Chief Minister Siddaramaiah

Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court has adjourned the hearing of a petition filed by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, challenging the prosecution order issued against him by the Governor in connection with the MUDA case.

The court has scheduled the next hearing for September 9.

RV Deshpande

Mysuru: RV Deshpande, who is Chairman of Administrative Reforms Commission and a senior Congress leader, brushed aside questions about him replacing Siddaramaiah as the Chief Minister of Karnataka, clarifying that no such idea was discussed within the Congress or the High Command in New Delhi.

Addressing reporters in the city on Sunday, Deshpande, who had also headed the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC), said that Siddaramaiah would not only continue as the CM of the state but also remain at the helm for the full term.

The former minister further clarified that no meetings over a possible replacement of Siddaramaiah had been held at the residences of either Home Minister Dr. G Parameshwara or Public Works Minister Satish Jarkiholi. Deshpande said that any meeting that the senior ministers held would have pertained to their respective ministries.

When asked about his aspirations to become the CM of Karnataka, Deshpande said that he would reply to the question only if such an offer was made to him. Earlier, however, when asked if he hoped he would get a portfolio in the next Cabinet reshuffle, the Congress leader said that he had also held the position of a minister several times and now it would be appropriate for him to become the CM. He added that having ambitions was perfectly acceptable but not being desperate.

Although the issue of a replacement of Siddaramaiah has been raised in the backdrop of the CM facing charges of being allocated a site under the Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA) illegally, Deshpande supported Siddaramaiah, saying that there was not a single black mark in the CM’s five-decade-long career in politics. He pointed out that MUDA had allocated sites to Siddaramaiah’s wife Parvathi as compensation for acquiring her land in Mysuru and opined that the allocation by MUDA was not wrong.

Ullal: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Mangaluru Unit Yuva Morcha protested on Wednesday evening for the police delaying the filing of FIR against Congress MLC Ivan D’Souza for criticizing Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot for permitting the prosecution of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who is facing allegations of being allocated a site under the Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA) illegally.

BJP District Vice-president Ravindra Shetty Ulidottu, who also participated in the protest, and members of the Yuva Morcha who allegedly attempted to lead a blockade were reportedly taken into custody by the police.The BJP youth forum members, who staged their protest below the Thokkottu flyover in the city, also accused the Congress government in the state of delaying the investigation of the case against the CM by a misuse of the Police Department. Calling the City Police as ‘spineless’ in the presence of the Congress government in taking action against MLC D’Souza for his strong statement, they said that immediate action was taken against the BJP for bursting firecrackers after winning the recent elections.

BJP District President Sathish Kumpala challenged Ivan D’Souza to open a rowdy sheet against BJP MLA D Vedvyas Kamath, warning the legislator that an illegal power show would fail before the BJP members.

Ulidottu, speaking during the protest, repeated the demand of the BJP members for Siddaramaiah to resign as Chief Minister as he is allegedly facing charges of illegal acquisition of site from the MUDA.

BJP Mangaluru Unit Vice-president Ravishankar Someshwar, District Spokesperson Mohanraj KR, General Secretary Dayanand Thokkottu, Mangaluru Yuva Morcha President Murali Konaje, Mahila Morcha President Madhavi Ullal, were among the BJP leaders, members and activists who participated in the protest at Thokkottu.

Bengaluru: BJP state president and MLA BY Vijayendra accused the Congress government of failing to address rising violence against women since coming to power. He expressed his concerns during the inauguration of the state-level workshop of BJP Mahila Morcha at Jagannath Bhawan, BJP State Office, Malleswar.

Vijayendra criticised the current state government, calling it “anti-people” and irresponsible in its handling of women’s safety issues.

He asserted that it is the duty of the opposition to fight against policies that harm the people, especially when the ruling government is allegedly ignoring such critical issues.

He highlighted several issues, including the scams involving the Valmiki Corporation and Muda, and claimed that these are indicative of a broader pattern of misconduct under the Congress government.

He also criticised Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Home Minister Parameshwara, and other ministers for their alleged negligence in addressing violence against women.

Vijayendra further criticised the Congress government’s flagship initiative of free bus travel for women, implying that the scheme was an empty gesture that failed to address more pressing concerns.

The event was attended by BJP Mahila Morcha state president K.K. Manjula, national executive member Sonal Ben Patel, Legislative Council member Pratapasimha Naik, and other key members of the BJP Mahila Morcha.

Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar

Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court today, upheld the state government’s decision to withdraw the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the illegal property gain case against Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar.

The court dismissed the petitions filed by the CBI and BJP leader Basanagowda Patil Yatnal, which had challenged the state Cabinet’s decision to halt the investigation.

This ruling comes as a major relief for DCM D.K. Shivakumar.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah

Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday requested the 16th Finance Commission to recommend capping of cesses and surcharges at five per cent of gross tax revenue, and anything exceeding that should be a part of the divisible pool.

In his address to Chairman of the 16th Finance Commission Arvind Panagariya and its members at a meeting here, he also requested the panel to recommend that vertical devolution should be at least 50 per cent of the divisible pool.

All non-tax revenues of the Centre should be included in the divisible pool of taxes by bringing the necessary Constitutional amendment, Siddaramaiah said.

The Chief Minister said economically advanced States are committed to supporting poorer States, but this should not come at the expense of their own residents or economic efficiency.

The Commission needs to carefully examine the impact of extremely high emphasis given to equity on the incentives of well performing states.

“Moreover, the taxpayers of such states expect their taxes to work for them. This creates public trust. The Finance Commission therefore needs to do a tightrope walk while balancing equity with efficiency and performance”, Siddaramaiah said.

Due to the disproportionate weightage given to equity by the 15th Finance Commission, Karnataka and similarly placed States ended up getting penalised for their good performance, both fiscally and demographically, the Chief Minister said.

Noting that cesses and surcharges are not part of the divisible pool, the Chief Minister said over the years, the Union Government has increased its reliance on them.

This has led to the divisible pool not growing in the same proportion as the Gross Tax Revenue, he said. This has caused substantial loss to all the States.

The loss to Karnataka on account of the non-sharing of cesses and surcharges from the divisible pool is Rs. 53,359 crore during the period 2017-18 to 2024-25, according to him.

The Chief Minister said reduction in central financial transfers is placing severe limitations on the ability of the States to invest in physical and human infrastructure, adding, this issue must be addressed urgently.

“Economically advanced States are committed to supporting poorer States, but this should not come at the expense of their own residents or economic efficiency,” Siddaramaiah said. “A larger proportion of resources generated by the States should be shared with them.”

He requested the Commission to take a bold view and approach, whereby equity considerations are balanced with sufficient reward for efficiency and performance.

Karnataka recommends that 60 per cent of contribution of a state to the divisible pool, for inter se allocation among states, should be given to that state, Siddaramaiah said.

Karnataka, the Chief Minister said, has been central to India’s growth story, adding, it contributes approximately 8.4 per cent to the national GDP with only about five per cent of the population. The State ranks second in total GST contribution to the country.

Despite Karnataka’s substantial contribution of about Rs four lakh crore to the Gross Tax Revenue of the Union every year, the state gets about Rs 45,000 crore in the form of devolution and about Rs. 15,000 crore grant-in-aid.

“This means that for every rupee Karnataka contributes, only 15 paise is returned to the state,” he pointed out.

The Chief Minister said Karnataka requires greater devolution by the Centre as it faces regional imbalances, especially in the Kalyana Karnataka region, and the challenges of urbanisation.

Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said, needs an investment of Rs. 55,586 crore over the next five years out of which the State requested for a grant of Rs 27,793 crore.

Similarly, for the equitable development of the Kalyana Karnataka region, the State is investing Rs 25,000 crore and requested a matching grant of Rs.25,000 crores over five years from the 16th Finance Commission.

To ensure effective disaster mitigation and timely relief and rehabilitation measures in the highly vulnerable region of Western Ghats, the State requested a grant of Rs.10,000 crore.

According to him, the 15th Finance Commission’s award reduced Karnataka’s share sharply from 4.713 to 3.647. This has led to a loss of Rs. 68,275 crore during the five-year period from 2021-26, he said.

The Finance Commission was conscious of the drastic cut Karnataka received and recommended state specific grants of Rs.11,495 crore, the Chief Minister said, adding, the Government of India, however, has not accepted the recommendation.

“So, Karnataka was deprived of these grants as well. The total of all the losses amount to Rs 79,770 Crores during the 15th Finance Commission period,”, Siddaramaiah said.

Karnataka, he said, has seen a revenue transfer of Rs 35,000-40,000 crore per year to other States, amounting to 1.8 percent of its GSDP, during the 15th Finance Commission period.

“The figure is astounding because the net transfers outside of Karnataka amount to about 50 to 55 percent of the total revenues it generates.”

Bengaluru: The High Court has adjourned the hearing on Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s petition challenging the Governor’s permission for his prosecution in the MUDA case.

The court has scheduled the next hearing for August 31, which falls on Saturday.

Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi represented CM Siddaramaiah in the proceedings.

Actor Darshan

Bengaluru: Actor Darshan has been transferred from Bengaluru Central Jail to Ballari Central Jail. The transfer, which occurred at 9:55 AM on Thursday, is connected to allegations that Darshan received preferential treatment while in custody regarding the Renukaswamy murder case in Chitradurga.

Authorities decided to move Darshan to Bellary Jail to ensure impartiality and address concerns about the special treatment he reportedly received during his stay in Bengaluru Central Jail.

Bengaluru: A Bengaluru woman on the morning of 28th August, woke up to find her friend lying dead beside her with her throat slit. The victim, B. Navyashree, 28, a choreographer, was found by her close friend Aishwarya in a pool of blood on Wednesday morning.

The incident took place at Navyashree’s residence in Vishweshwaraiah Layout, Kengeri. Aishwarya, who works with a real estate firm in RR Nagar, had stayed over at her friend’s house to console her over ongoing marital issues. The police have identified Navyashree’s husband, A. Kiran, 31, a cab driver, as the prime suspect. Kiran, who had reportedly fled the scene after the crime, has since been detained for questioning.

According to the police, Kiran had become increasingly insecure about his wife’s profession and suspected her fidelity. The couple had frequent arguments, with Kiran demanding that Navyashree change her career. On the night of the murder, Navyashree had confided in Aishwarya about her marital troubles. The two friends, along with Kiran, had dinner together after which Aishwarya and Navyashree went to bed in one room, while Kiran retired to another.

The next morning, Aishwarya awoke to the gruesome sight of her friend lying in a pool of blood. She immediately screamed for help, alerting neighbors who then contacted the police. The investigation is ongoing.