‘Injustice for our state’: Siddaramaiah slams Centre for reduced fund allocations

Politics

Siddaramaiah pointed out that as per the 15th Finance Commission’s recommendations, Karnataka’s allocation of funds from the Centre will reduce by over Rs 11,000 crore.

Theja Ram

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Former Chief Minister and Leader of Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly, Siddaramaiah on Thursday took a dig at the BJP government and accused Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa of indulging in vendetta politics. Siddaramaiah accused the BJP of perpetrating “injustice to Karnataka” by not demanding that the Centre allocate more funds to Karnataka for the 2020-21 fiscal. In 2019-20, Karnataka had expected to receive Rs 17,249 crore as GST (Goods and Services Tax) compensation, but the state has received only Rs 8,815 crore, said the Congress leader.   “We haven’t received GST compensation, we have not received money for rehabilitation of victims of floods, we have not received any grants from the Centre. We stand third in the country in paying the maximum amount of taxes to the Centre. How will you carry out developmental works? This year everything will be stopped. The 15th Finance Commission has said that Karnataka’s allocation of funds from the Centre will reduce by over Rs 11,000 crore,” Siddaramaiah said. Siddaramaiah said that since the 15th Finance Commission’s recommendations will come into effect from the 2020-21 fiscal, Karnataka would lose out on huge sums of money. “In 2019-20 Karnataka received devolution from the Centre amounting to Rs 39,591 crore. For the 2020-21 fiscal, Karnataka is getting only Rs 28,598 crore. If this continues, then in the next five years, we will lose close to Rs 60,000 crore. How do you develop the state then? Will Karnataka see development then? Is Rs 60,000 crore a small amount? Allocation must increase and not decrease every year,” Siddaramaiah said. The former CM said that the state is projected to see a 14% growth in the amount of taxes paid tax growth in the 2020-21 fiscal and accused the Yediyurappa government of lack of political will to oppose the Centre’s decisions. “If we give Re 1 to the Centre, we get back 42 paise. But UP will receive 198 paise and Gujarat gets 235 paise back. People keep praising Gujarat saying Gujarat model of development is the best. That is because they are getting more funds. But we are not getting back what we are giving. Where are we? Where do we stand? All ministers in the government must read about this. Is this not injustice for our state? We have not fought for our rights politically and the lack of political will had brought us here,” he said. Siddaramaiah also argued that going by principles of federalism, Karnataka is receiving the short end of the stick and demanded that the BJP leaders in the state question the Centre’s decision to implement the 15th Finance Commission’s recommendations. “All Finance Commissions have said that because the population is more in those states, they will get more allocation. No one has opposed this view so far and we must. Gujarat is a fairly developed state, why should they get more money now? Why did you (CM Yediyurappa) not get the compensation back? Why did the Centre bring in GST in such a hurried manner? This is the fallout of all these bad policies,” he said. Read: Explained: How south states stand to lose from 15th Finance Commission recommendations

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Bought for crores, are Bengaluru's mechanical sweepers lying idle? Video accuses so

Civic issues

Earlier this month, around 15 new mechanical sweepers were inaugurated by the BBMP amid much fanfare, taking the total fleet size of the machines to 25.

Alithea Stephanie Mounika

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Blurb: Earlier this month, around 15 new mechanical sweepers were inaugurated by the BBMP amid much fanfare, taking the total fleet size of the machines to 25.  Kavitha Reddy, a Bengaluru-based activist and a former member of Karnataka Congress’s Campaign Committee, on Wednesday, questioned the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) and the BJP-led government in Karnataka over non-usage of the mechanical sweepers, that the civic body recently purchased to clean the city’s roads.  In a video uploaded to Twitter, Kavitha is seen standing beside a line of mechanical sweepers parked at a service road in Bengaluru’s HSR layout and questioning why the BBMP bought the machines if they were not planning to use them.  “For the past two years, there are 16 mechanical sweepers standing on a service road in HSR Layout. Every day I come by, and they are still standing here, without being used,” Kavitha says in the video. “Three or four days ago, these same, old sweepers were repainted and inaugurated as new by the Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa. But these same sweepers are still standing here,” she adds.   If @BBMPCOMM @BBMPSWMSplComm @BBMP_MAYOR @BSYBJP think that Mechanical Sweepers are not required then why buy it n waste public money? @WeAreBangalore @WFRising @citizensforblr @BPACofficial @BellandurJothge @namma_BTM @NEWS9TWEETS @suvarnanewstv @News18Kannada @citizenmatters pic.twitter.com/XW1Hxn22do — Kavitha Reddy | #IndependenceMovement2.0 (@KavithaReddy16) February 18, 2020   Speaking to TNM, Kavitha stated that despite Bengaluru facing a massive dust problem, these mechanical sweepers are not being used.  “Bengaluru, especially the area in and around the Silk Board, continues to have dust problems, and nothing is being done about it. People have asthma and allergies due to excessive dust in the city. If you visit Hyderabad, you’ll see that the machines are actually being used because there is no dust on the roads,” she said. “If the BBMP doesn’t want to use the machines, why did they buy the machines by wasting people’s money? What is the use of spending crores of money if they don’t use it?” she asked. Earlier in February, around 15 new mechanical sweepers were inaugurated by the BBMP amid much fanfare, taking the total fleet size of the machines to 25. The BBMP had stated that the machines will sweep the Outer Ring Road, High-density Corridors and roads in the Central Business District more frequently at nights. TNM spoke to a senior official in the BBMP, who said that the machines are being used, but at night and not during the day.  “We recently got permission for more vehicles, which will get cleared soon. These machines are used only in the night time in heavy traffic areas and not during the day. That’s why the public doesn’t see them being used. There is no place to park them, and that’s why they are being kept in HSR Layout. We will move them soon,” the official told TNM. However, Kavitha Reddy has dismissed this official's statement.  “That’s a most ridiculous claim. If you see the speed at which the machines move, you would laugh! They move at a very slow speed and it is impossible to do the work and then bring them back to the service road in time if they are indeed being used. If it is true, let them show the deployment chart. Who has the contract to operate them? What is the route map? The fact is, they don’t exist, as it is expensive, and the BBMP should not buy these machines if they are not being used,” Kavitha told TNM. TNM repeatedly tried to contact BBMP Commissioner Anil Kumar, who didn’t respond to multiple calls or messages. This story will be updated when a response is received.

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K’taka HC orders protection for lawyers representing accused in Hubbali sedition case

Law

Karnataka Chief Justice AS Oka also slammed the Hubbali Bar’s resolution to not represent the accused.

TNM Staff

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The Karnataka High Court on Thursday ordered the Hubballi Police Commissioner to provide police protection to those advocates who wish to appear for three Kashmiri students arrested in a sedition case. Moreover, Chief Justice AS Oka took exception to the lawyers in Hubbali passing a resolution not to represent them. Live Law quoted Justice Oka saying, "By passing the resolution, they are stopping court work, are they carrying out a mini-trial by themselves? This act has to be deprecated.” CJ Abhay Oka said "By passing the resolution they are stopping court work, are they carrying out a mini trial by themselves? This act has to be deprecated. — Live Law (@LiveLawIndia) February 20, 2020 It may be recalled that the Bar Association in Hubballi had passed a resolution on Monday to boycott representing the three students and also called them “anti-nationals”. They had also sent a copy of their resolution to the Karnataka State Bar Council and called for all lawyers in the state to boycott them. Read: Hubballi Bar Association refuses to represent 3 Kashmiri students booked for sedition Bar and Bench reported that whether the move by the Hubbali Bar Association obstructs justice will be decided by the HC after a notice is issued to the collective. The Court further said that whether the Hubli Bar Association resolution obstructs justice will have to be decided after notice is served to the Bar Association. — Bar & Bench (@barandbench) February 20, 2020 The three Kashmiri students who were studying in an engineering college in the district were arrested on February 15 over a viral video which featured them allegedly supporting Pakistan. In that video, the three men can be seen saying "Azaadi”, "Pakistan" and "Zindabad" as a song purportedly made by the Pakistan Army was being played in the background.  The police arrested the three based on a complaint by a Bajrang Dal activist and ABVP activists had also led protests at the college asking the principal to handover the accused to the police. The students are currently in judicial custody till March 2 as ordered by the trial court. The move by the Hubbali lawyers’ collective came after the Bar Association in Mysuru passed a similar resolution barring all its members from representing sedition accused students over a “Free Kashmir” placard. Also read: Any ‘anti-national’ must face law: K’taka Home Min on Kashmiri students sedition case

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BJP MLAs push for elevated corridor in Bengaluru despite public opposition

Infrastructure

In June 2019, the Karnataka High Court had asked the HD Kumaraswamy-led government to not proceed with the construction of the elevated corridor.

TNM Staff

The BJP’s Members of Legislative Assembly (MLA) from Bengaluru held a meeting with Deputy Chief Minister CN Ashwath Narayan on implementing the controversial elevated corridor project in the city. This comes despite vehement opposition raised by activists and residents in the city.  The MLAs discussed implementing the project in phases to help reduce the traffic logjam in the city. Officials from the Karnataka Road Development Corporation Limited (KRDCL) took part in the meeting, the Deccan Herald reported.  The MLAs were in favour of starting work on the corridor from KR Puram to Yeshwantpur and resolved to approach the Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa to allocate funds in the upcoming budget for the same. The MLAs favoured the stretch between KR Puram and Yeshwantpur over the Hebbal-Silk Board route via Jayamahal Road due to ease of acquiring land in this stretch, The Hindu reported.  The meeting was attended by ministers ST Somashekar and Byrathi Basavaraj along with MLAs Arvind Limbavali, SR Vishwanath, Uday Garudachar, S Raghu, Ravi Subramanya and Satish Reddy. The developments come five months after the Karnataka Chief Minister announced the cancellation of the tender for the elevated corridor's first stage. The first stage, which was proposed last year, covered 21 km and was estimated to cost Rs 6,885 crore. While the tender was scrapped, it remains to be seen if the project is scrapped altogether or whether the tender will be re-issued in the future. The opposition to the elevated corridor came to a head a year ago in March 2019 when residents and activists in Bengaluru united to protest against the coalition government led by HD Kumaraswamy. The coalition government had allocated funds for constructing a part of the corridor from Baptist Hospital to Silk Board before the Lok Sabha elections last year, but it faced criticism and opposition in the form of street protests.  The main opposition against the project was its high financial costs and its environmental impact. Residents suggested that the public transport in Bengaluru should be strengthened to reduce the traffic on the city's roads instead of adding more infrastructure facilities for private vehicles. The elevated corridor project was also challenged in the Karnataka High Court and the National Green Tribunal.  In June 2019, the Karnataka High Court, while hearing a case in connection with how major infrastructure projects are handled in Bengaluru, had asked the Kumaraswamy-led government to not proceed with the construction of the elevated corridor until the court case is completed.  A few BJP leaders, including Rajya Sabha MP Rajeev Chandrashekar and the party's Bengaluru unit chief, NR Ramesh, also opposed the project, although they did not explicitly get involved in protests against it. 

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In Assembly, HD Kumaraswamy defiantly reads out anti-NRC poem which got poet arrested

Controversy

Reading out the entire poem on the floor of the Assembly, Kumaraswamy sought to know what was wrong in that poem that the poet was booked and arrested.

Prajwal Bhat

In an act of defiance against the Karnataka government, former Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy read out the poem penned by Siraj Bisaralli titled Ninna Dakhale Yaavaga Needuttee? (When will you give your documents?”) on the floor of the Karnataka Assembly on Wednesday. The poem had landed the poet and journalist Siraj in trouble with the police recently, and he was arrested on charges of provoking breach of peace and causing public mischief.  "What is there in this (poem)? When poet Nissar Ahmed wrote Kurigalu Saar Kurigalu, who was he referring to? Politicians like us. Was he arrested?," Kumaraswamy asked on the floor of the house questioning the police's actions against the poet. Kurigalu Saar Kurigalu (Sheep Sir Sheep) is a famous poem by KS Nissar Ahmed on herd mentality.  ಸಿರಾಜ್‌ ಬಿಸರಳ್ಳಿ ಕವನವನ್ನು ಸದನದಲ್ಲೇ ಓದಿದ ಎಚ್‌ಡಿಕೆ @hd_kumaraswamy @JanataDal_S @BJP4India @INCKarnataka @BJP4Karnataka #SirajBisaralli #KarnatakaAssemblySessions pic.twitter.com/xLQNanhDZ9 — ಪ್ರಜಾವಾಣಿ | Prajavani (@prajavani) February 19, 2020 Kumaraswamy then went on to read out the text of the poem. The poem, written in Kannada, has since been translated into as many as 13 languages. Reciting the entire poem on the floor of the Assembly, Kumaraswamy sought to know what was wrong in that poem that the poet was booked and arrested. A translation of the original Kannada poem reads as follows,  Amidst the queue for Aadhaar and ration, Monkeying about for thumbprints and servers, The people are losing their lives to documents Where are your documents, you who demands it?   You (referring to ruling govt) who are rejecting those who sacrificed their lives happily for freedom, One who is tearing at the pages of history, When will you show your documents?     You who is asking documents from Taj Mahal, Charminar, And the red stoned Qutub Minar, where are your documents?   Licking the boots of the British, Drinking blood in the name of religious hatred, You who believes in Goebbels' ideology, Where are your documents?   Those selling pakodas, Those selling tea in my town, Have not lost their sense of humanity, They have not lost their self respect, They haven't spun stories of lies, Tell me, when will you give your documents? Janata Dal (Secular) leader Kumaraswamy said that there was nothing objectionable in the poem by Siraj Bisaralli to warrant his arrest. He also questioned the state government about the sedition case registered against the mother of a student and a teacher at Shaheen Primary and High School in Bidar district following a school play on the National Register of Citizenship (NRC). Siraj Bisaralli, a poet and journalist with many Kannada books to his name, was arrested under sections 504 (Intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace) and 505(2) (Statements conducive to public mischief) of the Indian Penal Code after he recited the poem Ninna Dakhale Yaavaga Needuttee? (When will you give your documents?”) at the Anegundi Utsava, a cultural festival held in Koppal district on January 9. He was arrested based on a complaint by a BJP Yuva Morcha member and he was released on bail on Wednesday.   While Kumaraswamy asked what is 'seditious' about the poem on the floor of the House, it is to be noted that the poet was not charged with sedition. He was arrested on charges of provoking breach of peace and public mischief. An FIR was registered at the Gangavathi Rural Police Station in Koppal on January 24 against Siraj and Rajabaxi HV, a journalist who shared the poem online. Rajabaxi is the editor of Kannadanet.com. "They went absconding after that and surrendered before the court on Tuesday," a police official told PTI. The duo were granted bail by the district court on Wednesday.  With inputs from PTI

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Top Democratic candidates follow Trump in blurring medical histories

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Andrew Yang joins CNN as political commentator

The former candidate joins a stable of presidential also-rans at CNN.

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