Ex-Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah undergoes angioplasty

Health

On December 9, Siddaramaiah resigned as the opposition leader in Karnataka after the Congress suffered a debacle in the bye-elections.

IANS

PTI/ File image

Senior Karnataka Congress leader Siddaramaiah underwent angioplasty at a city hospital on Wednesday night. Late on Wednesday night, a tweet was issued from the official handle of Siddaramaiah saying, "I was treated for angioplasty this evening on the advice of doctors. I am healthy, no need to worry."   ವೈದ್ಯರ ಸಲಹೆ ಮೇರೆಗೆ ಇಂದು ಸಂಜೆ ಹೃದಯಕ್ಕೆ ಆಂಜಿಯೋಪ್ಲ್ಯಾಸ್ಟ್ ಚಿಕಿತ್ಸೆ ಮಾಡಿಸಿಕೊಂಡಿದ್ದೇನೆ.‌ ಸದ್ಯ ಆಸ್ಪತ್ರೆಯಲ್ಲಿದ್ದು ನಾಳೆ ಮನೆಗೆ ಹೋಗಿ ಕೆಲವು ದಿನ ವಿಶ್ರಾಂತಿ ಪಡೆಯುತ್ತೇನೆ. ಆರೋಗ್ಯವಾಗಿದ್ದೇನೆ. ಆತಂಕಪಡಬೇಕಾಗಿಲ್ಲ. ಈ ವಿಷಯದ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಹೆಚ್ಚಿನ ಚರ್ಚೆ ಬೇಡ ಎಂದು ಮಾಧ್ಯಮ ಮಿತ್ರರಲ್ಲಿ ವಿನಂತಿ. — Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) December 11, 2019   According to a Congress party source, Siddaramiah went to the hospital for a routine check-up earlier in the day and returned home in the afternoon. He again returned to the hospital in the evening as he was advised angioplasty, the source confirmed to IANS. Doctors have advised Siddaramaiah, 71, to take rest for a few days. "I am currently in the hospital and will go home tomorrow and get some rest," said Siddaramaiah's tweet. He appealed to the media not to discuss about his health matter further. Earlier in the day, the former Karnataka Chief Minister tweeted condemning rumours about his health. He said, "Rumours about my health are baseless. I am healthy and fine. I have come to the doctor for a regular check-up, so there is no need to worry."   Rumours about my health is baseless. I am healthy and fine. I have come to Doctor for a regular health check-up so there is no need to worry. — Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) December 11, 2019   On December 9, Siddaramaiah resigned as the opposition leader in Karnataka after the Congress suffered a debacle in the by-elections, winning only two of the 15 assembly seats it contested.    

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‘Kids of immigrants to stay with parents in same detention centre': Centre to K'taka HC

Child Rights

A Bengaluru-based lawyer had contended that the children should not be kept in detention centres but “observational homes”, according to the Juvenile Justice Act.

Soumya Chatterjee

The Union government on Wednesday told the Karnataka High Court that children of undocumented/illegal immigrants would be staying with their parents in the same detention centres and no additional facility will be made for the children alone. The central government counsel added that these children will be given education at local government schools and the cost of the same will be borne by the Union government.  The Centre’s submission came as the High Court bench, headed by Justice KN Phaneendra, was hearing a plea by an advocate, Sirajuddin Ahmed. He had contended that the children should not be kept in detention centres but “observational homes”, according to the Juvenile Justice Act. This development came as the contentious National Register of Citizens (NRC) Bill was tabled in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday after it was passed in the Lok Sabha. The case pertains to a bail application filed by one Babul Khanin in September 2019 for 14 Bangladeshi immigrants and one Burmese immigrant, who were arrested in August 2018 from the Sarjapur police station limits in Bengaluru. Ahmed is representing one of the detained 14 immigrants from Bangladesh. The matter will be heard again on Thursday. Speaking to TNM, Ahmed said, “Why should children suffer even if their parents are found guilty of illegally immigrating. I am opposing this as this violates the International Human Rights Convention, in which India is a party. So all countries in the convention are bound to follow this.” He also adds that as per the treaties, the state government is responsible for the upkeep of the immigrants (including the children) till the receiving country accepts them back. While detention centres for illegal immigrants are not illegal, keeping children in these centres is an abuse of child rights.  “Children, irrespective of their nationalities, enjoy the Juvenile Justice Act in India. They have to be kept in special observational homes. Only parents can demand that children below the age of six live with them,” he added. He further added in case the parents can arrange family members to take care of them, then it shoud be allowed too. In the earlier hearings, the HC had asked the Karnataka government to reveal the details of the number of detention centres in the state for detaining illegal immigrants. It also directed the state government to spell out the plan to detain immigrants without documents currently residing in the state. As earlier reported by TNM, the state government has repurposed a hostel built for SC/ST students in Nelamangala, around 40 km outside Bengaluru, into a detention centre for illegal immigrants. While the construction of the building is completed, it is only expected to be opened for use in January 2020.  Read: The uncertain future of the Bangladeshi immigrants taken from Bengaluru to Kolkata        

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White House moves up meeting with warring health officials

Administration officials say Azar and Verma must pledge to end a feud that's threatening Trump's health agenda ahead of his reelection campaign.

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How Trump and the Democrats parted ways on lowering drug prices

The cost of medicine is a rare bipartisan goal — but impeachment got in the way.

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Missing sisters from Nithyananda ashram say they will depose from US

Crime

In an earlier hearing, the police had told the court that Lopamudra Sharma (21) and Nandhitha Sharma (18), daughters of Janardhana Sharma, may have escaped abroad.

IANS

The two sisters who have gone missing from the ashram of absconding godman Nithyananda in Ahmedabad told the Gujarat High Court on Tuesday that they are ready to depose before the court through video conference from the Indian High Commission in either West Indies or USA. The court, however, coming down heavily on the counsels of the state and the woemn insisted on a personal appearance of the two sisters. Through their lawyer, the two daughters of Janardhana Sharma, who filed a habeas corpus after finding them missing from the ashram here, stated that they cannot appear in person as there is a threat to their lives from their father The division bench of Justices SR Brahmbhatt and AP. Thaker insisted on their appearing in person in the court and assured full protection to them. The court directed the sisters' lawyer to file a reply on their behalf in affidavit by December 19, and the further hearing will take place on December 20. In an earlier hearing, the police had told the court that Lopamudra Sharma (21) and Nandhitha Sharma (18), daughters of Janardhana Sharma, may have escaped abroad. Janardhan, in his habeas corpus plea, claimed his daughters were being "illegally confined" in Nithyananda's ashram in Ahmedabad. The petition filed by Janardhan Sharma, the father of the women, alleged that authorities of the 'Yogini Sarvagyapeetham' did not allow parents to meet the children. The children were initially enrolled at the Nithyananda Dhyanapeetham at Nithyananda Nagara, Bidadi, Bengaluru in 2013. Janardhana said that all four children were shifted to Ahmedabad without notice last year. Two minor children were returned but the two adult daughters were kept in the ashram. 

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‘Namma Bus Super’: Citizens, top cop cheer bus priority lane in Bengaluru

Transport

Police Commissioner Bhaskar Rao, BMTC MD C Shikha, BBMP Special Commissioner D Randeep also hopped onto a bus to drive home the message.

Soumya Chatterjee

There was a sense of overwhelming optimism and proactiveness among those who gathered, shouting slogans on Wednesday morning at the busy Silk Board junction in Bengaluru ahead of the Bus Yatra, which was also attended by Bengaluru City Police Commissioner (CoP) Bhaskar Rao. Armed with placards, banners or on their cycles, activists gathered to promote the bus priority lane (BPL) system that has been put in place from Silk Board to KR Puram.  “Left Lane, Bus Lane. Nimma Bus, Namma Bus Super Expressu. Saku Saku, Pollution Saku,..Beku Beku Nimbus,” volunteers of Citizens for Bengaluru, Bellandur Jothege, Go Green Initiative among many other citizen groups shouted. “Bengaluru fights back”, “Ditch the car, catch the bus”, read some of the placards. Other top government officials who joined the yatra were BMTC MD, C Shikha; BBMP Special Commissioner, D Randeep; and BMTC Director of Security and Vigilance, Anupam Agarwal. Top government officials including the CoP hopped on to a bus from Silk Board to Ecospace Tech Park on the Outer Ring Road, along with some activists and journalists.   The CoP and other top officials even posed for photographs with placards, to drive the message home.   Rather than complaining about the city’s perennial traffic problem, the activists vowed to make the plan work and offered their help to ensure implementation. There was music too as Swarathma, Bengaluru based popular folk-rock band also lent their support to the cause. Under this BPL system, the left lane of this entire stretch is reserved only for BMTC buses named as Nimbus (short for Nimma Bus, meaning your bus in Kannada). This is done to ensure that BMTC buses travel faster than the rest of the traffic and people are motivated to ditch private vehicles in favour of the bus, and, in the process, reduce congestion and pollution. Vehicles, other than ambulances and fire engines, are liable for fines if they stray onto this road, as per a notification issued by the Police Commissioner on November 15.   The event was held in association with various citizen groups, working to create awareness among the road users about the new scheme and promote public transport usage as the most sustainable mode of intracity commute. At present, with low awareness and lack of sufficient enforcement, the bus lane system is yet to fully kick in as there are instances of non-BMTC vehicles in the bus lane.   The Traffic Police are expected to levy fines of Rs 500 for the first offence and Rs 1,000 for subsequent offences from the next year for violating the bus lane rule. Currently, Traffic Police officials say that efforts are on to sensitise other vehicles about the initiative. Once fine-tuned, the authorities have said that BPL will be implemented in other high-density corridors of the city like that in Hosur Road, Old Madras Road among others. Activists hailed the promptness of the multiple departments to put in place the system in a relatively short period of time. With this, activists are also hopeful that other long-pending pro-public transport measures will also be accepted by the government.  Some of them include lowering of bus fares, increasing the fleet and rationalisation of routes.

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After Dinesh Gundu Rao's resignation, DK Shivakumar eyes KPCC President post

Politics

Dinesh Gundu Rao’s resignation came after the Congress’ abysmal performance in the Karnataka bye-polls, where the party won only two of the 15 seats.

Theja Ram

Intense lobbying has begun for the post of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) President after Dinesh Gundu Rao resigned on Monday. Dinesh Gundu Rao’s resignation came after the Congress’ abysmal performance in the Karnataka bye-polls held in 15 segments, where the party won only two of the 15 seats. Sources close to DK Shivakumar, the former Water Resources Minister, say that he is lobbying for the post of the KPCC President. Party insiders say that DK Shivakumar held a telephonic conversation with Rajya Sabha MP Ahmed Patel, who is also an advisor to interim President of the All India Congress Committee, Sonia Gandhi. “Shivakumar has informed Ahmed Patel that he is capable of taking care of the party and building it from ground up. There are many important posts that are vacant and he has assured the high command that he can be trusted with the responsibility,” the source said. This is not the first time DK Shivakumar has lobbied for the post of KPCC President. In July 2018, when former Deputy Chief Minister Dr G Parameshwara resigned from the post of KPCC President, DK Shivakumar had lobbied for the post. However, at the time, there were many warring factions within the party, who wanted their candidate to become the President. This had led the party to choose Dinesh Gundu Rao, a neutral figure, hoping that his ‘please-all nature’ would help quell the rebellion. Ahead of Dinesh Gundu Rao’s resignation, former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, too, had resigned as the leader of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP). Siddaramaiah and Dinesh Gundu Rao had both accepted moral responsibility for the party’s defeat in the state. “DK Shivakumar was kept out at the behest of Siddaramaiah (former CM). Siddaramaiah has chosen to take a step back even though many are asking the high command to not accept his resignation and reinstate him as the CLP leader. There is a position open for aspirants to take over and Shivakumar is making use of it,” the source said. Shivakumar is flying to New Delhi on Thursday to hold talks with his attorneys in connection with the Enforcement Directorate’s money laundering case against him. Sources say that Shivakumar is likely to meet the high command and discuss his candidature as the KPCC President too.

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