the generosity of people like Lokesh and Haji is really commendable,” Assistant Commissioner T Javare Gowda said. This is not the first time that ordinary people in the flood and landslide prone coffee belt have rushed to help others. Last year, Abdul Latif of Suntikoppa had come forward and donated 2 acres of his estate land for the rehabilitation of victims.

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‘No more commercialisation’: B’luru’s Bellandur residents protest over traffic mess

Civic Issues

Residents say repeated complaints to the authorities have fallen on deaf ears.

Soumya Chatterjee

On the same day that 17 MLAs of the ruling BJP took oath as ministers, residents of Bengaluru’s Bellandur took to the streets on Tuesday in protest demanding a solution for the worsening traffic congestion in the area. Bellandur on Outer Ring Road (ORR) is a highly populated area with a mix of big offices and residential spaces on the city’s outskirts. It has also been in the news for its infamous lake which has caught fire twice in the last two years. The residents formed a giant human chain along the Outer Ring Road near Eco Space and The Bay along RMZ Road, demanding that the authorities, primarily the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagar Palike (BBMP), stop further commercial development of the area until the situation improves. They complained that a drive or ride of less than 2km takes an hour in peak hours and even schoolchildren have to suffer, especially on the stretch between AET Junction, Doddakannalli to Outer Ring Road. Worse still, ambulances get stuck in the congestion putting the lives of patients at risk. Sonali Singh, a protestor, said, “Further commercial construction will add more commuters to roads which are already gridlocked. The government needs to take urgent measures to solve the mobility problems of this high-density corridor. Until then, no new construction should be allowed.” The protestors point out that the ban on construction is important as there is a dearth of public transport (BMTC buses, no Metro or suburban rail). The protestors also took exception to the ongoing mega construction work in RMZ Ecoworld. The metro plan, as part of the second phase to connect KR Puram and Silk Board along the Outer Ring Road, is yet to start.  “Our point is that we have been going to the authorities— be it the government agencies giving environment clearance, BDA, Urban Development Dept, BBMP commissioner or the Deputy CM in the past, for years. We have written to them several times including the ministers. But now that we have understood that it has fallen on deaf ears, we are forced to protest,” Kavita Suresh, one of the protestors said. “We are not experts, but the authorities have to stop construction and come up with a solution when we are diligently paying our taxes. We are the highest taxpayers for the whole of Bengaluru but the worst affected due to BBMP’s apathy. We don’t even have streetlights on our flyovers. Accidents due to lack of signages are common. Even reaching hospitals which are less than two kilometres away on the ORR takes more than one hour,” she added. Residents also point out that due to the increased congestion, the air pollution levels of both PM 2.5 and PM 10 are way above the WHO or national limits permissible, based on the findings by mobile handheld air quality analysers.

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How a Bengaluru baker is keeping a century-old family baking tradition alive

Food

Priyank Sukanand has opened Bangalore Connection 1888 which specialises in old favourites from his great-great grandfather’s bakery, and new additions like macaroons and mousses.

Nikhita Venugopal

In the heart of Bengaluru’s Shivajinagar, next to a tea shop and a grocery story that have long since closed their doors, there was once a bakery. Back in 1888, P V Kuppusawmy Naidu opened his own bakery on that block, serving butter and masala biscuits, honey cakes, chupam (a soft breadstick-like confectionary given to children), and decadent wedding cakes that climbed two and three tiers high.  Naidu’s bakery lived on for 97 years, run by three generations, fuelling a bakery culture that would become a timeless part of the city. Though it shut down in 1985, the legacy of baked goods for the family — and that Shivajinagar block — wasn’t over yet.  In December 2018, Priyank Sukanand, a Cordon Bleu-trained chef and the great-great grandson of the original Naidu founder, opened Bangalore Connection 1888, a production kitchen that specialises in sweet and savoury treats – from old Bengaluru bakery favourites (yes, he still makes those biscuits) to new additions like macaroons, doughnuts, cheesecakes, and mousses.  From Naidu Bakery to Bangalore Connection 1888 Priyank’s first steps into the food industry had curiously little to do with his family’s history. After two years of studying for a Bachelor’s degree in hospitality management, he left the course to pursue the culinary arts at Hyderabad’s Culinary Academy of India. “Even when I chose my specialisation in pastry, I didn’t think about the fact that my own family had a bakery,” he said.  Priyank graduated and returned to Bengaluru to gain some work experience around the city, but he realised that there was more to learn. And so, in 2017, he continued to hone his craft at Le Cordon Bleu in London.  Finally, back in Bengaluru after completing his Masters, it was time to decide how to use his culinary talent. He looked around for jobs but found people were offering the same pay that he would have gotten after his Bachelor’s degree. Though his great-great grandfather’s business hadn’t really figured into his decision to go into baking, a memory of a photograph finally allowed Priyank to see the connection.  "I had a vague memory from my childhood of seeing my great-great grandfather's bakery in a picture," Priyank said. The photo in question shows the bakery founder at a market show in Russell Market. “He would have a store where he would put up all his wedding cakes. He would specialise in making really fancy wedding cakes.” The picture, which is now a part of Bangalore Connection 1888’s marketing material, shows three wedding cakes, baskets piled high with biscuits, flags adorning the shop, and mirrors on the walls so that customers could see the ornately-decorated cakes from all angles.  Though it took a while to find the tattered, old photo, when Priyank did, he recalled, “I took that as my calling. That’s when it began.” When P V Kuppusawmy Naidu, who was a farmer, his mother and his wife (his second wife passed away on the journey), arrived in Bengaluru from Chittoor district in Andhra Pradesh, they lived in a former slum area near Cantonment Station. The story goes that Naidu’s wife learnt how to make bread from a British household where she worked, and taught her husband how to do it, too. Once he learnt the craft, he would sell his bread out of a basket at the railway station. Slowly, he learnt more recipes and saved enough money to finally open his bakery in 1888 — 10 years before the first Hassan Iyengar bakery, now ubiquitous throughout Bengaluru, is believed to have opened its doors.  Along with breads, cakes and traditional Western-style wedding cakes Naidu likely learnt from the British, he also sold jasmine cake, samosas with mutton kheema, Japanese cake, rusk-like ‘varachi’ (which people would break and dunk in tea), and his famous biscuits. “That was one of his biggest specialities. Everyone loved his biscuits,” Priyank said. The bakery went on to open two more branches and continued its operation under Priyank’s great grandfather, P K Balakrishna Naidu, and later, Priyank’s grandfather, P B Chittibabu Naidu. When Priyank’s father decided that he did not wish to take over the business, it closed around 1985.  A new face to an old bakery Now, at the block where the first Naidu Bakery branch once stood (though in a newer building), Bangalore Connection 1888 has opened shop. Drawing from his culinary training in the UK, Priyank was able to recreate many of the British-influenced treats that the original bakery sold. Though his family did not have any recipes saved, he sought their help for taste tests as he planned for the business.  The small team at the kitchen currently caters to wholesale orders for corporate events, restaurants, as well as single orders for cakes and other treats. Bangalore Connection has been open for only eight months, but they’re already looking to ratchet up production. In anticipation for the busy holiday month of December, 85 kgs of fruits and nuts sit soaking in a massive container in preparation for scores of Christmas cakes. This week, a rotating menu will also be available on Swiggy, and they are planning to open a retail space on Museum Road in September.  In naming the bakery, he decided to forgo the original Naidu name because of its caste connotations. “He himself denounced caste,” said Priyank, referring to his grandfather, who encouraged him to bake. “He made sure all of the children did not carry the Naidu name after him.” Though it isn’t a family business, Priyank is keeping a part of his family’s legacy alive through baking and other facets of the business, including the logo. It pays homage to his forefathers, who paved the way for his business, and nods to Shivajinagar and the iconic Bangalore Palace.  “For me, I’ve done my part to pay homage to these people. I’m walking into this energy, this space, and this room with their blessings; and them with me,” he said.

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Arrests made as per law, says Yediyurappa on cases against pro-Kannada activists

Language

Yediyurappa’s statement came soon after several Karnataka Ranadheera Pade activists protested alleging that the police had registered false cases against 6 of their members.

TNM Staff

Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Monday stated that the arrests of six pro-Kannada activists was done in adherence with the law. Yediyurappa’s statement came soon after several members of the Karnataka Ranadheera Pade, a pro-Kannada outfit, protested at Bengaluru’s Town Hall, alleging that the police had registered false cases against six of their members. “Our government is committed to safeguarding the interests of every Kannadiga. Action was taken against those who created a ruckus and the actions were taken as per the law. It has nothing to do with them being Kannada activists. I am pro-farmer as much as I am pro-Kannada,” BS Yediyurappa said. #kannada pic.twitter.com/QOOHs79tEN — Karnataka Varthe (@KarnatakaVarthe) August 19, 2019 Six activists belonging to various pro-Kannada outfits were arrested by the Commercial Street police on Sunday. The activists protested outside Ganesh Bagh, a prayer hall belonging to the Jain community located near Infantry Road in Bengaluru on Friday, against a hoarding not including Kannada language. “The pro-Kannada activists, who protested outside the Jain prayer hall, only did so because the hoardings did not include Kannada. We had no intention of making it about religion. We are all Kannadigas from various faiths,” said KRP secretary Ramanand Ankola. Slamming BJP MP Tejasvi Surya who had tweeted about the issue, he added, “Tejasvi Surya called us goons too. So, we demanded an apology,”  Activists said that the protest was held as the messages printed on the hoardings did not include Kannada and were written only in Hindi. “We had informed the people who had put up the hoardings that they must include Kannada. Despite this, they did not change the hoardings so we tore it and brought it down. Why did the police register a case under 153A (promoting enmity on the basis of religion)? We did no such thing,” Ramanand Ankola said. A video of the six pro-Kannada activists protesting outside Ganesh bagh went viral on Saturday after the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike uploaded it on Facebook. Soon after the video went viral, a member of All India Jain Federation, Trilok Chand, filed a complaint with the Commercial Street Police station alleging that the pro-Kannada activists were trying to provoke enmity on religious and linguistic grounds. The Commercial Street police registered an FIR against six persons under sections 153A (promoting enmity on the basis of religion and language), 427 (property damage), 504 (intentional insult to provoke breach of peace) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the IPC.  On Sunday, the Commercial Street Police arrested Ramesh Gowda T, Daapi Anjanappa, Harish Kumar B, Manjunath M, Chandrasekhar and Madesh Gowda S. The six accused were remanded to 14-day judicial custody. However, after the protests at Town Hall on Monday, they were released on bail.  

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Why district officials were caught unaware by the landslides in southern Kodagu

Landslides

Following the 2018 calamity in Kodagu district, geologists surveyed the areas affected and warned that landslides might recur, but landslides struck a different part of the district this time.

Prajwal Bhat

On August, 9 the officials in Kodagu’s District Disaster Control Room received frantic distress calls requesting rescue groups to rush to Thora, a hillside hamlet in Virajpet taluk of the district. Landslides had struck the region, ultimately taking the lives of five people. Eleven days on, the search operation to find the people missing after a major landslide in the village is still underway. Though the tragedy in Thora evoked jarring memories of the landslides in the hilly district around the same time last year, this year’s landslides came as a shock to officials. Authorities had identified vulnerable areas to monitor as per the 2018 landslides, which killed 18 people and displaced more than 7,000 others. However, the recent landslides occurred more than 50 kilometres away from that areas. Geologists from the Geological Survey of India (GSI) are now conducting surveys in the district for the second consecutive year and believe that change in rainfall patterns in the district may offer clues as to why the landslides occurred in these areas. "Landslides mainly occur due to heavy rain but it is not the only reason. It also depends on the slope, geology of the rocks and whether any modification (construction) was done on the slope. It is often a combination of two or three reasons," explains KV Maruthi, director, GSI told TNM.  Landslide in Thora, Kodagu Advance planning The district administration, caught unprepared by the landslides last year, planned for the monsoon in advance this year. Locations to open relief centres were identified, mock rescue drills were conducted and rescue groups were kept on standby in the district. On June 20, residents living in vulnerable areas identified by GSI were asked to shift to rented accommodations or rehabilitation centres as a precautionary measure. The district administration provided rent for up to three months for those displaced by the floods and landslides. However, their plans were thrown out of gear by incessant rainfall in and around Virajpet. Residents of Thora said that there was relentless rainfall in the village on Thursday, August 8 and early on Friday, August 9 before the landslide struck between 10.30 am and 11 am. In the week leading up to the landslide, Virajpet received 905 mm rainfall, which was 728% more than the normal rainfall. The district, on average, received 789 mm of rainfall in the week leading up to the landslide with Virajpet and Madikeri taluks bearing the brunt of the damage. Thirty-two areas in Virajpet and 30 areas in Madikeri taluks were hit by flooding. The district administration has opened 45 such relief centres across the district, accommodating more than 7,800 people. GSI survey flags vulnerable areas in Kodagu Following the 2018 calamity, geologists from GSI surveyed the areas affected and warned the district administration that landslides might recur. The team of scientists carried out landslide susceptibility mapping in the areas affected. This included areas in Makkanduru and Hebbatageri, and areas in Niduvattu, Mukkodlu and Mekethalu villages in the district. The GSI report, published in May 2019, identified 35 locations in the district as prone to landslides, of which 13 were termed highly vulnerable. The report also identified six locations where surface cracks were observed. Landslide in Eradane Monnangeri, Kodagu. Photograph from October, 2018 Based on the GSI's recommendation, the Karnataka government took measures and decided to halt conversion of  land for commercial purposes in November 2018 until strict guidelines for land use in the district are framed.  Geologists and authorities caught unaware   But unlike last year, landslides reported in Kodagu this year were in the southern part of the district in Madikeri and Virajpet taluks. This surprised geologists and district authorities since their plan for this year's monsoon focused on the areas affected last year.   In 2018, landslides were reported towards the western and northern part of Madikeri in Makkanduru, Jodupala, Monnangeri, among other nearby areas. This time around, two major landslides were reported in Thora village of Virajpet taluk and Korangala village of Madikeri taluk. In addition, surface cracks were reported in Ayyappa Hill and Nehru Nagar, hilly areas in Virajpet town and in a hilly area near the Talacauvery temple. These areas were surveyed by geologists from the Geological Survey of India (GSI) on Sunday and families living in these areas were evacuated to relief camps until restoration works can be taken up.  Relief camp in Ramanagara, Kodagu “Based on the GSI report (on last year's landslides), we considered the areas affected last year as critical areas and we took extra precautions there. The vulnerable areas identified were in Sowmarpet and Madikeri, but the NDRF team was prepared to respond to calls from the entire district and had visited Virajpet as well in advance,” Kodagu Deputy Commissioner Annies Joy explained. When the rains intensified in Virajpet taluk in the district, the NDRF team was moved to Virajpet. “It was unexpected that there would be landslides in the southern parts,” Annies added.  While the immediate focus remains on ensuring supply of food and clothing to displaced survivors, the district administration plans to carry out a detailed survey of the landslide in Thora and and also survey areas in other parts of the district. "This has happened for two years in a row now and we have to get back to the toughest part of the process - rebuilding. We will also focus on finding the answers to why this is happening," Annies added. 

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'Withdraw cases': Pro-Kannada activists protest, demand apology from BJP MP Tejasvi Surya

Language

Six pro-Kannada activists had been arrested for protesting at a Jain community hall and tearing down their hoarding.

TNM Staff

Following the arrest of six Kannada activists on Sunday, members of the Karnataka Ranadheera Pade held a protest outside Bengaluru’s Town Hall, demanding their release. The protestors also demanded an apology from BJP MP Tejasvi Surya alleging that he had "unnecessarily communalised" the issue.  Around 150 members of the pro-Kannada outfit accused the police and the state government of registering false cases against the six arrested activists and demanded that the cases be withdrawn immediately. The activists also demanded that BJP MP from Bengaluru South, Tejasvi Surya, tender an apology for “unnecessarily communalizing” the issue. “The pro-Kannada activists, who protested outside the Jain prayer hall, only did so because the hoardings did not include Kannada. We had no intention of communalizing the issue or making it about religion. We are all Kannadigas from various faiths. Tejasvi Surya called us goons too. So, we demanded an apology,” said KRP secretary Ramanand Ankola. Six activists belonging to various pro-Kannada outfits were arrested by the Commercial Street Police on Sunday. The activists protested outside Ganesh Bagh, a prayer hall belonging to the Jain community located near Infantry Road in Bengaluru on Friday. The activists protested against the hoarding not including Kannada language. “See, we held a protest only because the hoardings were all in Hindi. We are in Karnataka and it is mandatory for hoardings to have Kannada in it. We had informed the people who had put up the hoardings that they must include Kannada. Despite the warning, they did not change the hoardings so we tore it and brought it down. Why did the police register a case under 153A (promoting enmity on basis of religion)? We did no such thing. It was the BJP MP who communalized the issue,” Ramanand added. When the vandalism took place, only two security guards were present at Ganesh Bagh. A video of the six pro-Kannada activists protesting outside Ganesh bagh went viral on Saturday after the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike uploaded it on Facebook. Soon after the video went viral, a member of All India Jain federation Trilok Chand, filed a complaint with the Commercial Street Police station alleging that the pro-Kannada activists were trying to provoke enmity on religious and linguistic grounds. The Commercial Street police registered an FIR against six persons under sections 153A (promoting enmity on the basis of religion and language), 427 (property damage), 504 (intentional insult to provoke breach of peace) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the IPC.  On Sunday, the Commercial Street Police arrested Ramesh Gowda T, Daapi Anjanappa, Harish Kumar B, Manjunath M, Chandrasekhar and Madesh Gowda S. The six accused were remanded to 14-day judicial custody. However, after the protests at Town Hall on Monday, they were released on bail. “Our demand is that Chief Minister Yediyurappa instruct the police to drop the case against the Kannada activists. These are false cases and does not even address the issue at hand,” Ramanand said.    

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