Bengaluru police to probe cheating case against Indira canteen contractors

Controversy

The contractors have been accused of drawing excess subsidies from the govt, and of providing bad quality food.

TNM Staff

Representational Image

The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike has filed a police complaint against two contractors who supply food for Indira Canteens, that are run by the civic body across the city. BBMP has accused the contractors of drawing excess subsidies from the government by cooking up false bills. They have also complained that the contractors supplied bad quality food. Based on the complaint by the BBMP Joint Commissioner (Finance) Venkatesh, Halasurugate Police has filed a cheating case against the vendors – Cheftalk Food and Rural Environment & Water Assets Reproductive & Development Society (REWARDS).  Indira Canteen is a food subsidisation programme run by the Karnataka government for the urban poor. It was initiated by the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government and carried forward by the two subsequent Chief Ministers HD Kumaraswamy and BS Yediyurappa. While the BBMP runs the Indira canteens in Bengaluru, the Urban Development Department runs them outside the state capital. While many have praised the setting up of Indira Canteens across the state to provide subsidised food, there have been previous occasions when the quality of the food and the administration of the canteens have been called into question especially by the BJP. This is not the first time that allegations against contractors of Indira canteens has surfaced. Soon after Yediyurappa became the Chief Minister in mid-2019 he directed Karnataka Additional Chief Secretary of Urban Development Department, BH Anil Kumar, to probe into the alleged discrepancies in subsidies. In July 2018, then Leader of Opposition at the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Council, Padmanabha Reddy alleged that there is a “large-scale scam”. Citing bills for the month of January 2018, the BJP leader said that the canteens claimed to have had the same number of customers on January 25 when on the same day a strike was called on the issue of Mahadayi river water dispute. He questioned how the number of customers for a day of strike and any other date of the month be the same.  Halasurugate Police and BBMP could not be reached for a comment over the issue.

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'Anyone indulging in anti-national activities must be shot': Karnataka minister

Politics

Ironically, the man advocating that 'anti-national'people should be shot is also the former Home Minister of Karnataka

TNM Staff

After BJP MLAs Renukacharya and Somashekhara Reddy’s Islamophobic statements, now, Revenue Minister R Ashok on Friday courted controversy by stating that “all anti-national must be shot”. Minister R Ashoka was at a celebration at the Vidhana Soudha. Soon after garlanding the statue of Subash Chandra Bose, R Ashoka responded to questions. When asked how the prime accused in the Mangaluru bomb scare case would have been treated had it not been a Hindu man, Ashoka said, “Anyone who sings to the tune of Pakistan and take part in anti-national activities, be it Hindu, Christian or Muslim, must be shot.” Ironically, the man advocating that 'anti-national'people should be shot is also the former Home Minister of Karnataka. Ashoka’s statement comes after BJP MLA from Honnali, Renukacharya accused members of the Muslim community of hiding weapons inside mosques. He had also threatened to cut off funding for welfare of members of the Muslim community. Reiterating his stand, Renukacharya on Friday said that he would appeal to the cabinet ministers to ensure that members of the Muslim community do not get any special package for their welfare. “When they (Muslims) need money for development, they come to us and ask for special packages. Once they get these funds, they go and vote for Congress or JD(S) during elections. We do not want people who display double standards. I will put pressure on all the cabinet and also the Chief Minister to ensure that they (members of the Muslim community) they do not get special packages,” Renukacharya said. Renukacharya had made Islamophobic statements on Monday during a pro-CAA rally in Davangere. “There are a few traitors who sit in mosques and issue fatwas. What is there in mosques? Do you (referring to members of the Muslim community) pray there? Instead of praying, you collect weapons. Is this why you want a masjid? Is this why you want a mosque?” Renukacharya had said. Read: 'Muslim traitors hiding weapons in mosques': BJP MLA Renukacharya at pro-CAA rally

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Civic activists float new party to contest Bengaluru civic polls

Politics

The Bengaluru Nava Nirvana party is a consortium of different citizens’ groups in the city.

Soumya Chatterjee

What would motivate a white-collar professional to abandon his career for civic polls? “A high degree of incompetence, complete lack of intent and lack of integrity combined with apathy towards the city as far as elected representatives are concerned,” replies Srikanth Narasimhan.  Srikanth, until recently, has been known as the general secretary of Bangalore Apartment Federation (BAF), a collective of 174 big and small apartment complexes in Bengaluru. Today, Srikanth is donning a new avatar, as the co-founder and a core party member of the Bengaluru Nava Nirmana Party, a new political party focused only on Bengaluru and its municipal governance. The party will fight its first elections in the upcoming Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) civic polls, due to be held in April.  “When I interacted with other citizen groups, I received similar feedback. We have all been able to accomplish a few things to an extent, but at a larger level, we felt governance is in tatters. So we needed to solve this,” he says.  There were suggestions to choose competent, professional Corporator candidates with integrity and get them to contest as independents. “But we realised that, as independents, you cannot punch your weight against the big parties. That is when we decided to float a party that is focused only on the city and its civic governance, for and by the citizens of Bengaluru,” Srikanth tells TNM.   The Bengaluru Nava Nirvana party is a consortium of different citizens’ groups in the city. “The charter of our party states that we can only contest the municipal elections and not the state or central elections,” he says, reiterating, “Our ideology is grassroots governance that has an impact on the day-to-day aspects of our lives, including garbage, stormwater drains, water, sewage, potholes, playgrounds – that is where our focus is.” The party will have considerable representation from a cross-section of society, including heritage activists, civic activists, pourakarmikas, street vendors, and shanty dwellers.  “In fact, the first manifesto of our party is focused on pourakarmikas. We came up with the manifesto only after having discussions with activists and volunteers who have been closely working with the pourakarmika unions for a long time. We will also come up with manifestos for apartment dwellers, street vendors, and all other segments of society,” he explains.  The party will also bring out different manifestos focused on specific functions of the civic body such as waste management and drainage. Currently, he says, they have candidates in 50 to 60 wards in the city. On February 29, the party will release the list of its first set of candidates.  While promises and manifestos are not new in the country’s or state’s politics, Srikanth says transparency is one aspect the party can confidently promise the people. “Irrespective of how many of our candidates win, our Corporator candidates will hold the ward committee meetings, not just because it’s mandated by law but also to ensure all strata of society are represented. Every quarter, there will be a revision of funds spent and yearly, we will release progress reports at the ward level,” he says.  According to Srikanth, while one can’t expect instant solutions, their Corporators will involve the citizens in the locality to prepare a list of short- and long-term issues that need to be tackled.   In the long-term, the party also wants to bring other parastatals – like the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA), Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC), Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited (Bescom) and Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) – to come under the ambit of the BBMP alone, to ensure greater accountability and congruence among the different agencies.  “We are here for the long run as alternative politics, which is clean and committed to the city,” he says. 

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Karnataka to hold global investors meet in November with ‘Innovate Now’ theme

Investors Meet

At a curtain-raiser on Thursday, the CM said the state had one of the best natural and human resources for investing in manufacturing, services and agriculture sectors.

IANS

The Karnataka government would hold a Global Investors' Meet (GIM 2020) in Bengaluru from November 3-5 to showcase the southern state's ecosystem for attracting investments from the world over, an official said on Friday. "Our Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa held the first road show on the GIM at the 50th World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting, being held at Davos in Switzerland and invited global firms to participate in the 3-day event for investment opportunities," additional secretary P. Ravikumar told IANS. At a curtain-raiser on "Invest Karnataka 2020" on Thursday, the BJP Chief Minister said the theme of the GIM would be "Innovate Now. Growth Forever" as the state had one of the best natural and human resources for investing in manufacturing, services and agriculture sectors and creating jobs. "About 100 entrepreneurs, businessmen and heads of global firms participated in the roadshow to assess the state's industrial policies, incentives, infrastructure, tax system and its ease of doing business for investment potential," Ravikumar said. Among the participants at the event were Swiss-India parliamentary group president Niklaus-Samuel Gugger, Uber Chief Executive Dara Khosrowshahi, General Electric (GE) executive William Cowan and heads of Gemini Corporation, Coca Cola, SAP Labs, Swiss Re and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. "Khosrowshahi discussed Uber's expansion plans in Bengaluru and assured the Chief Minister of investing more in the state. Cowen expressed interest in the development of healthcare, renewable energy and power distribution across the state through partnership with the state government," the official noted. The US-based transnational firm (GE) has a large presence in Bengaluru with one its largest engineering and technology centres and two production plants. "A Coca Cola executive told Yediyurappa that the soft beverage firm would initially invest $25 million in its plants in the state and enhance it to $200 million to benefit farmers and rural people with access to clean drinking water in their villages," Ravikumar said. The Chief Minister also sought to know the investment or expansion plans of global firms present in the state, especially Bengaluru and assured their heads of the state support in creating hundreds of jobs and wealth. About 100 members of the Indian delegation to the WEF, led by Union Commerce and Industries Minister Piyush Goyal, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) director-general Chandrajit Bannerjee, Bharat Forge chairman Baba Kalyani, Kirloskar Systems Managing Director Vikram Kirloskar, also participated in the state's GIM roadshow. State Industries Minister Jagdish Shettar, chief secretary T. M. Vijaya Bhaskar, additional chief secretary E.V. Ramana Reddy and industrial department principal secretary Gurav Gupta also attended the state event. "Emiriti Lulu Group chairman M.A. Yusuf Ali discussed plans to invest $300 million (Rs 2,160 crore) in logistics, hospitality and health/wellness sectors across the state with Yediyurappa," said Ravikumar. Ali, an NRI (non-resident Indian) migrated to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from Kerala two decades ago and founded the Lulu Group at Abu Dhabi to operate a chain of hypermarkets and retail firms since 2000. "The Chief Minister assured Ali of speedy approvals and incentives for investing in the state, with ease of doing business," the official said in an e-mail to IANS from the Swiss town. Asserting that his proactive government would work overtime to facilitate global investments in the southern state, Yediyurappa said he was committed to create more jobs across sectors. Dassault Systems executive Florene Verzelen told the chief minister about her company's plans to set up centres of excellence in smart manufacturing and smart cities in the southern state. "The centres will train and equip the youth with skilled jobs in large corporations the world over," Ravikumar reiterated. Yediyurappa apprised US aerospace behemoth Lockheed Martin executive Richard Ambrose of the ecosystem for aerospace and defence industry in the state, especially Bengaluru. "I will soon visit Bengaluru to explore the possibilities of investing more in Karnataka and taking up research and development work," said Ambrose on the occasion. A delegation from global automotive component maker Denso also called on the chief minister and interacted with the state delegation. The Japanese firm has an excellence and research centre in New Delhi and a manufacturing unit at Nelamangala on the outskirts of Bengaluru. Denso executive Hiroyuki Wakabasyi said he would visit Bengaluru soon to explore further investments in the state. "Arcelor Mittal chairman Laxmi Mittal also met the chief minister and discussed his company's investment plans in the state," the official added. Mittal backed out of setting up a steel plant in the state's northern region over a decade ago due to delays in acquiring land and mandatory approvals. Drug maker Novo Nordisk chief executive Lars Fruergaard expressed readiness to work with the state government in taking up educative and awareness programmes for diabetic patients.

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In the spirit of Shaheen Bagh: All-women protest against CAA at Bengaluru’s Mosque Road

Protest

Protesters at the event raised slogans against the BJP, accusing it of threatening the secular fabric of the nation through discriminatory policies.

Alithea Stephanie Mounika

On the evening of January 23, women began gathering near Mosque Road in Bengaluru, along the wall next to the mosque. As the sun set, the women greeted each other and took their places on the pavement. Chairs, carpets, and a small stage were laid out in preparation. This was one of the city’s few all-women protests. The night saw nearly 400 women raising their voices against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), National Population Register (NPR), and National Register of Citizens (NRC). It reminded one of the continuing women’s protest at Shaheen Bagh in Delhi where protesters have been sitting-in since December 15 in a peaceful demonstration. Indeed, organisers in of the all-women’s in Bengaluru said that they hope to emulate the protests in Delhi on Mosque Road, which is in Bengaluru’s Frazer Town. Maitreyi, a lawyer who participated in the protest, said, "There are hundreds of women who are taking over the street through the night against the efforts of those in power to divide and criminalise people in a discriminatory manner. It has clearly brought out the power of the people, the power of love and unity to destroy the hate that the central government is attempting to spread." Protesters at the event raised slogans against the BJP, accusing it of threatening the secular fabric of the nation through discriminatory policies. The women present were students, working professionals, and of different faiths. A prominent slogan at the protest was “Christians, Muslims, Hindus, we all have the same blood!” chanted in Kannada. As the night turned to day, protesters maintained large numbers on Mosque Road, displaying high morale, and raising slogans against CAA. Men were present at the protest site across the road too, putting up posters and holding up the flashlights on their phones in solidarity with the women protesting. Shariq Rafeek, one of the men who joined the protests, said, "I think it's great that people showed up in big numbers and kept the protest going through the night. It was heartening to see children sloganeering and taking active part too. It was well organized with volunteers taking good care of the protestors. I was on the opposite side of the road with the rest of the men, and by midnight, a large number of men had gathered too." While the protesters only have permission to protest till 3 pm on Friday, organisers said that they expect the women to continue the protest indefinitely. Earlier this week, nearly 5,000 women protested at Tannery Road in Bengaluru against CAA in a demonstration that was also compared to Delhi’s Shaheen Bagh. It was organised by the Karnataka Joint Action Committee. Read: Bengaluru’s Shaheen Bagh: Muslim women and the religious route to the Constitution

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Mangaluru bomb scare: How Islamophobia was normalised by BJP and media

Crime

BJP Twitter handle alleged Jihadis were behind the scare, but the tone changed drastically after Aditya Rao’s name surfaced.

Theja Ram

A 36-year-old engineer and MBA-holder, Aditya Rao, surrendered on Thursday to the Bengaluru police stating he had placed the bag of explosive materials at the Mangaluru International Airport. Aditya Rao’s surrender came in the wake of massive speculation, both by political parties, leaders and certain sections of the media that “jihadi forces” were trying to “spread communal unrest” in the country. Aditya’s arrest has brought to the limelight Islamophobic statements made by members of the ruling BJP, pro-Hindu groups and by a certain section of the media. Crucially, the events of the past week have reinforced how Islamophobia has been normalised. The bag at the airport was found just weeks after violence erupted in Mangaluru during the protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), and the tension that prevailed in the city ever since. The police had also begun rounding up Muslims and several people from Kerala demanding that they prove their innocence in the December 19 violence. These circumstances created a “safe space” for normalising Islamophobic statements, says Ishvar Raj, a member of the Peoples Union for Civil Liberties. Islamophobic statements and speculation On January 20, a bag containing explosives was found at the Mangaluru International Airport. Just an hour after the incident, Karnataka Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai said, “Anti-national forces responsible for the incident would be brought to book”. “We have seen the increase in terrorist activity in the last seven to eight years in the country. When January 26 (Republic Day) approaches, attempts at terror activities have been constantly made and Mangaluru is also a place where they (referring to terrorists) carry out their activities,” Basavaraj Bommai had said. It was not just Bommai but the BJP’s Twitter handle also speculated that the bag of explosives was planted by ‘jihadi elements’. “He doubted surgical strikes, he released doctored CDs to show that peaceful protestors didn't indulge in violence, now he is blaming the police for the live bomb diffused in Mangaluru. Is there no end to Appeasement Politics by former CM HD Kumaraswamy? Why cry for Jihadis?”  tweeted BJP Karnataka. The tweet was in response to former Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy accusing the BJP of “spinning the story with a different angle”. Members of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, the group that spearheaded the Ram Janmabhoomi movement, also speculated that the bomb had been planted by terrorists. “Bomb found in a leftover bag at Mangalore airport. Jihadis are looking for ways to penetrate and hit. Be careful all. Inform to authorities about any suspicious activities seen around. Inform if seeing any left over bags or anything. Be careful about jihadis,” tweeted Prateesh Vishwanath, a VHP member. When the media joined the jihadi bogey Several media reports surfaced stating that the police were looking for a second bag, which contained another bomb. News channels alleged that the man, who left the bag at the airport had also planned an attack on the temple in Kadri. Several Kannada channels and newspapers went on to allege that the attempt to plant a bomb was done in retaliation against the death of two Muslim men in the police firing after violence erupted in Mangaluru on December 19. A bomb was found on Monday (20th Jan) at the Mangalore International Airport Most of the Kannada News channels used the "Breaking News" to vitiate the atmosphere by adding totally unfounded, biased and sensational myths and rumors. (1/n) — Nouman (@NoumChomsky) January 23, 2020 When the tune changed The tone used above changed drastically after Aditya Rao’s name surfaced as the prime suspect on Wednesday night. Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai too changed his tune and said, “Aditya Rao has surrendered to the police. We never speculated about the suspect’s community or organisation. We had only said that whoever was behind the incident would be brought before justice, and we have done that,” he said. “This was not even a serious issue. Based on the information by the police, it looks like Aditya Rao was mentally ill. Aditya Rao is harmless and there was no major threat at all,” a local TV anchor said during the show. Speaking to TNM, Muneer Katipala, Mangaluru President of the Democratic Youth Federation of India, says that the political leaders and the media, who were calling it a targeted terror attack swiftly made a complete U-turn when they found that the suspect is a Hindu. “As soon as someone says a bomb was found, the first reaction was that the suspect is a jihadi and a Muslim. This has been normalised by the various political outfits that operate in Mangaluru and they have been planting this fear in the society. The media too is involved in spreading this fear of Islam. Political leaders began saying these are anti-national jihadis out to destroy peace but when they found that the suspect is a Hindu, they began saying he is harmless and suffers from mental illness. The bias is very evident,” he says.     

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‘India vs England’ review: Nagathihalli’s formulaic romantic thriller fails to impress

Review

As with most of Nagathihalli’s movies this one too juggles between two cultures and people’s acceptance of different cultures.

Aravind Shwetha

Nagathihalli Chandrashekar is one director who has constantly juggled between genres while still managing to keep love, romance, Indian culture and patriotism as the central theme. His latest offering India vs England too has a similar tone. What’s tedious about Nagathihalli’s movies is that since the theme is recurring, there is hardly any scope for surprises. London-born NRI Kanishka (Vasishta N Simha), a vlogger who wants to make a vlog on antiques and treasures of India, contacts Bhagirath (Ananth Nag), a Malnad-based gemologist. Bhagirath invites Kanishka to India and suggests that he explore the country first and then work on the vlog, as India and its culture cannot be fit into a single vlog. Impressed by everything he hears about the country, Kanishka heads out to explore the country with Bhagirath’s granddaughter Medhini (Manvitha Kamath). Unsurprisingly, the two initially hate each other but soon love blossoms. In parallel, there is an ‘irreplaceable diamond’ that is travelling along with them, without their knowledge. While a smuggler (Shivamani) is trying to make money out of it, Gosumbe (Sadhu Kokila) is helping him smuggle it from India to England. The lovestruck couple is set to tie the knot and Kanishka brings Medhini to London to convince his parents. Just a day before the engagement, Kanishka’s sister reveals something to Medhini which changes the plot of the movie in the second half. The diamond story has parallels to the Kohinoor diamond and the climax is dedicated to explaining its importance. This twist was predictable from the trailer itself, because of which the movie falls flat. Vasishta seems like a poor choice to play Kanishka. While it takes time for viewers to get used to his makeover, the character itself is oddly unsettling. He did bring out the lover boy vibes in ‘Marete Hodenu’ in Dayavittu Gamanisi, but here he just doesn’t fit into the character. While his accent sounds a bit odd, he seems to be in a hurry all the time. The director had plenty of scope to refine the character but has failed to bring the best out of Vasishta, who is undoubtedly a bundle of talent. Multiple-award winning actor Manvitha Kamath is seen in a different avatar and it is good to see her experiment convincingly. Ananth Nag knows how to get straight into the audience’s hearts and is perfect in his role. Sadhu’s jokes are bearable while Shivamani, as the villain, brings a lot of energy to the screen. Sumalatha as a Kannada Sangha community leader delivers a great performance. The rest of the cast seem a little outdated for 2020. The first half is set in India and the second half in England. As with most of Nagathihalli’s movies – America America, Nanna Preethiya Hudugi and Paris Pranaya – this one too juggles between two cultures and people’s acceptance of different cultures. The diamond twist fits well, but apart from that this is just another typical Nagathihalli film with the same age-old formula. There are the usual one-liners comparing cultures and highlighting Indian heritage, which have been seen in his movies since 1994. This movie has none of the depth of Amrutadhare nor the intensity of America America. India vs England struggles between trying to be another new-gen love story and keeping ‘culture’ alive. The songs and background music too just go with the flow and nothing stands out. There is nothing magical in the cinematography as well, which could have upped the director’s game. On top of that, bad editing mars the central theme of the film. If you want to enjoy a light-hearted comedy for old time’s sake, India vs England might be a good choice this weekend. Disclaimer: This review was not paid for or commissioned by anyone associated with the series/film. TNM Editorial is independent of any business relationship the organisation may have with producers or any other members of its cast or crew.

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