Economy slowdown hits car sales; dept achieves 13% of its target

BENGALURU: Karnataka’s Transport department has been seeing a decline in its revenue. Not because of poor imposition of fines but due to the fall in the number of vehicule registrations, especially of high-end vehicles. With an estimated revenue of Rs 3,420 crore in Bengaluru alone this year, the department has received only Rs 105 crore in the first quarter.  

Achieving only 13 per cent of its target, the department is at a new low, said to be a first, according to a transport official. “I have never seen such a low target achieved. The economy is down at the moment and the revenue received from the registrations has decreased drastically. Vehicular registrations is one of the main sources of income for the department,” a source said, adding that similar trends are seen in the entire state with the total estimated revenue of Rs 6,614 crore. As of now, there are 12 RTOs in the city.

Road tax, registration fee for new vehicles, permit fee, pending taxes and fines, driving licence fee and inspection fee at checkposts are the department’s major revenue sources. In the city, Commercial Tax department, Excise department, Stamps & Registration and the Transport department are the main revenue-generating sectors to the state government.

“The automobile industry is in a bad shape due to bad economy. And now most citizens tend to drive their old vehicles longer. This also has a lot to do with the city’s infrastructure, where people feel a second-hand car is better and costs less for registration,” V Ravichandar, urban expert

“The department also needs to ensure that second-hand vehicles are getting registered since new vehicular sale is in a slump,” he added.

“If people do not buy vehicles, naturally revenue from registrations will not come to us,” said V P Ikkeri, Transport Commissioner. According to official data, the growth of eight core industries dropped to 0.2 per cent in June, mainly due to contraction in oil-related sectors as well as cement production. The central government on Wednesday also revised downwards the growth rate of these eight sectors for May to 4.3 per cent from the earlier estimate of 5.1 per cent.

The construction near the Press Club has come as a shock to the Cubbon Park Walkers’ Association, who were the first to spot it, as well as many other users.

BENGALURU: Illegal constructions seem to be thriving in the city with even sides by the lakes not being spared. The latest one is at Cubbon Park. The construction near the Press Club has come as a shock to the Cubbon Park Walkers’ Association, who were the first to spot it, as well as many other users. When the Association brought this to the notice of authorities, the horticulture department said Karnataka State Bar Council near the park was making a room for security guards.

Umesh S, president of Cubbon Park Walkers’ Association, said, “Buildings just come up like this. We have only a few lung spaces in the city. Even though it is not a big building, it is still illegal. It is the horticulture departments’ responsibility to look into these issues.”

Umesh added that work is being carried out daily, with vehicles often ferrying construction material. Sribhavani Rakhesh, organising secretary of the Association asked, “Why do such incidents happen only in Cubbon Park? Why not Lalbagh? We also demand equal importance and restoration of greenery. We want the current generation to enjoy the greenery we did when we were growing up. We want kids to spend their childhood amidst greenery.”  

Deputy director of Horticulture Department, G Kusuma, said the matter was brought to her recently. “I have sent a notice to Karnataka State Bar Council to stop the construction immediately,” she told CE.

Pramesh Jain

Thousands bid tearful ADIEU to CCD’s Founder Siddhartha at his cremation in Chikkamagaluru:

Highlights.
* The family of Cafe Coffee Day’s founder VG Siddhartha on Tuesday reported that he had been missing since Monday.He was last seen by his driver.VG Siddhartha had asked the driver to drop him near a river and told him to go on without him.
* The investigating authorities found a letter allegedly written by VG Siddhartha to the Board of Directors and employees of his company Coffee Day Enterprises, showing he was struggling with financial problems due to debt,taxes and share buybacks.The letter pointed to suicide.
* The police launched a massive search operation involving multiple agencies, which scoured the waters under a bridge across Nethravathi,where Siddhartha was reportedly last seen on Monday night. After 36 hours of intensive search,a fisherman informed the police that he had spotted a body in the river.Police fished out Siddhartha’s remains on Wednesday morning.
* His body was identified by his friends, said Dakshina Kannada district Deputy Commissioner Sasikanth Senthil.A police official said everything points to suicide, but nothing can be ruled out until the investigation is over.
* After the post-mortem at Wenlock Hospital in Mangalore, the body was taken to Siddhartha’s home district of Chikmagalur A large number of people from within the coffee estate and neighbouring villages,whom Siddhartha had helped come up in life, thronged to pay their homage to the coffee king.Before Chethanahalli,the body was kept at Chikkamagalur for people to pay their last respects.
* The last rites of VG Siddhartha were performed by his son Amartya.Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa,R Ashoka,his predecessor HD Kumaraswamy and several political leaders as DK Shivakumar,UT Khader with others attended the funeral.
* Borrowing Rs five lakh from his father to pursue his dreams,Siddhartha,known for being shy and self-effacing,went on to become coffee king,creating jobs for thousands of youth instead of joining the family business.
* The family-owned over 350 acres of coffee estate and had been in the business for over 140 years.
* A political war also broke out over Siddhartha’s allegation of harassment by the Income Tax Department, as the Congress accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of betraying the people who voted for an independent and hassle-free economy.
* The company has named independent director SV Ranganath as the interim chairman of the company to replace Siddhartha.Meanwhile,CCD’s share prices suffered another major day of loss as it closed at 123.25, almost 30 points lower than the previous day’s close, which itself was a historic low for India’s biggest coffee chain.
* Former IPS,K.Annamalai also visited and paid his tribute and attended the final rites of Coffee King VG Siddhartha.
Billionaire coffee tycoon VG Siddhartha, whose body was fished out of a river two days after he went missing,was on Wednesday cremated at his estate in his home district of Chikmagalur after thousands of people bid him a tearful Adieu.
Amid a sombre atmosphere,his son Amartya lit the funeral pyre after the last rites were performed according to the traditions of the Vokkaliga community from which he hailed.Poignant scenes were witnessed as Amartya broke down several times while performing the rituals.
The funeral pyre was prepared with logs of sandalwood,jackfruit tree,Baniyan tree. Final rites were held according to the beliefs and rituals of the Vokkaliga community.Halappa Shetty of Gowdavalli village conducted the final rites.
More than 10,000 people witnessed the last rites including father-in-law SM Krishna,Karnataka chief minister BS Yediyurappa,former CM HD Kumaraswamy, Siddaramaiah,MB Patil,former IPS officer Annamalai,and others.
The arrangements were made by LR Shivarame Gowda,former ministers DC Thammanna,Jayachandra,Ramanath Rai, current MLA of Chikmagalur constituency CT Ravi and Legislative Council member Pranesh.
Former Chief Minister SM Krishna, 87,father-in-law of Siddhartha and his wife Prema also fought hard to control their emotions.
Even as the country mourned Siddhartha’s death,his 96-year-old father Gangaiah Hegde was unaware that his beloved son had passed away.When the CCD founder was reported missing,his senile father was battling for his life in a private hospital in Mysore.According to his family members, he is now slipping into coma.
Siddhartha,whose chain of cafes helped make coffee a lifestyle beverage and brought in latte,Cappuccino, Americano and espresso into the urban Indian lexicon, was 59.He is survived by his wife Malavika and sons Amartya and Ishaan.Dakshina Kannada district Deputy Commissioner Sasikanth Senthil told media persons that Siddhartha’s body was identified by his friends.
Siddhartha’s body was found by local fishermen and patrolling policemen on the banks of Nethravathi river near Mangalore on Wednesday,two days after he went missing.A letter allegedly written by him to the Board of Directors and employees of his company Coffee Day Enterprises, showing he was struggling with financial problems due to debt,taxes and share buybacks,came to light as well.
The search involved multiple agencies, which scoured the waters under a bridge across Nethravathi,where Siddhartha, founder of India’s largest coffee chain,was reportedly last seen on Monday night, officials said. After the postmortem at Wenlock Hospital in Mangalore, the body was taken to his home district of Chikmagalur.
Before Chethanahalli,the body was kept at Chikmagalur for people to pay their last respects.
A large number of people from within the coffee estate and neighbouring villages, whom Siddhartha had helped come up in life, thronged to pay their homage to the ‘coffee king’.Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa,his predecessor HD Kumaraswamy, and several political leaders attended the funeral.
We have found the body.I have no words to comfort the family,Yediyurappa said.He had more assets than liabilities.
Borrowing Rs 5 lakh from his father to pursue his dreams,Siddhartha,known for being shy and self-effacing,went on to become the “coffee king”,creating jobs for thousands of youth instead of joining the family business.The family-owned over 350 acres of coffee estate and had been in the business for over 140 years.
A police official said that “everything” points to suicide, but nothing can be ruled out until the investigation is over.
The authorities predicted the probable location where the body could be traced using a “model” developed by Hyderabad-based Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), which makes predictions based on current, low and high tide among other parameters, said Deputy Commissioner Senthil.
BS Yediyurappa tweeted his condolences after the funeral.In the moment of grief I paid my tribute to one of the pioneers in the coffee retail industry, the founder of Cafe Coffee Day & Former CM Sri S M Krishna’s son in law, Sri. VG Siddhartha. My heart goes out to his family. He will always be remembered,” he tweeted.
A political war also broke out over Siddhartha’s allegation of harassment by the Income Tax Department as the Congress accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of betraying the people who voted for an independent and a hassle-free economy.
There is an old notion of government has no business in business and Modi in his pre-2014 election campaign made a big deal about it.Today he has absolutely betrayed the people who voted for him to see a robust, independent,hassle-free economy,Congress leader Abhishek Singhvi said on Twitter.
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said Siddhartha’s death reflected a “worrying trend”.
Reacting to the death, the Karnataka Congress said on Twitter,Result of harassment by IT officials and decline of India’s entrepreneurial position turning virulent by the day, with Tax Terror & collapse of economy.”
Former Karnataka Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah said Siddhartha’s death is both disturbing and mysterious.The reasons and the invisible hands that ended his life in this tragic way should be unearthed through impartial & fair investigation”, Siddaramaiah said, referring to a letter purportedly written by Siddhartha in which he alleged harassment by the Income Tax department.Siddaramaiah said the letter supposed to have been written by Siddhartha discussed tax terrorism, which is the ugly face of politically motivated institutions.
In the wake of the death of V G Siddhartha, founder of Cafe Coffee Day,West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee took at a dig at the Centre over its policies and the state of economy alleging that the industry and the Indian economy were in a bad shape.Expressing her shock over the incident, she wrote on Twitter,From what he has expressed, it appears that he was greatly depressed due to harassment and pressure from different agencies for which he could not run his business in a peaceful manner.This he could not resist.I hear from different sources that captains of industry in the country are under pressure; some of them have left the country and some are contemplating to move out.All the opposition political parties are afraid of horse trading and harassment with political vendetta she said.In the run-up to this year’s General Elections,Banerjee had repeatedly alleged that various agencies and institutions were being used by the Centre to intimidate political parties into submission and socio-economic and other factors were forcing people, including investors, to leave the country.My appeal to the government is that when you have been elected, you have to work in a peaceful manner so that people are confident and that political vendetta and agencies do not destroy the future of the country.She had also alleged that the BJP was planning to topple the then Congress-led Karnataka government and the party was using cash as well as intimidation to get votes she said on the social media platform.
Addl CP Traffic,P Harishekaran expressed his condolences by telling,I am deeply disturbed.I have very fond memories about him,however I haven’t met him.I have detected a murder case in 2008,the victim was his one of the factory drivers.After he came to know my great efforts,he thanked  me with impeccable appreciation.Next day, sent thanking letter with bunch of flowers.Let us learn very positive lessons from his life.Yes, he is  a visionary and brand maker he added.
Former IPS,K.Annamalai who attended the funeral procession and paid his last rites to VG Siddhartha the coffee king said VG Siddhartha is a pride to Chikmagalur.
VG Siddhartha a billionaire coffee tycoon has played a vital role in getting releasing Dr.Rajkumar who was kidnapped by Veerappan in the year 2010 when SM Krishna was Chief Minister of karnataka Siddhartha has given funds to get release of Dr.Rajkumar from Veerappan the sandalwood smuggler.
Coffee Day Enterprises board appointed,SV Ranganath as the interim chairman of the board” and “Nitin Bagmane as an interim chief operating officer (COO) of the company.

The BJP has sought the Union government’s assistance to trace the missing businessman. 

BENGALURU: Politicians cutting across party lines made a beeline at former external affairs minister SM Krishna’s residence as news of his son-in-law Siddhartha missing near Mangaluru broke on Tuesday morning. From Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa to Krishna’s protege DK Shivakumar and former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, political bigwigs met the octogenarian political veteran to show solidarity. 

Former Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy was one of the first to visit Krishna’s residence in Sadashivanagar. Given his long career with the Congress before joining the BJP, a host of Congress leaders stood by Krishna’s family on Tuesday even as efforts to find Siddhartha were underway. A team of recently disqualified MLAs, including S T Somashekhar, Shivaram Hebbar and M T B Nagaraj, too visited Krishna’s residence to show support.

A delegation of BJP MPs led by Udupi-Chikmagalur MP Shobha Karandlaje submitted a petition to Union Home Minister Amit Shah. “A gentleman, who popularised coffee across the world, known for his business acumen. It is unfortunate that man who has given jobs to thousands of Kannadigas goes missing,” a statement from Karandlaje said. The BJP has sought the Union government’s assistance to trace the missing businessman. 

Congress leaders, especially Shivakumar whose proximity to Krishna as well as Siddhartha is not a secret, insisted on a thorough investigation, deeming the incident “fishy”.   “I received a call from him on the July 28 asking if we could meet. It’s unbelievable that a courageous man like him would resort to this. However, I find this utterly fishy and urge that a thorough investigation be conducted. Shri Siddhartha and his family are closely known to me for decades now. (SIC)” Shivakumar tweeted.

The long list of political bigwigs who visited Krishna included former state Home Minister M B Patil, former DyCM G Parameshwara, former Speaker K R  Ramesh Kumar, former minister Krishna Byregowda and KJ George, former CM Jagadish Shettar, BJP’s Suresh Kumar and Kumar Bangarappa.

Speaking to The New Indian Express, a top traffic cop said that police were keen on three specific spots being completely barricaded with strong structures by BMRCL.

BENGALURU: As part of enhancement of security and safety measures in and around Parade Grounds on account of thousands of visitors expected to visit the Parade Grounds for Independence Day celebrations, the traffic police have directed the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) to immediately put in place steel barricades. Metro had sealed off a portion of the Kamaraj Road since June 15 in connection with works related to an interchange underground Metro station of Phase-II here. The 200-metre stretch between MG Road and Cubbon Road will remain closed for at least 35 more months. The interchange station forms part of the Gottigere-Nagavara Metro Line.

Speaking to The New Indian Express, a top traffic cop said that police were keen on three specific spots being completely barricaded with strong structures by BMRCL. “Pedestrians are permitted to walk along the 200-metre stretch, which has been barricaded presently.

One side of the footpath is being protected with a compound wall, but on the other side gunny bags have been kept and even light barricading using cloth-like structures has been done. We expect at least 7,000 visitors, including over 3,000 school children to visit the Grounds to take part or watch celebrations on August 15,” said the top cop. Traffic police are insisting the BMRCL to put up steel barricades for their safety until the Independence Day, he said.

“It is aimed at preventing any stampede from taking place. Also, we do not want any child to slip from the footpath and fall where Metro construction work is being carried on. We will be glad if they continue with it even later in the interests of public safety,” he added.

Speaking about the other two segments which cops want secured are a blockage of the view of the podium from the spot where Metro work is going on. “We call it as View Cutting and this is done as part of VIP security measures,” he said. “Gate No. 4 leading to the Parade Grounds also needs to be sealed with barricades,” the cop added.A top BMRCL official confirmed the orders given to it by the traffic wing of the Cubbon Park station, and said it would begin barricading work at the earliest.

Metro services on Purple Line to be disrupted 
Metro train services between Baiyappanahalli and MG Road Metro stations on the Purple Line (Baiyappanahalli-Mysore Road) will not be available from 9.30 pm on August 3 till 11 am on August 4 due to regular maintenance work. Train services will continue to run as usual in the stretch between M G Road and Mysore Road stations (5 am to 11 pm) and well as the Green Line.

One entry of RV Road Metro station to be closed 
The South West entry of the R V Road Metro station connecting the concourse area of the station to the platform will be closed from Thursday (August 1), due to some modification works being taken up at the station. The north west entry at the station, will continue to remain open for commuters who want to travel from R V Road to Nagasandra Metro station. 

BJP-led state govt cancels celebrations citing law and order; Cong, JDS leaders slam decision, call BJP anti-minority

BENGALURU: Tipu Sultan died 220 years ago. But a decision on whether to celebrate his birthday officially or not triggers war of words between politicians in the state almost every year. And this year is no different. On Tuesday, Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa cancelled the Tipu Jayanti celebrations after the cabinet meeting raised apprehensions over maintaining law and order. The trigger behind the cancellation was Virajpet BJP MLA KG Bhopaiah recalling that Tippu Jayanti celebrations had led to unrest and destruction of property in the past. He requested that it be cancelled.

Former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who had started Tipu Jayanti celebrations in the state, reacted sharply to the BJP government’s decision. “BJP is anti-minority and this decision is short-sighted. History books tell us that Tipu Sultan was a freedom fighter who challenged the British and gave up his life fighting,” he said.

Congress MLC CM Ibrahim said, “I feel the pain. We will not fight the BJP government’s decision, but we will tell people about it. If BJP has anything against Tipu, then how come BJP leaders Yediyurappa and Jagadish Shettar participated in Tipu birthday celebrations earlier. They even wore a Tipu headgear.” He further added: “BJP did not spare Mahatma Gandhi, how will they spare Tipu Sultan?’’     

JDS spokesman Tanvir Ahmed said, “BJP has forgotten about development. It is only interested in hate-mongering and polarising the people.’’ “If the government does not celebrate, we will celebrate Tipu Sultan’s birthday in a grand manner,” added Congress leader Zameer Ahmed. 

When contacted, History professor Prithvi Datta C S called for sanity on this issue. “Tipu Sultan was from Mysore, and he was blamed and detested for unleashing attacks against Coorg and Mangalore, which was in their understanding, separate nations. Tipu was attacking another nation, and use of force was obvious. We need to understand history in the right perspective. Both celebration and cancellation are for political purposes.’’ 

Tipu Jayanti celebrations in the state had started in 2016 under the Congress government led by Siddaramaiah.   While many BJP leaders consider him a tyrant and ‘anti-Hindu,’ Congress and JDS leaders claim that the Mysore ruler was a freedom fighter who fought war against the British. A few years ago, protests against Tipu Jayanti celebrations in Coorg had claimed two persons. Such protests have been common in Virajpet, Madikeri and Dakshina Kannada areas.

Tipu Sultan was from Mysore, and he was blamed and detested for unleashing attacks against Coorg and Mangalore, which was in their understanding, separate nations. Tipu was attacking another nation, and use of force was obvious. We need to understand history in the right perspective. Both celebration and cancellation are for political purposes. Prithvi Datta C S, History professor

If the government does not celebrate, we will celebrate Tipu Sultan’s birthday in a grand manner
Zameer Ahmed, Congress leader

Ramesh Kumar, who disqualified 17 MLAs, announced his resignation on the floor of the House on monday 29th july 2019

 BJP Virajpet MLA K.G. Bopaiah

Bengaluru: Four-time BJP MLA K.G. Bopaiah, who invited the Supreme Court’s wrath on grounds that he acted in “hot hate” while disqualifying 11 party legislators and five independents during his controversial tenure as Speaker in 2010, has emerged as the ruling party’s choice to fill the vacancy caused by Speaker K R Ramesh Kumar’s resignation, on Monday.

Mr Ramesh Kumar, who disqualified 17 MLAs, announced his resignation on the floor of the House on monday When the House reconvened, deputy speaker Krishna Reddy announced that as per the Governor’s order, the Speaker’s election would be held on Wednesday.  

Sources in BJP said four candidates – K.G. Bopaiah, Jagadish Shettar, Suresh Kumar and Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri – were considered by top leaders. They were keen on Shettar. He, however, expressed his reluctance to occupy the post on grounds that he is keen to join the cabinet. Therefore, the leaders picked Mr Bopaiah.

Sources said Mr Bopaiah will file papers Tuesday  and an election will be held on Wednesday, in case Congress and JD(S) decided to field a candidate. In May 2018, Mr Bopaiah was appointed pro-tem Speaker. He conducted the floor test for Mr Yeddyurappa on the directions of the SC.

Popularly known as the Coffee King of India, VG Siddhartha, in his letter, blamed one of his private equity partners for ‘creating pressure’ to buy back stocks

Hours after VG Siddhartha, the owner of Café Coffee Day and son-in-law of former Karnataka chief minister and BJP leader SM Krishna, went missing, News18 accessed a letter that he reportedly wrote to his employees.

Popularly known as the Coffee King of India, Siddhartha, in his letter, blamed one of his private equity partners for “creating pressure” to buy back stocks. “I fought for a long time but today I gave up as I could not take any more pressure from one of the private equity partners forcing me to buy back shares, a transaction, I had partially completed six months ago by borrowing a large sum of money from a friend,” he wrote.

Siddhartha had in March this year made the headlines for selling his stake in Mindtree to L&T, which then mounted the first hostile takeover in Indian IT industry.

The letter also alleged harassment by the previous DG, Income Tax. “There was a lot of harassment from the previous DG income tax attaching our shares on two separate occasions to block our Mindtree deal and then taking position of our Cafe Coffee Day shares, although the revised returns have been filed by us. This is very unfair and has led to serious liquidity crunch,” the letter read.

The Café Coffee Day owner found himself in trouble in 2017 when the Income Tax Department first raided his premises and found Rs 650 crore concealed income from the documents seized while concluding the search and seize operations.

Siddhartha went missing on Monday evening when he got off from his car near a bridge across the Nethravathi River near Mangalore, about 375km from Bengaluru, but did not return even after an hour. A panicked driver went down looking for him, but could not find him anywhere. He then alerted the family members who in turn informed the police.

The Dakshina Kannada police have launched a massive search for him. According to his driver, Siddhartha was talking to someone on his mobile phone when he got off from the car near Kotekar.

Meanwhile, the letter also goes onto apologise to its employees. “I have failed to create the right profitable business model despite my best efforts… My intention was never to cheat anybody. I have failed as an entrepreneur. This is my sincere submission, I hope someday you will understand, forgive and pardon me,” read the letter.

Justifying his financials, Siddhartha also wrote, “I have enclosed a list of our assets and tentative value of each asset. As seen below our assets outweigh our liabilities and help repay everybody.”

parmesh jain

Karnataka Chief Minister,BS Yediyurappa wins trust vote in assembly,Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar resigns:

Highlights :
* BS Yediyurappa said he would not indulge in “politics of vengeance”as he believed in the “forget and forgive principle”.
* Ahead of the trust vote,BS Yediyurappa  who is becoming Chief Minister for the fourth time said he was given the chance to be back in this seat for a special reason. If you think that we took a decision that will affect the people in a bad way,you can reach out to us,he added. 
* The 76-year-old had started the day with prayers at a temple in Bengaluru.
* Sometimes we have had to take some harsh decision,we are small people.We should try and not disrespect the chair that we sit on.People come and go,Chief Ministers come and go,be good and do good,Speaker KR Ramesh said before he resigned.
* All that has happened with the rebels,with power all this will go down in history.The rebels have been brought to the streets.They had special flight last time,(this time) I hear that they are getting normal flights,HD Kumaraswamy said.
* BS Yediyurappa’s one-line motion that said the House expresses confidence in the ministry headed by him was passed with a voice vote.He said the administrative machinery had collapsed and his priority was to bring it back on track.
* Yesterday,Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar disqualified 11 rebel lawmakers of the Congress and three from HD Kumaraswamy’s Janata Dal Secular.The move brought down the strength of the House to 208,and the majority mark to 105 a number within the BJP’s reach.
* BS Yediyurappa later said he was confident of proving majority in the house. On Monday,I will prove my majority 100%,” he told reporters in Bengaluru.
* All the lawmakers have been disqualified from the assembly till the end of its term, which calls for by-elections in all 16 constituencies.The disqualified lawmakers said they would challenge the Speaker’s decision in the Supreme Court today.
* Five of rebels,along with an Independent lawmaker,returned to Bengaluru from Mumbai this morning.Independent Nagesh said he would vote for BS Yediyurappa.
* The first test of strength took place last week after 13 lawmakers of the Congress and three from the JD(S) resigned and two Independent lawmakers who were supporting the government switched sides earlier this month. The coalition could scrape up only 99 votes against the BJP’s 105.
* The BJP moved swiftly after the Speaker disqualified three lawmakers on Thursday, staking claim to form government and pushing for a trust vote today. State BJP chief BS Yediyurappa (who also changed his name), took charge of the government as the Chief Minister for the fourth time on Friday.

The Government of BS Yeddyurappa sailed through the trust vote in the Karnataka assembly today as the majority mark slid to 105 after the disqualification of 16 rebel lawmakers of the earlier Congress-Janata Dal Secular coalition.
 The BJP came to power in the state after the Congress and the Janata Dal Secular coalition crashed in the trust vote held last week after 16 rebels quit and two Independent lawmakers switched sides.  
Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Monday won a confidence motion he moved in a special Assembly session to prove his government’s majority.He won the floor test through a voice vote.
Yediyurappa,who took oath as Chief minister on Friday, said the administrative machinery under the previous government had collapsed and he would prioritise bringing it back.
KR Ramesh Kumar Assembly Speaker Defending his decision to disqualify 17 rebel MLAS,who quit as Assembly Speaker Monday,rued that the 10th Schedule of the Constitution dealing with the anti-defection law failed to achieve the intended goals and stressed for a relook into it.Kumar, whose tenure as Speaker spanned for 14 months and four days, said electoral reforms were the need of the hour.The root cause of corruption in public life in the country is electoral system.There is a need for electoral reforms.Speaking about eradicating corruption without electoral reforms will only be a hollow intellectual talk without any commitment.He delivered his final speech in the assembly as Speaker after the three-day old BJP government headed by BS Yediyurappa proved its majority in the truncated state Assembly winning the confidence motion by a voice vote.He announced his resignation, amid reports that the BJP was mulling moving a no-confidence motion against him.He insisted that the House should pressure the Centre to initiate measures for electoral reforms.He requested assemblies of all state governments to pass resolutions and build pressure on the Centre to strengthen the anti-defection law.His appeal came against the backdrop of 17 MLAs of the ruling coalition of Congress and the JD(S) tendering their resignation,leading to political turmoil and culminating in its collapse.Treating their conduct questionable,Kumar disqualified them ahead of the trust vote sought by Yediyurappa.On the occasion,he urged political parties to behave in a mannerthat democratic values are not diminished.In this regard, he asked politicians to never advance their personal and family interest and destroy the political parties they belong to.Kumar cautioned Yediyurappa to be careful with people surrounding him and reminded him that he got the second chance for a reason which he should use to leave an indelible mark on the people of the state.He also sought a relook at the Representation of the People Act and the Lokayukta Act.On the Lokayukta Act, Kumar wondered why there was no clause to explain what would happen if a public servant refused to provide details of assets and liabilities.Further he sought to know why the election commission never orders an inquiry when someone declares massive assets to find out where the money came from.Once the affidavit is filed,it should be sent to the Enforcement Directorate and an inquiry should happen. Every detail should be laid bare before the people.Then only the democracy will survive in this country.Then only,it will give relief to the citizens of this country,finally Assembly Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar resigned from his post following the trust vote,saying he had tried to maintain the dignity of office to the best of my ability. Kumar announced his resignation soon after Yediyurappa won the one-line confidence motion and the House passed the Appropriation Bill. He submitted his resignation to Deputy Speaker Krishna Reddy.
A day ahead of the trust vote, the speaker had disqualified 14 MLAs,11 from Congress and three from Janata Dal (Secular) till the end of the current session in 2023.This brought the total number of MLAs who had been disqualified to 17. After the disqualifications,the strength of the House is 208.The BJP has 105 MLAs, just enough to have a majority.
I ran government for 14 months,former Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy as saying before the trust vote.I have no obligation to answer your Yediyurappa’s questions.I need to answer to my conscience.From past 14 months,everything was being recorded.There are people sitting on my side today,in an attempt to sway them,I request you to not bring them to the streets next.He said his party would not try to bring down the number of MLAs that the BJP has on its side and would cooperate with the government for the sake of people and he said to continue with the debt relief Act which was passed for the poor people he added.
Ahead of the confidence motion,Congress leader Siddaramaiah claimed that the Yediyurappa-led government was unconstitutional and immoral and did not have the mandate of the people.Where is the mandate in your favour? he asked. Where is the majority? Yediyurappa has become the Chief Minister with just 105 members.Let us see how long you will be the Chief Minister.I want you to be Chief Minister for the full term but I do not think you will be able to complete it the term.Continuing his criticism of the Chief Minister after the floor test,Siddaramaiah said the BJP government would not last the full term as it was dependent on those who had lost their morals.When BS Yediyurappa took the oath,halfway mark was 111 but how on earth did they show numbers to the governor?the Congress leader tweeted.BS Yediyurappa has taken oath for four times but he lacked numbers in all instances.He is like a ‘crony capitalist’ who manufacturers numbers in a way that is harmful for a democratic nation.The Congress leader thanked the Speaker, saying “his honest decisions has set an example in the country showing how a speaker should conduct himself.
The state Congress unit also lashed out at Yediyurappa,alleging that his expertise in horse-trading and resort politics had made him the Chief Minister.Operation Kamala may have won him the trust vote today, but he does not have the trust of the people of Karnataka,” the party added.
Yediyurappa also addressed the House before the floor test, saying that when Siddaramaiah or Kumaraswamy were Chief Minister the BJP did not indulge in vindictive politics.Administration has failed and we’ll set it right,the chief minister said. I assure the House that we won’t indulge in vindictive politics either.I believe in forget and forgive.He also thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi,Union Home Minister Amit Shah,and BJP Working President JP Nadda.
After the trust vote, the Assembly passed the Finance Bill (Appropriation Bill), seeking a vote on account for three months.Yediyurappa said that the bill needed to be passed urgently as it would have been difficult to even pay salaries of government employees had it remained stuck.
Two rebel Karnataka Congress leaders on Monday moved the Supreme Court:
Seeking quashing of Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar’s decision to disqualify them from the Assembly.Kumar, meanwhile, announced his resignation soon after newly appointed Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa won the confidence motion by a voice vote.
Seeking quashing of the July 25 order of the Speaker, which said the MLAs have incurred disqualification in terms of the tenth schedule of the Constitution (anti-defection law),Rebel Congress leaders Ramesh Jharkhiholi and Mahesh Kumathalli described the decision taken by Kumar as illegal,arbitrary and mala fide exercise of his power.
Advocate Shubranshu Padhi, who had filed the petition on behalf of the disqualified MLAs, told media persons that a second petition by independent MLA R Shanker, who was also disqualified, is likely to be filed on Tuesday.Senior lawyer Mukul Rohatgi is likely to mention the plea moved by Jharkhiholi and Kumathalli for early hearing.
Karnataka assembly session adjourned:
The Karnataka assembly session, which witnessed Chief Minister Yediyurappa winning the trust vote, has been adjourned till 12 noon on Tuesday. The new Speaker will be nominated on Tuesday.
One stage is over, BJP has won the floor test.Next course is cabinet expansion.Our senior leaders both at the state and the Centre will sit together and decide on it at the earliest,senior BJP leader and MLA Suresh Kumar said.Speaking to reporters here, he said,I think it should be over by this weekend.Yediyurappa alone was sworn in as Chief Minister on Friday,three days after the collapse of the Congress-JDS coalition ministry following rebellion by a section of the ruling combine MLAs.The appointment of new Speaker will be decided in a day or two as the post cannot be kept vacant,Suresh Kumar, who is also the BJP spokesperson said. He, however, brushed aside speculations of him being considered for the job,stating that no body has spoken to me about that he added.
BJP MLA KG Bopaiah likely to apply for Speaker post:
Since KR Ramesh Kumar resigned as the Karnataka Speaker, BJP MLA KG Bopaiah, according to the reports, is likely to file a nomination on Tuesday for the Speaker’s post. KG Boaiah has been the Karnataka Speaker earlier.

Yediyurappa’s government has replaced the 14-month-old government of the Congress and the Janata Dal (Secular) alliance,which collapsed last week.In a trust vote earlier called by former Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy, 99 MLAs voted for the coalition while the Bharatiya Janata Party secured 105 votes. Kumaraswamy resigned after the floor test concluded.
Seventeen rebel MLAs (Congress-14 and JDS-3) had skipped the Assembly session during the trust vote proceedings on July 23, bringing down the Kumaraswamy government which lost the confidence motion with 99 members voting in favour and 105 against it.

Pramesh Jain

Karnataka Speaker,KR Ramesh Kumar Cracks Whip and disqualifies 14 rebel MLAs,ahead of Yediyurappa government’s trust vote today

“Speaker Ramesh Kumar Cracks Whip on Rebel MLAs by Disqualifying them “

In a major development the Karnataka Assembly Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar on Sunday disqualified 14 rebel legislators from the Congress and Janata Dal (Secular).With this,17 MLAs who had resigned from the Assembly have been disqualified.All have been disqualified from the Assembly till the end of its term in 2023.
The Speaker’s move came a day before the Bharatiya Janata Party,led by BS Yediyurappa,will have to prove its majority in the House.After the disqualifications, the strength of the House is now 208,and the majority mark is 105 the number the BJP has at present.
Of the 14 MLAs who were disqualified, 11 are from the Congress are,Pratap Gouda Patil, BC Patil,Shivaram Hebbar, ST Somashekar,Byrathi Basavaraj,Anand Singh,R Roshan Baig,K Sudhakar, Muniratna,MTB Nagaraj and Shrimant Patil and three are from the Janata Dal (Secular).The JD(S) legislators are H Vishwanath,Narayan Gowda and Gopalaiah.
Earlier, Kumar had disqualified three rebel MLAs are,R Shankar, Ramesh Jarkiholi and Mahesh Kumathahalli who had withdrawn support to the Janata Dal (Secular)-Congress government. 
Ramesh Kumar,addressing the press conference on Sunday said the three MLAs’ resignations were not voluntary and genuine.The whole world knows that.I have done my job to the dictates of my conscience.I have used my judicial conscience,said Kumar,who had earlier disqualified three Congress rebel MLAs on Thursday and said he would make the pronouncement of his decision in the remaining cases in a couple of days.The disqualified MLAs cannot fight elections until the expiry of the term of the 15th assembly.The speaker said.The Congress and JDS, whose government collapsed on Tuesday last after a rebellion by a section of their MLAs, had petitioned the Speaker to disqualify their errant members.The disqualified MLAs are,ST Somashekhar of (Yeshwanthpura), BC Patil of (Hirekerur), Shivaram Hebbar of(Yellapur), Prathapgouda Patil of (Maski), K Gopalaiah of (Mahalakshmi Layout), AH Vishwanath of (Hunasuru), Narayana Gowda of (Krishanarajapete),Munirathna Naidu of (RR Nagar), R Roshan Baig of (Shivajinagar), Byrathi Basavaraj of (KR Puram), MTB Nagaraj of (Hoskote), K Sudhakar of (Chikkaballapura),Shrimant Patil of (Kagwad) and Anand Singh of (Vijayanagara).The MLAs who were disqualified on Thursday were Ramesh Jarkiholi (Gokak), Mahesh Kumathall (Athani) and R Shankar (Ranebennur). All these disqualifications were made under Section 2 (1) (a) of the Tenth Schedule of the Indian Constitution read with Article 19 1 (2).The Speaker even underlined that he was not worried about a no-trust motion that the BJP planned to bring against him in the assembly and said he was even ready to resign on July 23.Let me see when no trust motion is brought against me.I carried a resignation letter on July 23 because I wanted to resign if the matter dragged on that day because I did not want to carry that burden.The Speaker said he is yet to take a call on the fate of BSP MLA N Mahesh after the party sought his expulsion because he abstained from the trust vote on July 23 he added.
“Congress CLP leader Siddaramaiah and Janatadal Secular Welcomes the move”
I welcome the decision of spreaker to disqualify 14 MLAs.This honest decision of speaker will send strong signals for all the representatives in the country who might fall for @BJP4India’s trap @INCKarnataka siddaramaiah tweeted.
I congratulate the speaker on this historic decision.The disqualification of the 14 MLA’s from ⁦@INCIndia⁩ and ⁦@JanataDal_S,⁩ upholds the constitutional provisions of the 10th schedule.#SatyamevaJayate.KPCC President,Dinesh Gundu Rao tweeted.
14 Atrupta MLAs of Congress & JDS are disqualified until 2023.This is a bold and great move by the speaker of Karnataka Legislative assembly. This should be a lesson for all greedy & selfish politicians. Acting against the Constitution of India comes with a price. official twitter handle of JDS tweeted.
JD(S),Supremo HD Devegowda breaks down at a press meet and he calls speaker Verdict is a historic verdict I welcome the verdict he even said we will wait and watch what complaints they tell about me and HD Kumaraswamy as they will held a press conference we will wait and watch as the three of the disqualified MLAs have approached already Supreme Court and rest other rebel MLAs will also approach Supreme Court he said.
The rebels are likely to approach the courts to challenge the decision.
Former MLA of RR Nagar constituency Munirathna Naidu who is even a rebel MLA who is in Mumbai after the speaker disqualified them one of the rebel MLA spoke to media persons Statiing that,Our leaders had told us that they would finish us off.They had intimidated us that they would do something like this before.Leaders from both parties had done this.Former Chief minister HD Kumaraswamy was not working properly.They had said that the government would be toppled just after Lok Sabha polls.We waited.But even after that,the prevarication began.It is our freedom to resign.If you are right,why will anyone resign?.Later,he even went to the extent of saying that the Congress leaders were themselves unhappy with former PM HD Deve Gowda and his son HD Kumaraswamy.Our own Congress leaders said that the father and son had been acting too smart.They didn’t hold any meeting which was supposed to be held at least once in a month.We will come to Bengaluru and expose everything.Our law is very robust.This is being done to placate the JD(S).Whatever is happening is a lie. This is being done to ensure HDD and HDK don’t get angry.JD(S) doesn’t trust Congress and vice-versa.Speculations are rife that the rebel MLAs may join the BJP. But the leader went on to say nothing like that was on his mind.I have not spoken anything about joining BJP.We trust in God. Humans have no role to play in our fortunes.We were provoked to take such a decision,he signed off telling this. 
“BJP slams Speakers decission on Rebel MLAs disualification. “
Union Minister DV Sadananda Gowda reacts on speaker decission on rebel MLAs he said,Speaker has exercised his powers to disqualify.Disqualified rebel MLAs have the right to approach court and seek justice.We have majority on floor of the house to form the government we have 105 MLAs whereas coalition has only 100 MLAs he said.
Former Chief Minister,Jagadish Shettar said,Move by speaker Ramesh Kumar suspicious,Decision by Speaker to disqualify MLAs is Illegal and unconstitutional the decision by speaker is a black mark on the personality of speaker he said.
Rajya Sabha,MP Rajeev Chandrasekhar has expressed his displeasure in the way the Speaker has disqualified the 17 rebel MLAs and said that the order is patently illegal, malafide and is an overreach of power.BJP Rajya Sabha MP Rajeev Chandrasekhar has hit out at Ramesh Kumar, the Speaker of Karnataka Assembly for having disqualified all 17 rebel MLAs who had resigned from their parties.He said,Ahead of the floor test of the newly sworn in chief minister of Karnataka Shri BS Yediyurappa on Monday,the Speaker of Karnataka Legislative Assembly Ramesh Kumar has disqualified 14 MLAs of Congress and JDS who had resigned from their membership of the house.Earlier on Thursday,he had disqualified 3 MLAs.He added.These disqualifications are based on the petitions filed by Congress floor leader Siddaramaiah, KPCC Chief Dinesh Gundu Rao and former CM HD Kumaraswamy seeking disqualification of rebel MLAs.The MP also expressed his displeasure over politicising the entire issue.Our constitution envisages that those in constitutional positions must exercise their power responsibly.But Ramesh Kumar has spotlighted the risks of having politically motivated persons in constitutional positions who don’t hesitate flouting laws and constitution for crooked politics.The MP also termed the disqualifications.malafide.Speaker Ramesh Kumar‘s order of disqualifying Congress and JD(S) MLAs is patently illegal, malafide and overreach of his discretionary power. It is nothing but a clumsy attempt of revenge – at behest of his master and Leader of Congress Legislative Party Mr. Siddaramaiah – against MLAs who rebelled against the corrupt government which was infamously known as 20 Percent Sarkara,” he said.
The 14-month-old ruling coalition lost the trust vote last Tuesday after 99 MLAs voted in favour of it and 105 legislators went against it.The floor test was necessitated by the resignations of the MLAs.The coalition government had come to power in May 2018 and the next election is due in 2023.In May 2018,Karnataka ended up with a fractured mandate after the Assembly elections.The BJP emerged as the largest party with 105 seats, but was eight short of the majority mark of 113.
Though the Congress-JD(S) was defeated 99-105 in the confidence motion, the BJP will now have the added pressure to ensure victories in the vacant constituencies to remain in power for the remainder of the term.
Most of the rebels said that they had only resigned as legislators but not as members of their respective parties. The rebels are likely to move Supreme Court to challenge the speaker’s ruling.
The coalition has accused the BJP of engineering the resignations to destabilise non-BJP governments across the country. Most of the rebels were flown away from Bengaluru in special flights and lodged in a plush Mumbai hotel.Several BJP leaders were seen with the rebels, raising suspicions if the saffron outfit was indeed behind the crisis.The BJP has feigned innocence in the entire episode stating that the coalition collapsed due to the discord between the traditional rivals.
These means in total 17 MLAs of the Karnataka Assembly have been disqualified bringing the strength of the House to 207 and the magic number reduced to 104.The BJP has 105 MLAs of their own and independent MLA H Nagesh is likely to support them for BS Yediyurappa’s floor test on Monday.
In the recent case of 18 AIADMK MLAs, who were disqualified in September 2017, they were allowed by the apex court and the Election Commission to contest the bye-elections held six months later.With this karnataka stands on second number of MLAs getting disqualified. 
Meanwhile,Section 144 will remain imposed near the Vidhana Soudha in a radius of 2kms from 6 AM on Monday till midnight on 30 July in view of Assembly session and trust vote to take place so for the precautionary measures Section 144 has been imposed said Bengaluru City Police Commissioner,Alok Kumar.