Many Indian footballers voice support for protesting farmers

Farm Laws

Indian professional boxer Vijender Singh also sent out a loud message by tweeting “Stop hate for profit”. He also used the hashtag #StandWithFarmers.

TNM Staff

While several Indian cricketers have tweeted with #IndiaTogether hashtags to counter international voices speaking in support of the farmers' protest, many footballers have chosen a different goalpost. With celebrities kicking the ball this way and that after the Ministry of External Affairs (over)reacted to pop singer Rihanna's tweet, many footballers like Former Bengaluru FC and Kerala Blasters midfielder Darren Caldeira have made it clear that they support the farmers. “Students are paid. Protestors are paid. Farmers are paid. Now, Rihanna is paid as well. You’d require quite the budget for her. She is worth USD 600 mil according to Forbes. Just saying. #FarmersProtest,” Darren wrote. Farukh Choudhary, who currently plays in the Indian team retweeted this tweet. Students are paid. Protestors are paid. Farmers are paid. Now, Rihanna is paid as well. You’d require quite the budget for her. She is worth USD 600 mil according to Forbes. Just saying. #FarmersProtest — Darren Caldeira (@darrencaldeira) February 3, 2021 Anirudh Thapa, who is an Indian national team player and Chennaiyin FC’s midfielder too, retweeted MP Shashi Tharoor’s tweet with the message “Let’s be democratic again”.  Let's be democratic again! https://t.co/upAxGXZXMS — Anirudh Thapa (@AnirudhThapa) February 4, 2021 Karanjit Singh, Deepak Tangri and Germanpreet Singh who belong to the Chennaiyin team were also vocal in their support to the farmers. We must stand by OUR farmers It is not their fight, it is OUR fight. Whether the world is watching or not, these are real issues faced by real people, the ones on whose backbones are great country is built. And it is our duty to use our platforms to lend our voice to them. pic.twitter.com/AUTN5n1J7H — Deepak tangri (@deepaktangri22) February 4, 2021 Michael Soosairaj, an Indian professional footballer and ATK Mohun Bagan’s midfielder also lent his voice in support of the farmers. Please support farmers  https://t.co/ZTQd0m425w — Soosairajmichael (@soosairajmichal) February 4, 2021 A lot of people on social media are talking about how the footballers unlike their counterparts from cricket did not succumb to the alleged PR politics of the ruling party.    Mad Respect for Indian footballers for supporting the farmers. Bravo. And dear India, don't promote mediocrity. Yes i'm talking about Bollywood and Indian Cricket.#FarmersProtest — Advaid അദ്വൈത് (@Advaidism) February 5, 2021 After pop singer Rihanna tweeted in favour of the protesting farmers, several Indian cricketers along with a long list of other celebrities took to Twitter with same or similar messages. This included the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, current captain Virat Kohli, vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane, Anil Kumble and Ravi Shastri. While many supported these tweets, the cricketers also received flak from a large section who asked how come they never spoke up for the farmers in the last two months. The Delhi police has however alleged that tweets by Rihanna, Greta Thunberg and others were part of propaganda by international players. Indian professional boxer Vijender Singh sent out a loud message by tweeting “Stop hate for profit”. He also used the hashtag #StandWithFarmers. Stop hate for profit #StandWithFarmers — Vijender Singh (@boxervijender) February 5, 2021 Cricketer Manoj Tiwary took a veiled dig at the Indian cricketers who tweeted in response to international icons for extending support to farmers’ protests. When I was a kid, I never saw a puppet show. It took me 35 years to see one  pic.twitter.com/AMCGIZMfGN — MANOJ TIWARY (@tiwarymanoj) February 4, 2021 Davinder Singh, who plays as a right back for Mumbai City in the Indian Super League shared photos from the farmers’ protest and said he stands with the farmers.   WE STAND WITH FARMERS #FarmersProtest #IStandWithFarmers #Farmers_Lives_Matter #kissanmajdoorektazindabadh #kissanmorcha pic.twitter.com/ElDCz5f0bL — Davinder Singh (@Davinder32) February 4, 2021

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Nalapad Haris polls highest votes in Karnataka Youth Cong polls but gets disqualified

Politics

Many within the party raised questions Mohammed Nalappad Haris was disqualified after his victory and not at the time of nomination

Soumya Chatterjee

The recently concluded Youth Congress elections in Karnataka may have done more damage to the party than strengthening its organisation, as the party remains out of power since the collapse of the Congress-JD(S) coalition government. Mohammed Nalapad Haris, son of three-time Shanti Nagar MLA NA Haris, won the elections beating his closest rival by more than 7,000 votes on Thursday. However, in a turn of events, Nalappad was declared unfit and disqualified for his role as the prime accused in the 2018 Farzi Cafe bar brawl case. As a result, runner-up Raksha Ramaiah, son of senior Congress leader MR Seetharam, was declared as the Youth Congress President on Thursday after a month of voting. In a video that has been circulated among youth party workers, Nalapad can be heard asking his supporters not to speak against the party and pledged his loyalty to the party, state president DK Shivakumar and former national president Rahul Gandhi.  While shadow fighting between top leaders, including ministers of the party, is not unknown in such Youth Congress elections, a section of party workers feels that disqualifying Nalapad has also hurt the party’s image among the youth.   “Well ahead of the elections, Nalapad had sought directions from the top party bosses to contest the elections, considering the bar brawl case and that political leaders, including the Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa, had raised several serious allegations against the party leader. Nalappad had prepared for the elections only after getting a green signal from the leaders,” a source in the Congress told TNM. The source added, “Nalapad’s victory was sabotaged in a petty way at the insistence of a newly-elected MLA, who did not want the rise of another young community leader within the party. Raksha was also supported by a former minister, who managed to pull strings with Rahul Gandhi’s office. Even Siddaramaiah (former Karnataka Chief Minister) supporting Raksha Ramaiah’s cause is not unknown.” However, Nivedith Alva, party spokesperson and Convenor, Disciplinary Action Committee of KPCC told TNM, “The Youth Congress election is a system designed and built in a constantly evolving way to bring about reform to the youth congress from the grass root level. There are countless success stories from across the country that have come from this very system. The rules are clear and the sign off by FAME (organisation holding the elections) is always the last step in the process. The system is stringent and the same for all.” According to political observers, Siddaramaiah’s support to Raksha is to help retain him some power within the youth system of the party, with DK Shivakumar being the current state president. Some have even opined that this was a shadow power check between Siddaramiah and Shivakumar.  The source claimed that irrespective of the internal dynamics, DKS thinks Nalapad is a good leader with better organisational and oratory skills. “Knowing that he will go to elections in two years, DKS saw a strong youth leader in Nalapad but after the instructions from Rahul Gandhi’s office, he did not interfere further. While Nalapad has been on the ground for some time, the recent farmers’ protest was the first time that Raksha has hit the ground,” the source added.  Incidentally, being the third runner-up in the election, HS Manjunath, a former student leader, has been selected as the Youth Congress Vice-President. According to sources, he was backed by former Deputy CM and state party president G Parameshwara.

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Why BJP, Congress are handpicking Karnataka leaders to oversee Kerala, TN polls

Politics

Among the key appointments are former KPCC chiefs Dinesh Gundu Rao and G Parameshwara, while the BJP has picked former Union Minister Pralhad Joshi and Dy CM Aswathnarayana.

Naheed Ataulla

Poll-bound states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala have opened up opportunities for Karnataka's second line leadership in the BJP and Congress to show their organising and electoral management skills like never before. In recent days both national parties have been increasingly delegating electoral responsibilities to their frontline and second-rung leaders from Karnataka. Elections in Kerala and Tamil Nadu are expected to be announced anytime. The appointments include two former Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) Presidents G Parameshwara and Dinesh Gundu Rao and from the BJP Union Minister Pralhad Joshi, who was also the state BJP chief from 2012 to 2016. Joshi has been teamed up with Deputy Chief Minister CN Ashwathnarayana, while BJP MP Rajeev Chandrasekhar is in-charge of Puducherry.  The BJP has given the key post of heading its national youth wing to Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya, who has been visiting all the states going to polls. Meanwhile, former minister CT Ravi is the General Secretary in charge of Tamil Nadu, where his party is making a foray to capture power. What's the criteria for giving these responsibilities? BJP's functionary Vaman Acharya, who was a Saha Prabhari (link between the Central and state leadership) for Maharashtra in 2015 said broadly it was on three parameters. “The central leadership will look at the oratory skills of the person or whether one has the capacity and ability to organise  money and manpower or those who have held posts in the party earlier,” he said. According to BJP sources, these appointments are also in a way a talent search on leadership requirements as it will not be possible for the  party's state or the national presidents to do the pre-poll arrangements in election-bound states. The BJP started the trend of springing surprise candidates to head states, such as Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath or Maharashtra's former CM Devendra Fadnavis or Goa's late CM Manohar Parikkar. Sometimes proximity to the central leadership also matters, they added. Gundu Rao, who is AICC in- charge of Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Goa said one reason for Karnataka leaders being given the responsibilities was because of the connect they have with the border states. “There are similarities in culture and language, the states are not far, all of which helps in decision making,” he explained. According to him former minister HK Patil has been given the responsibility of Maharashtra as he hails from north Karnataka and has made a name in the cooperative sector, which is a movement there. Citing his own case, Gundu Rao said his experience in organisational matters as a former state unit president would stand in good stead in Tamil Nadu, where the Congress hopes to better its performance.  In another poll-bound state Kerala, where the Congress has high stakes considering its party leader Rahul Gandhi is an MP from there, two functionaries from Dakshina Kannada have been picked to oversee the election process with Parameshwara in-charge. Former legislator Ivan D'Souza and party functionary PV Mohan  have been appointed as AICC secretaries. Mohan was in charge of Khanapur and Bailhongal Assembly constituencies in Belagavi for two years and  caught the high command's attention for the several training programmes he held for the workers. He has been put in charge of 60 Assembly constituencies in north Kerala, which is a LDF stronghold. “We have six Congress MLAs in the outgoing Assembly from this Malabar region and if some efforts are put in, the numbers can be doubled,” he added.  Apart from the appointments in Kerala and Tamil Nadu, the Congress has given responsibility to some of its leaders in Goa. Congress party's senior MLC Prakash K Rathod and KPCC's Research Department chief and educationist Mansoor Khan are the observers for the digital membership drive and in charge of an overhaul of the booths and blocks committees there. Last year, Health Minister K Sudhakar was part of the team from Karnataka along with party's MLA Satish Reddy to draw up strategies for Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation polls.

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Congress workers stage protest against LPG price hike in Bengaluru

Protest

The protest was held in Bengaluru’s Maurya Circle

TNM Staff

Twitter/Kaapikathe

Members of the Karnataka unit of the Congress and the Youth Congress staged a protest in Bengaluru’s Maurya Circle on Friday, over the non-subsidised liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) price hike by government-run oil marketing companies (OMCs) in metropolitan regions. The cost of LPG cylinders was revised on Thursday and immediately brought into effect. Congress workers blocked traffic and raised slogans against the Prime Minister and his government. Other protesters held placards which said that if the prices kept increasing, they would have to go back to using firewood to cook. One protester held a placard that read, “If Modi comes to power again, free firewood will be distributed.” Party workers also placed bricks to form an earthen stove as part of the protest.   ಗ್ಯಾಸ್ ಬೆಲೆ ಏರಿಕೆ ಖಂಡಿಸಿ @INCKarnataka ಪ್ರತಿಭಟನೆ ನಡೆಸುತ್ತಿದೆ. #YouthCongress ಕಾರ್ಯಕರ್ತರು #Bengaluru ನಗರದ ಮೌರ್ಯ ಸರ್ಕಲ್ ನಲ್ಲಿ ರಸ್ತೆ ತಡೆ ನಡೆಸಿ ಕೇಂದ್ರ ಸರ್ಕಾರದ ವಿರುದ್ದ ಪ್ರತಿಭಟನೆ ನಡೆಸುತ್ತಿದ್ದಾರೆ.‌#kaapikathe #Karnataka #Congress #Protest #PetrolPrice #LPGPriceHike @DKShivakumar pic.twitter.com/VMrswDKcAq — kaapikathe (@kaapikathe) February 5, 2021   The Union Government increased the price of LPG by Rs 25 per unit for domestic cylinders while the cost of commercial cylinders was increased by Rs 184 per unit. This revision took the LPG prices in Bengaluru from Rs 697 to Rs 722 for a 14.2 kg cylinder. Meanwhile, consumers will be paying Rs 735 per cylinder in Chennai and Hyderabad users will pay Rs 771. The consumers in Mumbai will have to pay Rs 719 for a cylinder. The LPG hike was not well received by members of the ruling Shiv Sena party in Maharashtra either, who staged a protest against the same in Mumbai. The party has warned to intensify the protests if the Union government did not take steps to reduce the prices. In December 2020, oil companies had increased LPG prices twice. The retailers revise the prices every month. The government subsidises 12 cylinders each household per year.

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SC Collegium recommends Advocate Aditya Sondhi, 2 judicial officers as HC judges

Judiciary

Judicial officers Rajendra Badamikar and Khazi Jayabunnisa Mohiuddin are the judicial officers who were recommended for elevation as judges in Karnataka High Court.

TNM Staff

Youtube/NUJS Guest Lectures

The Supreme Court Collegium has approved the proposal for the elevation of senior advocate Aditya Sondhi and judicial officers Rajendra Badamikar and Khazi Jayabunnisa Mohiuddin as judges of Karnataka High Court. The Collegium meeting was held on Thursday, February 4. Aditya Sondhi has been a senior advocate in the High Court since June 2014 and has served as the Additional Advocate General for the Karnataka government as well. He was appointed to the post in 2016. A graduate of National Law School of India University (NLSIU), Bangalore, enrolled at the bar in 1998. He has a PhD in Political Science from Mysore University and prior to that he completed his master’s in the subject from Bangalore University. Sondhi has previously worked under Senior advocate Udaya Holla. Along with Sondhi, judicial officers Rajendra Badamikar and Khazi Jayabunnisa Mohiuddin were also recommended by the Collegium to be appointed as judges of the High Court.  Meanwhile, the Collegium has also recommended elevations of judges in other High Courts, including ones in Chhattisgarh, Allahabad and Kolkata. Judicial officer Naresh Kumar Chandravanshi and advocate Narendra Kumar Vyas have been recommended to be elevated as judges of the Chhattisgarh High Court. The Collegium also recommended the elevation of 11 judicial officers of the Allahabad High Court as judges. Eight judicial officers have also been recommended for elevation to the post of judges in the Calcutta High Court. The Supreme Court Collegium overlooks the appointments, elevation of judges and lawyers to the Supreme Court and transfers of judges of High Courts and Apex Court. The decisions are made by a forum comprising of the Chief Justice of India and the four senior-most judges of the Supreme Court. As per the procedure for the appointment of judges to the Supreme Court and the 25 high courts, the apex court collegium recommends the names of candidates to the government which, in turn, either accepts the proposal or returns it for reconsideration. The high court collegiums first send their recommendations to the Law Ministry which in turn processes the files by attaching IB reports and forwards it to the SC collegium.

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Indian Air Force mulls buying 106 basic trainer aircraft from HAL

HAL had earlier bagged a deal of providing 83 Tejas light combat aircrafts.

TNM Staff

The Indian Air Force (IAF) has sought a quotation from Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) to make its basic Hindustan Turbo Trainer (HTT-40) to train its pilots. A top official on Thursday confirmed that the IAF has sent an RFQ (request for quotation) to the state-run company. HAL Chairman R Madhavan, in a conversation with the press at the 13th edition of Aero India 2021, said that they have received an RFQ from the IAF to make HTT-40 aircraft for basic training of their rookie pilots. The Chairman also mentioned that of 106 trainers required by the IAF, they will deliver 70 in the first phase. The city-based defence behemoth will deliver the remaining 36 trainers after the IAF inducts the first batch into their fleet. The defence acquisition council (DAC), chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on August 11, 2020, approved the purchase of 106 HTT-40 trainers for the IAF at a cost of Rs 7,600 crore. The RFQ reportedly came six years after the IAF was scheduled to buy more Pilatus basic trainer aircraft (PC 7 MkII) from the Swiss maker. The defence ministry in July 2019 blacklisted the Swiss makers for allegedly violating Indian weapon procurement rules. The IAF had been training their rookie pilots in the 75 planes it bought from the Swiss aerospace major from 2014 till 2018. However, with the BJP-led NDA government stressing on 'Atma Nirbhar Bharat' (self-reliant India), the IAF opted for the native basic trainer. A prototype of HTT-40 was flown by Air Chief Marshal Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria on November 14, 2019. The flying capabilities — including the stall and spin — were examined by him during the sortie in Bengaluru’s aerospace hub. HAL had earlier bagged a deal of providing LCA (light combat aircraft) Tejas. The contract for procuring 83 Tejas light combat aircraft was sealed on Wednesday at the inaugural ceremony of Aero India-2021. The deal was confirmed in the presence of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.

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Bengaluru’s NIMHANS to get India’s first govt-run dementia care centre

Mental health

The residential centre aims to provide affordable care and support to patients affected with dementia and other chronic neuro-psychiatric illnesses whose costs are exorbitantly expensive.

Treesa Reena John

REPRESENTATIONAL IMAGE

Finally, India’s first government-run dementia care centre will soon come up at Sakalavara Community Mental Health Centre campus at National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS) in Bengaluru. “It will take at least eighteen months for the completion of construction of the centre”, said Dr P T Sivakumar, Professor of Psychiatry and Consultant, Geriatric Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, NIMHANS to TNM. The residential centre aims to provide affordable care and support to patients affected with dementia and other chronic neuro-psychiatric illnesses whose costs are exorbitantly expensive.However, two-third of the facility would be run on a cost-basis which will subsequently maintain the operational expenditures, he added. Dementia refers to a group of diseases associated with the gradual decline of memory, judgement or language due to damages of neurons in the brain. It usually affects people aged above 60 years, and Alzheimer’s disease is the most common among them. An estimated 53 lakh elderly in the country, including 3.5 lakh in Karnataka, reportedly have dementia. The geriatric psychiatric unit in NIMHANS alone has treated around 3,500 new outpatients and has seen 275 admissions every year since July 2017, reported Deccan Herald. Along with the pressing need for more dementia care centres, there is also a need for trained professional caregivers.“There is a huge shortage of trained caregivers for dementia. Hence, we have come up with a national initiative to train people in geriatric mental health and dementia care. The National Stock Exchange Foundation has supported us with the training initiative, which will be launched this month,” said Dr Sivakumar. When asked about the sources of funding he replied, “We have got a Corporate Social Responsibility funding of Rs 10 crores from Rural Electrification Corporation (REC) for construction. Also, we have instituted a fund called Sakalavara fund and our former psychiatry professor and HOD at NIMHANS, Prof C R Chandrashekhar has donated Rs 1 crore.” "There is a growing need now for more dementia care centres and the government has to come up with a policy for the long-term care system for dementia”, he added.

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