Centre grants Rs 1,800 cr flood relief to Karnataka, though BSY asked for 50k crore

Politics

The floods in Karnataka affected 22 districts, with more than 80 people dead and close to four lakh houses damaged.

Soumya Chatterjee

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The Union government on Monday allocated an additional Rs 1869.85 crore to Karnataka for funds as compensation for losses suffered during the devastating 2019 floods in the state. However, the sum allocated to Karnataka is only a small fraction of the Rs 50,000 crore requested by Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa in a recent public appeal. Even earlier when the state government had asked for Rs 8,790 crore as interim relief, the Centre had only sanctioned  Rs 1,200 crore. At that time, a section of opposition leaders had said that out of the Rs 1,200 crore, Rs 303 crore was part of State Disaster Relief Fund’s yearly allocation. In a detailed report submitted to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in August, Yediyurappa had sought Rs 10,000 crore as relief funds from the Centre to rebuild houses, buildings, roads, highways, schools and state-run hospitals. The Rs 10,000 crore figure came after the Chief Minister had initially deemed that Rs 40,000 crore in central relief aid was needed in memo submitted to the PMO.  According to a statement by the Press Information Bureau, a High-Level Committee (HLC), chaired by the Union Minister for Home Affairs Amit Shah, met in New Delhi on Monday to consider additional central assistance to seven states which were affected by floods, landslides or cloudbursts during south-west monsoon in 2019. The HLC approved an additional central assistance of Rs 5908.56 crore from the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) to seven states — Rs 616.63 crore to Assam, Rs 284.93 crore to Himachal Pradesh, Rs 1869.85 crore to Karnataka, Rs 1749.73 crore to Madhya Pradesh, Rs 956.93 crore to Maharashtra, Rs 63.32 to Tripura and Rs 367.17 crore to Uttar Pradesh. The announcement by the Ministry of Home Affairs came after the Chief Minister made a public appeal for funds while sharing a stage with PM Modi in Tumakuru on January 2.  Yediyurappa had appealed to the Prime Minister to sanction Rs 50,000 crore stating that his appeals for funds as a flood relief measure have been unanswered. The floods in Karnataka affected 22 districts, with more than 80 people dead and close to four lakh houses damaged. According to Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC), the state received 279% more rainfall than normal between August 3 and 10.

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K'taka HC declines plea against construction of 7-storey building near Cubbon Park

Court

The PIL was filed by the Cubbon Park Walkers Association after an old building, which earlier housed the office of the EC, was set to be demolished to make way for a new HC building.

TNM Staff

The Karnataka High Court on Monday declined to entertain a petition which questioned the plan to build a 7-storey building for the High Court by demolishing an old building, which is flanked by Cubbon Park in the central area of Bengaluru.  The PIL was filed by Cubbon Park Walkers’ Association after an old building, which earlier housed the office of the Election Commission, was set to be demolished to make way for a new High Court building.  However, the court observed orally that “court is more concerned about environment” and “protection of environment is not a monopoly of activists” to justify its decision to decline the petition, The Hindu reported.  The Karnataka government had granted in-principle approval to a proposal to demolish the old building and construct a new one. However, the state government is yet to take a final decision on the construction and the High Court's building committee is yet to submit a plan to the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) for the same, Times of India reported.  The High Court noted that over 400 staff members were working in temporary offices in the basement of the court building and stated that they were in discussions with the state government to provide space for these staff members.  The idea of demolishing the old building and constructing a new one in the same area with seven floors and two basements came up during these discussions which began in June 2019. The HC also stated that the construction should be allowed only if the government states that the building is legal and in compliance with environmental laws and rights of citizens. The HC suggested that an alternative land in the vicinity may be allotted instead.  The High Court operates out of a red brick building opposite the Vidhana Soudha and is flanked by Cubbon Park.   

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Protests held at university campuses across Bengaluru condemning violence at JNU

Protest

Student-led protests were also held at Town Hall throughout the day on Monday by a collective of student organisations.

TNM Staff

Student-led protests against the violence that took place at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) campus were supported by several institutions based in Bengaluru on Monday.  A protest march was held at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) campus on Monday night. The student council of Azim Premji University released a statement of solidarity since students in its campus are yet to return from vacation.  "The events at JNU are not unique and are one amongst a series of larger attempts to destroy bastions for critical thinking. We view the crackdown in JNU in a continuum with the complicity of state machinery to clamp down on dissenting views and ideologies across several campuses. It is very disturbing to note that violent incidents like these are becoming a pattern as the idea of India is held ransom by the hyper-nationalism of one particular group," read the statement by the Student Council. Seeking the arrest of the perpetrators for the violence on the JNU campus, the students demanded the immediate repeal of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), which has caused unrest across the country and fear of being persecuted by the BJP-led NDA government for not toeing its right wing agenda.   A protest was also held by students of Manipal University at the Coin Circle near the DC Office in Manipal condemning the violence in JNU. A candlelight vigil was held at St. Joseph's College of Commerce. "Regardless of political ideologies, we feel it is imperative to realise that in a democracy, the people have a right to dissent. Stripping this right away is against the principles of democracy and doing so through violence is a crime against humanity," a statement from the students in the institute read. Earlier, on Sunday night, a candlelight vigil was held inside the campuses of Indian Institute of Management, Bengaluru (IIM-B) and National Law School of India University (NLSIU). Student-led protests were also held at Town Hall throughout the day on Monday by a collective of student organisations including Students' Federation of India (SFI), All India Students Federation (AISF), All India Students Association (AISA), and All India Democratic Students Organisation (AIDSO).  

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This is an alarm bell: Actor Arundathi Nag joins Bengaluru protest against JNU violence

Protest

Protesters shouted slogans and called for the resignation of Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

Theja Ram

Students of various colleges in Bengaluru and left student organisations held a massive protest on Monday at Bengaluru’s Town Hall, condemning the violence perpetrated at the Jawaharlal Nehru University campus on Sunday night. The protest, which began with sloganeering by a handful of students around 10 am only grew in numbers. By 4 pm, around 1,500 people had gathered outside Town Hall and began shouting slogans for action against the masked mob, who assaulted students and teachers at JNU. JNU students allege that the mob were Akhil Bharatiya Vidya Parishad (ABVP) members. Actor Arundathi Nag also took part in the protest, saying, “This is a big alarm bell and we have to rise against this. This will negatively impact the poorest of the poor in worse ways. We are somehow more fortunate, so today if we don’t stand up for them, then what will happen to them, the less privileged ones. I am not one of those who would usually hit the streets for political reasons, usually I choose to do my politics on the stage through my theatre. But today it’s a good (cause) and we as Indians have to wake up if our politicians want to hijack our democracy.” “Each drop of blood is a seed for more students to rise up against tyranny,” protesters sang in a chorus. “Azadi, Azadi,” protesters shouted and called for the resignation of Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Protesters held slogans which demanded Shah’s resignation and accused the Centre of turning a blind eye to the violence and vandalism allegedly perpetrated by the right-wing group. “Don’t hurt students, we are the future of the country,” protesting students shouted repeatedly. Following Sunday’s attack in which 28 people including JNU Student Union leader Aishe Ghosh and Professor Sucharita Sen had to be admitted in AIIMS, the JNU student union had called their V-C a “mobster who perpetuates violence in the university he is supposed to administer.

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Sriramulu lobbies for Karnataka Deputy CM post, BSY in a quandary

Politics

Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa has been under pressure to create two more Deputy Chief Minister posts to accommodate rebel-turned-BJP MLAs.

Alithea Stephanie Mounika

Karnataka Health Minister B Sriramulu’s visit to New Delhi on January 3 set off speculation that he was lobbying for the Deputy Chief Minister’s (DCM) post.  Since 12 of the rebels won the bye-elections held in December 2019, Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa has been under pressure to create two more DCM posts and accommodate the MLA from Gokak, Ramesh Jarkiholi, and another leader. BJP sources say that Sriramulu has been lobbying intensively for this fifth DCM post.  Read: Rebel MLAs vs BJP loyalists: Karnataka CM Yediyurappa in a fix over cabinet expansion Karnataka currently has three Deputy Chief Ministers and they each belong to a different community -CN Ashwath Narayan, a Vokkaliga is MLA from Malleshwaram and is also the Minister for Information Technology and Biotechnology (IT&BT), Govind Karjol, a  Dalit is MLA for Mudhol and the Minister in the Public works Department and Laxman Savadi, a Lingayat, holds the Transport Ministry. Sriramulu, who was Deputy Chief Minister for two days post the 2018 Assembly Elections, was overlooked when Yediyurappa returned as CM last year.  Sriramulu’sValmiki Nayak community are dominant in the Hyderabad-Karnataka and Bombay-Karnataka region. Sources close to Sriramulu say that he has been building a strong voter base in the Hyderabad-Karnataka region, which makes him a formidable candidate for the Deputy Chief Minister's post. "Sriramulu wants to convince the High Command that he should be taken seriously. His work for the community is huge. If he separates from the party and contests independently by taking a few of his close associates with him, he can become the kingmaker in the state. So far the JD(S) held the power by being the party that could swing a majority to form a government. In the next three years, Sriramulu will be able to achieve that if the party does not reward him for his efforts," the source said.  “There are many sub sects of the Valmiki Nayaka community. Their mobilisation is what Sriramulu has been working for. And he has succeeded. If this community unites, it can become a major vote bank in Karnataka," the source added.  Sriramulu is also credited for swaying the votes of the community towards the BJP in the 2018 Assembly Elections and during Lok Sabha as he has emerged as a formidable leader of the community.  K Ramalingappa, BJP leader from Ballari, says Sriramulu has done a lot for the region. “There’s no two ways about it. Sriramulu is the most deserving candidate for the DCM post. We are fully convinced that he will get the post.”  Read: Can the BJP get away with denying Sriramulu a Deputy CM post in Karnataka? Sriramulu’s opponent, Ramesh Jarkiholi, MLA from Gokak who also belongs to the same community, is said to have spearheaded the rebellion against the Congress-JD(S) coalition in 2019, which led to its fall. The BJP is believed to have promised Ramesh Jarkiholi the DCM post, which would mean that Sriramulu would lose out on his chance as the party is reluctant to appoint two DCMs from the same Valmiki Nayak community.  The other person who is in the running for the post of DCM is Umesh Katti, who is a veteran BJP leader, and has been vying for the post of DCM for months now. 

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Protesters gift roses and national flags to police during anti-CAA protest in Mangaluru

Protest

Around 50 students waded through the crowd of protesters to hand over the roses, water bottles and national flags to police personnel.

Harsha Raj Gatty

Students and volunteers who gathered in Mangaluru to protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Population Register (NRC) on Sunday surprised police officials on-duty by distributing national flags and roses to them.  A protest was organised at the Hazrat School Ground in Ullal in Mangaluru under the banner of Samana Manaskara Sabhe on Sunday.  Members of the organisation submitted an undertaking to the police before holding the protest. This is the second major protest organised in Mangaluru since police firing led to the deaths of two people during anti-CAA protests on December 19, 2019.  On Sunday, heavy security was deployed at the protest venue in Ullal. Personnel from the Rapid Action Force (RAF), Karnataka State Police Service (KSPS), Karnataka State Reserve Police (KSRP), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) were present at the venue. Some police personnel were armed with batons, riot-gear and side-arms but they were left perplexed when students and volunteers came up to them and handed them roses. Around 50 students waded through the crowd of protesters to hand over the roses to the police. Some also handed over roses, water bottles and national flags to police officers. “Once a senior officer  received a flower from one of our volunteers, other police officers were also at ease and received the flower from the students,” Ismail Ullal, one of the organisers told TNM. Ismail said that the act was humane way of letting the police officers know that the Muslim community harbours no ills against the police community. “We (programme participants and police) are both part of the same nation. We understand the policemen are just doing their job, and we are doing ours by expressing our discontent with a specific government law. Nevertheless, we are not at conflict with the police officers on-duty,” he said. Police officials on duty said that they consulted senior officers on the phone before receiving the flowers from the protesters. “Our job mandate is to protect the people gathered and maintain law and order of the city. We are discouraged from casual interaction any group, nevertheless it was a kind gesture to acknowledge our role. Senior officials were consulted over the phone, before we were allowed to receive flowers and refreshments from the organisers,” a police officials at the Ullal ground said.   Around 6,000 people gathered at the protest meet to discuss the effects of the CAA and NRC in the country.  Among them was former Dakshina Kannada Deputy Commissioner Sasikanth Senthil, who resigned from IAS citing the clampdown in Jammu and Kashmir following the abrogation of Article 370 as one of the reasons. Story by Story Infinity (Subs and Scribes Media Ventures LLP.)

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'We stand with JNU': Protests at Bengaluru Town Hall over Sunday's attack on campus

CAA Protests

Among other chants, the protesters called for the resignation of union Home Minister Amit Shah.

Soumya Chatterjee

“Down, down Delhi Police…..Shame, shame Delhi Police!!” rang through the air on Monday morning at Bengaluru’s Town Hall. A crowd mostly of students and young professionals had gathered for a flash protest against the violent and co-ordinated mob attack on Sunday night at the Jawaharlal Nehru University. Chanting patriotic, pro-Constitution and revolutionary slogans hailing Mahatma Gandhi, BR Ambedkar and Savitribhai Phule among others, the protesters demanded justice for the students who were brutally attacked allegedly by ABVP and goons from outside campus. Waving the national flag, and carrying placards, the protesters shouted slogans in Kannada, English, Urdu and Hindi and condemned the central government for the atrocities in over the last one month against those opposing the NRC and the CAA. There were mentions of the police excesses in Jamila Millia Islamia, Aligarh Muslim University and the clampdown in Kashmir since the abrogation of Article 370 too.  “Down, down ABVP…..Down, down Amit Shah….Down, down BJP… Raise your voice against the goons, central government shame, shame!” shouted the protesters in unison.  Condemning the inaction of the police and JNU administration in stopping the violence against students, the crowd sought the resignation of Home Minister Amit Shah to whom the Delhi Police reports. The protesters also called for the resignation of the JNU V-C Jagadesh Kumar. Other slogans pledged support to the students of JNU and condemned the present administration.  Visuals from Januray 6 protest in Townhall, Bengaluru against JNU violence pic.twitter.com/CIN1kEKozP — Ravichandran (@ravirockz999) January 6, 2020 Following Sunday’s attack in which 28 people including JNU Student Union leader Aishe Ghosh and Professor Sucharita Sen had to be admitted in AIIMS, the JNU students union had called their V-C a “mobster who perpetuates violence in the university he is supposed to administer.” Ria, a Delhi-based professional visiting her Bengaluru her hometown was part one of the participants at the protest. She said, “I studied in Delhi University only recently and had friends in JNU. You cannot enter without a student ID after dark. And even if you have a friend in the campus, you have to have an insider accompanying you from the gate. This means that the JNU-administration was a party to the attack," she alleged.  She added, “There is a sense of helplessness. What will you do when doctors are attacked and the police do not let lawyers inside the police station? I do not know how can I save my country from this situation but I have come in support for the students who were attacked mercilessly.” Media reports and those following the developments in the national capital have alleged that left-leaning and Muslim students were specifically targeted by the masked intruders. A a city-based businessman Syed Rehan, who was at the protets, said, “What happened yesterday was the display of the sick mindedness of the BJP-RSS whose ideas these ABVP goons subscribe to. We are losing our space in the world map, our GDP is dwindling but they (the central government) is playing communal politics. There was so much violence and murders by the police in Uttar Pradesh but the government wants to distract the public by highlighting the death of one Sikh man in Pakistan to trigger riots.”  Similarly, another protester, Rahul B is a business analyst working in a firm in Bengaluru’s Whitefield and had called in sick at work to participate for the protests in Bengaluru. He said, “Our country is plagued with so many problems but all they want is to promote pseudo nationalism."

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