Former Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah building Ram temple in his village

Politics

Both Siddaramaiah and HDK have spoken against the ongoing fund collection drive for the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.

TNM Staff

File image/PTI

Former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said on Saturday that he is part of an effort to build a Ram temple at his home village in Mysuru district days after he publicly spoke against donating money for the Ram Mandir at Ayodhya.  Speaking to reporters, the ex-CM said that such temples are constructed in all villages and he is building a similar one in his own village. He also alleged that the BJP was exploiting the emotions of the public to raise funds for the temple in Ayodhya. He further said that those collecting money from the public for the Ram Temple in Ayodhya should be made accountable as it raises suspicion about “misuse”. He questioned that in the past too, money was collected from the public for the same purpose but there are no details of such funds or bricks collected in those drives. Read: Ram Mandir: Siddaramaiah questions fund drive, HDK says he was threatened Read: How the Sangh is collecting funds for Ayodhya Ram temple This comes Siddaramaiah, on February 16, had said that he will not contribute to the Ram Mandir Nidhi Samarpana Abhiyan drive due to the disputed nature of the land and instead said he is willing to donate if a temple is being built elsewhere. He further said while the Supreme Court has given its verdict on the matter, there is still lingering controversy surrounding the issue. This statement led Rural Development Minister KS Eshwarappa to equate Siddaramaiah with PFI General Secretary Anis Ahmed, who has been booked by Mangaluru police for a similar statement. Anis urged Muslims not to donate money for the temple, calling it an RSS Mandir. Not only Siddaramaiah, but former CM HD Kumaraswamy had also spoken strongly against the ongoing fund collection drive for the construction of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. He also said that he was “threatened” for not contributing to the fund. He said he is against the construction of the temple in Ayodhya and also he is against the donation drive by private entities. He also questioned the accountability of the fund collection drive and asked what happened to the funds collected earlier for this purpose.

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Karnataka not to go for another lockdown: Karnataka Health Minister Dr Sudhakar

Lockdown

"Be it partial or complete lockdown, there is no such intention, nor are there any proposals lying before the state government," Dr Sudhakar said.

IANS

Allaying fears of another round of lockdown in Bengaluru, Karnataka Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar on Saturday said that there is no proposal before the state government to re-enforce the lockdown in any part of the state. Reacting to reports about reinforcing lockdown in Bengaluru, the minister told reporters that COVID-19 cases have not increased in Karnataka and unlike Kerala or Maharashtra, the situation does not demand another lockdown as of now. "Be it partial or complete lockdown, there is no such intention, nor are there any proposals lying before the state government," he said. Sudhakar's remarks came on the heels of Bengaluru civic body Commissioner N Manjunatha Prasad's statement on Friday which said if the citizens continue to grossly flout COVID-19 restrictions, lockdown may have to be reinforced. On Friday, Prasad, while addressing health officials in Bengaluru in the wake of the formation of two clusters and the emergence of South African and Brazilian strains of COVID-19 in neighbouring states, had warned that the government will be forced to re-enforce lockdown if the current scale of violation of social distancing norms in Bengaluru continues. "As of now, the COVID-19-19 situation has not gone out of control and so far no new strain of COVID-19 virus has been found except the UK strain. Even this new type of strain has not been found in alarming numbers. Therefore, the state government has not thought in that direction (imposing lockdown) yet," Sudhakar said. The minister, however, maintained that while the state government is making all efforts to prevent the situation from going out of control, it is equally important for people to cooperate fully in this battle against the invisible enemy. "People should not throw caution to the wind. They need to wear masks and maintain social distance in order to beat this virus," he said. Sudhakar also maintained that the state has ramped up its vigil, especially in the border districts and in Bengaluru to prevent a Kerala or Maharashtra-like situation. He also stressed that the state has gained substantial experience in controlling the spread of the virus, which it proved successfully by preventing any further spread of the UK strain that was initially found in some passengers who arrived here from the UK. He asserted that the UK strain has only been found in those passengers and some of their primary contacts. "We did not allow it to spread in the society due to the strict measures which were enforced on these travellers. So it is unlikely that the situation would go out of control anytime soon," he said. Emphasising the rise in the number of fresh cases in neighbouring states like Kerala, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh, Sudhakar said that the state government has already taken steps like making negative RT-PCR test report mandatory for those entering Kerala through the borders of these states. "On an average, 4,000-5,000 cases are getting reported in Kerala and 5,000-6,000 in Maharashtra on a day-to-day basis. As we share our borders with these states, we issued circulars. Unless we see RT-PCR negative certificates from those coming from these states, we will not allow them to enter Karnataka," the minister said.

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Bengaluru: Traffic diversions to the airport, parking restrictions announced for Sunday

Traffic advisory

The restrictions will apply from 10 am to 4 pm as the Panchamasali community rally is being held at Palace Grounds.

TNM Staff

Representational image/PTI

The Bengaluru City Traffic Police issued a traffic advisory for commuters travelling to the airport on Sunday due to the Panchamasali community rally at Palace Grounds. Parking restrictions have also been imposed on major routes leading to the ground and those falling on the route towards the airport. Parking will be banned in  Ramana Maharshi Road, Sir CV Raman Road, Ballari Road, Mekhri Circle, Jayamahal Road, T Chowdiah Road, RT Nagar Main Road and all other adjoining roads between 10 am and 4 pm.  Traffic police have urged the public going to the airport from the southern and western parts of the city to take left at Chalukya Circle and move towards High Grounds police station junction, T Chowdiah Road, Windsor Manor Junction, Cauvery Junction, Bhashyam Circle, Jeevaraj Alva Road, Sadashivanagar police station junction, New BEL Road, Devasandra and the Hebbal flyover.  Returning vehicles have been advised to use the New BEL Road, BHEL Circle (IISc Gate), Maramma Circle and Margosa Road.  Persons travelling towards the airport from east Bengaluru have been asked to drive through MG Road, Kamaraj Road, Wheelers Road, ITC flyover, IOC flyover, Banaswadi Main Road, Outer Ring Road, and a right turn at Bagalur Cross. Those vehicles returning from the airport can take left at the Outer Ring Road towards and go through Hennur Outer Ring Road to reach the city centre. As reported earlier, a huge crowd is expected to gather in Bengaluru for the rally which is led by the Lingayat Panchamasali Mahasabha as they demand reservation in the 2A category for Backward Classes list from the present 3B category. Read: The quota conundrum in Karnataka poses threat to Yediyurappa's legacy On February 6, Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa made a 'U' turn on the issue. At first, he said that he cannot grant the community’s wish without consulting the Prime Minister and other central leaders, but later retracted the announcement and referred the reservation matter to the Karnataka Backward Class Commission. Also read: Panchamasali seer threatens stir at Vidhana Soudha over show-cause notice to BJP MLA

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Independent MLA Sharath Bachegowda to join Congress on Feb 25

Politics

Sharath had rebelled against his party BJP and successfully contested the Hoskote assembly byelection.

Independent MLA Sharath Bachegowda, who is the son of BJP MP B N Bache Gowda said he would join the Congress party on February 25. Sharath's entry to the Congress had been on the cards for quite some time but it is now that he has confirmed his next political move. Sharath had rebelled against his party BJP and successfully contested the Hoskote assembly byelection in December 2019 defeating BJP's M T B Nagaraj. Nagaraj, a BJP MLC and minister, was among the rebel Congress MLAs who had resigned from the assembly in 2019 bringing down the Congress-JDS coalition government. He joined the BJP later but was defeated in the bypolls. There were accusations that Bache Gowda helped his son indirectly to win the election but he refuted the charges. Sharath said he has not informed his father formally about his decision to join Congress. "Since everything is in the public domain, I did not inform him yet.He must be aware of it," he added. To a question whether Bache Gowda approved his decision, Sharath said he had to think of his political career. According to BJP sources, Sharath had tried to make an entry into the BJP but Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa and the state BJP leadership did not approve it as they were upset with him for rebelling against the party and defeating their candidate. The Congress' strength will go up to 68 from the existing 67 in the Karnataka Assembly when Sharath joins the party. Sharath will join the party on 25-02-2021 at 11 am at KPCC office in the presence of Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) President DK Shivakumar, CLP Leader Siddaramaiah, Krishna Byre Gowda, among other leaders, the Congress said.

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Karnataka CET exams on July 7 and 8

Education

The CET examination for the subjects of Biology and Mathematics will be on July 7 this year while the examination for Physics and Chemistry will be on July 8.

TNM Staff

The Common Entrance Test (CET) examination for professional courses in Karnataka will be held on July 7 and 8, Karnataka Higher Education Minister CN Ashwath Narayan said on Saturday. The dates were chosen after considering the schedule of CET exams by other states and the time table of the class 12 examinations in Karnataka for both state syllabus and CBSE syllabus students. The CET examination for the subjects of Biology and Mathematics will be on July 7 this year while the examination for Physics and Chemistry will be on July 8. The Kannada language test for students from other states and border regions will be on July 9, Ashwath Narayan, who is also the Deputy Chief Minister, said. In 2020, the CET exam was conducted on July 30 and 31 after it was postponed due to the lockdown imposed over the COVID-19 outbreak in India. The Karnataka government has issued orders for restarting schooling for students above class 6 in most districts from February 22. Students between classes 6 and 8 from districts that share a border with Kerala and from Bengaluru are yet to get the government clearance to return to schools. Students studying in class 12, who will be writing the CET exams this year, have been attending classes in schools since January.   Karnataka Health Minister K Sudhakar on Saturday urged people to take necessary precautions while cautioning about the possible second wave of COVID-19. Also ruling out any COVID-19 related curbs like lockdown or curfew measures in Karnataka for now, he said the state has not come to that situation and all necessary precautions were being taken so that the state does not reach such a stage. As per the guidelines by the state COVID-19 Technical Advisory Committee, it is mandated that all those coming from Kerala and Maharashtra have to the state to carry a negative RT-PCR test report.

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Bengaluru likely to see more rain and thundershowers until Feb 22

Weather

The maximum and minimum temperature in Bengaluru is likely to be around 27 and 17 degree Celsius respectively.

TNM Staff

Parts of Bengaluru city experienced light to medium-heavy showers on Saturday evening. According to the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC), widespread light to moderate rains with isolated places heavy rains likely over BBMP area until Sunday morning. KSNDMC also forecast widespread, light to moderate rainfall in south interior Karnataka, coastal Karnataka and Malnad districts until Sunday morning.    BBMP Rainfall Forecast: Widespread light to moderate rains with isolated places heavy rains likely over BBMP area. pic.twitter.com/wOKoJA3goO — KSNDMC (@KarnatakaSNDMC) February 20, 2021   As per the India Meteorological Department’s 8.30 am bulletin on Saturday, for the next 48 hours (until February 22 morning), Bengaluru will remain cloudy with rain and thundershowers very likely towards the evening and night. Mist is also very likely during morning hours in some areas. The maximum and minimum temperature in Bengaluru is likely to be around 27 and 17 degree Celsius respectively. Rain and thundershowers are very likely to occur at a few places over south interior Karnataka and at isolated places over coastal Karnataka and north interior Karnataka, according to IMD.   Many parts of Karnatak received showers on Friday. While Kiravatti in Uttara Kannada district received 4 cms of rainfall, Kadra (Uttara Kannada), Bhimarayanagudi ARG (Yadgir), Agumbe (Shivamogga), Chamarajanagar, Kolar recevied 3 cms of rainfall each. In Bengaluru Urban, GKVK and Yelahanka IAF received the highest rainfall in the city at 2 cms of rainfall, while Hesaraghatta, Yelahanka, Gopal Nagar ARG, Electronic city ARG received 1 cm of rainfall on Friday.  Kodagu had witnessed hailstorms on Friday morning, with pictures from the district showing hail on the roads and roofs of the houses. An official from KSNDMC had, however, told TNM earlier that hailstorms are common in Kodagu.  A faint depression in the low-level easterlies running from Kerala to Gujarat is causing the rains across the city, IMD had on Friday stated. Rains are expected to taper off next week. 

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Disha Ravi bail order on Feb 23: What her lawyer and the govt told court

Disha Ravi Arrest

A Delhi court has reserved orders in Disha Ravi’s bail plea hearing a day after her judicial custody ends.

TNM Staff

A Delhi court on Saturday reserved orders in Disha Ravi’s bail plea for Tuesday, February 23, a day after her judicial custody ends. The 22-year-old climate activist Disha, who was arrested on February 13 in connection with the probe into the ‘toolkit’ or the Google document on farmers’ protests, has been sent to judicial custody till February 22. Disha had earlier spent five days in police custody. Additional Sessions Judge Dharmender Rana questioned the Additional Solicitor General (ASG) SV Raju about the material evidence incriminating Disha Ravi. He also questioned what was the connection between the ‘toolkit’ or Google document with the violence that took place in Delhi on January 26 during the tractor parade by farmers protesting against the farm laws. Appearing for the Delhi police, Additional Solicitor General (ASG) SV Raju opposed bail for Disha and said that it was not a simple ‘toolkit', that the ‘toolkit’ preceded the violence that took place in Delhi on January 26 and that it was linked to the Khalistani movement through the Poetic Justice Foundation (PJF), a Canada based organisation. However, the ASG said that the PJF was not a banned organisation.  Alongside Disha, two others - lawyer Nikita Jacob and activist Shantanu Muluk, both residents of Maharashtra, are named as accused persons in the case.  Disha’s arguments  Appearing for Disha, her lawyer Siddharth Agrawal argued that she is a 22-year-old living in Bengaluru and her history has nothing to do with Khalistan. The counsel also submitted that the other two co-accused in the case, Nikita and Shantanu, have been granted pre-arrest transit bail by the Bombay High Court. “On February 22, Shantanu will come with protection from Bombay High Court and I'll have to be in custody?” Disha’s counsel asked the court. “If highlighting the farmer protests on the global platform is sedition, then I am guilty. If thinking otherwise is a problem, we're lowering the bar of thinking that someone may have an opinion different from ours,” Agrawal said. “If telling people that there is something that has happened or could happen is sedition, we should shut down all internet everywhere,” he argued. Agarwal: For instance, if there is yoga. And I prefer kung fu over yoga. Will I become a chinese spy? I'm not saying this. It's in their FIR. We're reducing the bar of someone having a different point of view. #DishaRavi#Toolkit — Live Law (@LiveLawIndia) February 20, 2021 “Their allegations in the FIR state that I have attacked chai and yoga. Is this the parameter for sedition?” Agrawal asked. “Nobody arrested in connection with Red Fort violence has said that he was inspired by the toolkit. There is no evidence to show that the toolkit is responsible for violence during farmers' march,” he added. “The problem is that I spoke to Greta Thunberg and convinced her to support farmers’ issues by a tweet.. the tweet is not about Khalistan movement. If my inputs to Greta Thunberg have to be looked into, then kindly consider that her tweet is only for the farmers' protest, not for anything else,” Disha’s lawyer said. Toolkit created on Jan 20: Police  During the hearing, Delhi police’s counsel SV Raju said that Nikita and Shantanu got in touch with members of the Poetic Justice Foundation through a Zoom call on 11 January 2021. He also mentioned the ‘toolkit’ or the online document on farmers' protests. The ‘toolkit’ or the online document was shared by Greta Thunberg with outdated dates and was later deleted and replaced with one containing newer dates. “The ‘toolkit’ may look innocuous but it is not. After some drafting, it was shared on WhatsApp group for comments. It was finally shared with the Poetic Justice Foundation.There was no reason for this,” SV Raju said during the hearing, as reported by Livelaw. The ASG added that PJF was founded by Mo Dhaliwal in March 2020 and that it had shared content supporting Khalistan on its social media pages. After the Zoom call, Nikita, Shantanu and Ravi discussed the meeting on WhatsApp and the ‘toolkit’ was created on January 20, the prosecutor for Delhi police Irfan Ahmed said in court.    The ASG further added that parts of the Google document or ‘toolkit’ were deleted after it was ‘leaked’ on social media. It is to be noted here that Greta Thunberg tweeted the ‘toolkit’ in question and later tweeted an updated version on February 4. The updated version is still available online.  Here’s an updated toolkit by people on the ground in India if you want to help. (They removed their previous document as it was outdated.)#StandWithFarmers #FarmersProtesthttps://t.co/ZGEcMwHUNL — Greta Thunberg (@GretaThunberg) February 3, 2021 The contention made by Delhi police in the FIR is that the tractor parade in Delhi by farmers protesting the farm laws on January 26 turned violent “as a result of the said instigation by elements behind this document and its toolkit.” The ASG repeatedly stated that there was no need to share the toolkit with members of the Poetic Justice Foundation. The bail hearing comes a day after a Delhi court sent climate change activist Disha Ravi to three further days of judicial custody. Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Akash Jain sent Disha to jail after Delhi Police produced her before the court on expiry of her five-day custodial interrogation. Police said that her custodial interrogation was not required for the time being and the agency may seek her further interrogation once her co-accused - Shantanu Mukul and Nikita Jacob - join the interrogation. Police said Disha was evasive during her previous interrogation and shifted the blame onto the co-accused. Mukul and Jacob have been asked to appear before Delhi police on February 22, the agency told the court. The defence lawyer opposed the police plea and urged the court to release Ravi. He further said that there was an apprehension of tampering of the evidence by police as "the case diary is not properly made...and in volume form. There's no ground to keep her in any custody, police custody or judicial custody. I (Ravi) ought to be released right now," he said. Hours after Disha was sent to judicial custody, international climate activist Greta Thunberg on Friday reacted to her arrest for the first time. Greta extended her support to Disha and said that an individual’s rights to freedom of speech, peaceful protest and assembly are non-negotiable. Greta’s response came hours after the India chapter of Fridays for Future (FFF), a global movement inspired by her, expressed solidarity with Disha. The 22-year-old climate activist based in Bengaluru was a volunteer with FFF, and helped organise events in the city. It is to be noted that toolkits are nothing but Google Documents or Word documents often used to organise a social media campaign or to plan protests. A toolkit contains basic information on any issue, tweet suggestions and information on what hashtags to use, whom to tag on social media, etc. These documents are regularly used by various individuals and groups, including political parties, to organise social media campaigns and mobilise crowds.

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