Bengaluru: Days after Prakash Raj was criticised for his social media post on Chandrayaan-3, the actor on Wednesday congratulated the Indian Space Research Organisation for charting history as India’s third Moon mission Chandrayaan-3 landed on the lunar surface.

Raj was trolled on Monday for his post on X, formerly Twitter, viewed by many as mocking Chandrayaan-3. He later responded to the backlash by saying, “hate sees only hate” and that he was referring to an old joke.

In his latest tweet, the 58-year-old actor said the successful landing of Chandrayaan-3 on the Moon’s uncharted south pole was a moment of celebration for mankind.

“INDIA.. PROUD MOMENTS OF MANKIND .. THANKS #ISRO #Chandrayaan3 #VikramLander AND TO ALL WHO MADE IT POSSIBLE .. LET THIS BE THE WAY TO EXPLORE MORE WONDERS OF THE WIDE WORLD .. CELEBRATE .. #justasking,” Raj wrote in Kannada on the microblogging site.

But social media users further called out the actor for trying to change tack.

“You have already caused the damage. Don’t try to sugarcoat. Tables have turned…” said one user on X.

Another criticised Raj, known to be vocal against the government, for being a turncoat.

“2 din m Party badal liye (sic)” read the post.

“Congratulations to you too. Our chaiwala and our scientists have created history today and have given a message to all the haters. This is the #newindia that turns all curses and jokes into boons!” said another in a tweet.

On Sunday, the multiple National Award winner shared a cartoon showing a man in a shirt and sarong pouring tea. He captioned the cartoon in Kannada, writing, “Latest news: First view just arrived from the Chandrayaan #VikramLander #justasking”.

While Raj did not specify the man in the cartoon, many social media users slammed the actor for making fun of former ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) chief K Sivan.

The actor later issued a clarification saying that his earlier tweet was referring to an old joke from the era of Neil Armstrong, the American astronaut and the first person to walk on the Moon in 1969.

“Hate sees only Hate… i was referring to a joke of #Armstrong times.. celebrating our Kerala Chaiwala.. which Chaiwala did the TROLLS see?? .. if you don’t get a joke then the joke is on you.. Grow up #justasking(sic),” Raj had tweeted.

India’s Moon mission Chandrayaan-3 touched down on the lunar south pole at 6.04 pm on Wednesday, making it the first country to land on the uncharted surface.

The lander module comprising the lander (Vikram) and the 26-kg rover (Pragyan) made the soft landing near the south polar region of the Moon at 6.04 pm, less than a week after a similar Russian lander crashed.

With this touchdown on Moon to script history after a flawless 41-day voyage and less than a week after a Russian lander headed to the lunar south pole crashed, India has become the fourth country to master the technology of soft-landing on the Moon after the US, China and the erstwhile Soviet Union.

BENGALURU:  Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday sought the cooperation of opposition parties to take an all-party delegation to PM Narendra Modi at the earliest, to resolve inter-state river water disputes with regard to Cauvery, Mahadayi, Krishna and the Mekedatu project.

Briefing the press after the all-party leaders’ meeting at Vidhana Soudha, he also suggested that a distress formula be arrived at with regard to the sharing of Cauvery water. The state has been facing a difficult situation every five or six years due to scanty rainfall, and could not release water to Tamil Nadu.

Siddaramaiah defended the State Government’s reluctance to release the quantum of water Tamil Nadu had demanded. Officials representing Karnataka at the Cauvery Water Management Authority have voiced the state’s plight. “By now, 86.38 tmcft of water had to be released, but till August 20, only 24 tmcft of water was released. We have opposed their demand and made a sincere effort to put forth facts before the authorities as our crops were not irrigated due to scarcity of rain, and we have to meet drinking water supply too,” he claimed.

“There was 63 tmcft of water in Mettur dam in Tamil Nadu and 32 tmcft of water is sufficient for the ‘kuruvai’ crop. Tamil Nadu had claimed it will raise crops on 1.85 lakh acres, but expanded beyond that and is utilising more water. Despite this, they walked out of the CWMA meeting as the authority directed Karnataka to release 10,000 cusecs of water as against their demand for 15,000 cusecs. Tamil Nadu filed an objection in court, accusing Karnataka of not releasing water.

We should also keep in mind the interest of our farmers and drinking water supply,” stated Siddaramaiah. Karnataka’s legal team has been instructed to argue the state’s case competently before the three-judge bench, with the first hearing on August 25, he informed. The state is facing hardship after setting up CWMA and the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee. Former CMs BS Yediyurappa, HD Kumaraswamy, Basavaraj Bommai, DV  Sadananda Gowda, Veerappa Moily and Jagadish Shettar, ministers, MPs and Advocate-General Shashikiran Shetty took part in the meeting.

BENGALURU:  The all-party meeting to discuss Cauvery and Mahadayi water disputes will be held today (Wednesday). The meeting has gained significance as the Tamil Nadu government has approached the Supreme Court seeking directives to the Karnataka government to release Cauvery water and subsequently, the apex court deciding to constitute a separate bench to hear the dispute.

The Karnataka government is expected to announce its stand after the meeting.

Issues such as the rain deficit the state has faced, current water levels at reservoirs in the Cauvery basin, the amount of water released to Tamil Nadu so far, water requirements for drinking and agriculture purposes in the state, and others will be discussed in the meeting. 

The key agenda of the meeting, however, will be to discuss the legal aspects involved in the dispute and to explore the options before the government to protect the interest of farmers in the state. The leaders will discuss how the Karnataka government should present its case strongly before the Supreme Court, which will hear the case on August 25. Meanwhile, JDS leader and former CM HD Kumaraswamy said he will attend the all-party meeting and make his party’s stand clear at the meeting.

DyCM DK Shivakumar said that the protests happening in the state over the Cauvery row are politically motivated. Speaking to reporters in Hassan, Shivakumar said that he had already placed the facts before the people and the state was facing distress. “Tamil Nadu has approached the court. We have to release 70 tmcft of water during normal rains and 32 tmcft when there is a deficit. We have already released 24 tmcft but are facing a shortage to release the remaining share. We have convened an all-party meeting where we will discuss further course of action,” he said.

MANDYA: A large number of Karnataka BJP workers on Monday staged a demonstration and burnt the effigies of Congress leaders here for releasing Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu.

They also put up banners and posters denouncing the Congress government and raised slogans at Sanjay Circle in this district headquarters town expressing their anger against the ruling party’s stand on the Cauvery issue.

They alleged that the government ignored the interests of Karnataka farmers, especially those in Mysuru, Mandya and Ramanagara districts.

The independent MP from Mandya Sumalatha Ambareesh too joined the protesters.

Speaking to reporters, Sumalatha said no one should see this protest from a political point of view. “I appeal to people not to see this from a political point of view. Everyone has a responsibility including the media. We have to protect the rights and interests of our farmers,” she said.

The actor-turned-politician took a swipe at the Congress indirectly for blaming Centre.

The Lok Sabha member said when the Congress was ruling at the Centre, Cauvery controversy was “taking place” and then water was released citing Supreme Court orders.

Her actor-politician husband late Ambareesh, who was in the Congress, had resigned as a union minister as mark of protest, she said.

“If Centre can resolve this issue then it would have done it in the past as well. Why did this not happen? It did not happen because the Cauvery tribunal is hearing Tamil voices more. Tamil Nadu objects to any steps taken to desilt KRS dam and we had to keep mum. If we can dredge KRS then at least 20 ft of more water can be stored,” she said.

Sumalatha called upon people not to allow injustice to happen to the farmers.

The BJP said the Congress government is sacrificing the interests of farmers to woo Stalin-led DMK government in Tamil Nadu on behalf of their leader Rahul Gandhi for political reasons.

In a post on ‘X’ (formerly Twitter), the party said that a red-carpet welcome was accorded to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin, who opposes the Mekedatu balancing reservoir for drinking water to Bengaluru, only for the sake of the newly formed opposition bloc INDIA.

The focus is back on Cauvery water sharing dispute with Karnataka releasing water to Tamil Nadu though there are inadequate rains this time in Karnataka.

According to Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, the Cauvery Water Management Authority has directed the Karnataka government to release 10,000 cusecs of water everyday for 15 days to Tamil Nadu.

The Karnataka government has convened an all party meeting on August 23 to discuss the Cauvery river water sharing issue in view of the low inflow of water into reservoirs of the State following inadequate rains.

Mysuru: Actor Shiva Rajkumar and his wife Geeta Shivraj Kumar marked the 77th Independence Day by visiting the Shakti Dhama orphanage, a project initiated by the late Kannada actor Puneeth Rajkumar, who was Shivraj Kumar’s brother. The event took place in Mysore on Tuesday.

The couple, Shiva Rajkumar and Geeta Shiva Rajkumar, arrived in Mysore on August 15 to commemorate Independence Day. As part of the celebration, they participated in the flag hoisting ceremony at Shakti Dhama alongside the children residing there.

Following the flag hoisting, the children were treated to a distribution of sweets. The video capturing this event has gained traction on social media platforms.

Shakthi Dhama, which takes care of 1,500 orphaned children was run by superstar Puneeth. But he never revealed his philanthropic initiative and it came to light only after his untimely demise.

BENGALURU:  With Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) contractors slamming the State Government over pending dues, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Thursday said a conspiracy was being hatched against him. This comes days after the BBMP contractors accused Shivakumar of demanding a 10 to 15% commission to clear pending bills.

“I know who is behind sending the contractors to Delhi and making them address the media… But we (Congress government) are committed to giving justice to those contractors who have taken up the works and completed them honestly,” he told reporters here, adding that an inquiry has been ordered to look into the issue. “Let them (contractors) prove the work they have done. Those who have done the work honestly, the government will ensure justice to them,” the DyCM elaborated.

The Congress government has constituted four teams to look into the BBMP works taken up in the city over the last four years. Ministers support DKS Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy too said that the pending dues will be released only after the probe teams investigate and submit their report. “There is no truth in the allegations (against Shivakumar).

But I urge the government that action should be taken at the earliest to release the dues to contractors,” he said. Hitting out at the previous BJP government, Rural Development Panchayat Raj Minister Priyank Kharge, said, “The contractors came to me also. But I clarified that the money will be released as per law. Don’t we have to verify the works before releasing the bills? The BJP when in power might have taken money to clear the bills and hence are now batting in favour of the contractors.”

ALLEGATION AGAINST DKS FALSE, SAYS LAW MINISTER
Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H K Patil denied the contractors’ charges that the DyCM had asked for a commission to clear bills. “There were allegations that works were not implemented, hence the panels were set up. The minister has replied. Since the implementation of the five guarantees has been successful, these false allegations are cropping up,” he remarked.

Nasheman news

Third Wave Coffee (TWC) celebrated Friendship Day with their heartwarming “Mugshot Moments” campaign, aiming to strengthen the bond between TWC’s baristas and customers while cherishing the essence of friendship. Held on August 6, 2023, at TWC cafes nationwide, the campaign left a lasting impact on the coffee community, fostering meaningful connections and showcasing the beauty of friendship.

The campaign was inspired by the strong relationships TWC has cultivated with its valued customers. Beyond serving coffee, TWC cafes have become havens for genuine camaraderie between customers and their favourite baristas. These skilled baristas know their customers’ preferences, ensuring a seamless and delightful experience with every visit.

The core objective of the campaign was to spotlight the joy of these special friendships and the unwavering trust that customers place in their baristas. To achieve this, TWC encouraged customers to capture moments with their friendly and talented baristas and share them on social media. The hashtag #MugshotMoments quickly became a symbol of these heartwarming connections, with photos capturing genuine smiles and the joy of sharing a coffee experience with trusted friends.

As the contest concluded, winners received a coffee mug and a delectable chocolate treat from their nearest TWC café, serving as lasting symbols of their “Mugshot Moments,” allowing them to fondly remember the sweet memories made on Friendship Day.

Varun Kapoor, Director of Operations at Third Wave Coffee, expressed immense excitement at the overwhelming response to the campaign, stating, “At TWC, we firmly believe that coffee can create strong connections among people. The ‘Mugshot Moments’ campaign perfectly showcased the sense of community we have built with our customers. We are grateful to everyone who participated and made this day so special. The success of this campaign is a testament to the incredible relationships shared between our talented baristas and our wonderful customers, and it reflects the dedication of the entire TWC team. It was a day filled with warmth, laughter, and genuine connections, truly embodying the spirit of friendship.”

TWC extends heartfelt appreciation to everyone who joined in and contributed to fostering lasting friendships, while remaining committed to creating exceptional coffee experiences and nurturing spaces where relationships can thrive.

About Third Wave Coffee (TWC)

At TWC, we are passionate about serving fresh, delicious, and ethically sourced coffee. With a commitment to freshness and ethical sourcing, each cup is a carefully crafted masterpiece. The TWC community of coffee lovers is cherished and treated like family, with a passion and care that is evident every single day. With an innovative spirit, we are constantly pushing the boundaries of flavour to create blends that captivate both the seasoned connoisseur and the adventurous explorer. Inclusivity is at the heart of our philosophy, welcoming everyone to join on this remarkable coffee journey. With over 90 warm and inviting cafes scattered across six vibrant cities in India, TWC invites individuals to step into their world, buzzing with creativity, camaraderie, and, of course, the finest coffee. Discover the magic of Third Wave Coffee, where passion and precision unite to create unforgettable moments, sip after sip.

Agriculture Minister N Cheluvarayaswamy (left), Governor Thawarchand Gehlot (right)

Bengaluru: Karnataka Agriculture Minister N Chaluvarayaswamy on Wednesday appealed to Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot not to fall prey to “unaccountable fake allegations and fake petitions”.

Chaluvarayaswamy’s appeal comes after seven Assistant Directors of Agriculture (ADA) in Mandya district recently wrote to Gehlot alleging that the minister was putting pressure on them through the joint director to pay him between Rs six lakh and Rs eight lakh as bribe.

They even threatened to commit suicide with their families if such a “tradition” of demanding bribe is not controlled.

Subsequently, the Governor’s office handed over the letter to Chief Secretary Vandita Sharma for investigation.

Though Chief Minister Siddaramaiah called the letter fake, he ordered a CID investigation.

In the letter to the Governor, Chaluvarayaswamy said, “I humbly pray your wisdom mind not to fall prey to such unaccountable fake allegations and fake petitions.”

The minister also appealed to the Governor to order a preliminary probe if such incidents happen in future. If the initial investigation finds the letter to be genuine then an inquiry should be ordered.

“If it is found to be genuine and backed by evidence then that case should be fit for an enquiry or else the Constitutional institutions will be misused by anti-social elements and vested interests easily to bring bad name to the Government, Department and myself,” Chaluvarayaswamy said.

Claiming that the letter was “purely fake”, the minister said he was shocked after he learnt about it.

He said a preliminary probe found that the assistant directors have not written such letter.

According to him, one of the seven assistant directors who allegedly wrote the letter, is Ramesh, who is not working in Mandya. The other officials too have said they have not written a letter to the Governor.

“It is purely a handy work of vested interests who are against me. They have falsely used all the means to tarnish my image and misuse the Constitutional institution (office of the Governor).”

He termed as “unfortunate” forwarding the fake letter’ to the Chief Secretary with a covering letter signed by the Under Secretary of the Raj Bhavan.

“In the said letter it was directed to inquire the content of the petition. After that letter, the whole episode has been given different shades and colours in digital and print media to tarnish my image and the State Government,” the minister said.

BENGALURU:  Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for criticising the State Government’s guarantee schemes and stating that it has no money for development works. Siddaramaiah said they appreciate the Prime Minister for showing concern that there are no funds for development due to the implementation of the guarantee schemes, but he must make it clear if that was his personal opinion or the Bharatiya Janata Party’s stand on the guarantee schemes.

“If you are opposing the guarantee schemes, please make your stand and your party stand clear. Direct the BJP leaders in Karnataka to openly oppose it. We are ready to fight the Lok Sabha polls with guarantees as a main issue. If you are ready for it, please declare,” the CM stated. BJP leaders in Karnataka have been urging the government to implement the guarantees and former chief minister BS Yediyurappa has announced that he would continue to fight till the government gives additional rice to BPL families under the Anna Bhagya scheme, the Chief Minister said and questioned Modi, what is his stand on it.

Siddaramaiah also questioned the PM as to how they define the Kisan Samman scheme in which Rs 6,000 is deposited in farmers’ bank accounts and the PM Garib Kalyan scheme. How the PM justifies eight such schemes on which the Centre spends Rs 1.25 lakh crore, he questioned. Siddaramaiah said that the Karnataka model of governance is required to save people from price rises, and the burden of loans and to provide social security.

BENGALURU:  Noting that it is high time courts bestow supervisory jurisdiction on print and electronic media when occasions demand, the Karnataka High Court said the persons handling print and electronic media must show utmost restraint in using unparliamentary or defamatory words while reporting news. 

Justice V Srishananda made these observations while quashing a case pending against journalists of four vernacular daily newspapers and a media house in Gadag based on the private complaint filed by an advocate. 

The journalists were booked for using unparliamentary words as used by an MLA during the legislative assembly session, about a resolution allegedly passed by the advocates’ associations across the state to not defend any journalists. They were reporting remarks he had made about the unfortunate 2012 incident between journalists, lawyers and police officers in City Civil Court complex in Bengaluru.  

The court said the news reports carried in print and electronic media must strictly adhere to the guidelines issued by the Press Council of India. 

Using unparliamentary words is per se intolerable and beyond the scope of the guidelines. It is often said that the print and electronic media/journalists form the fourth pillar of democracy. If they claim so, they should work and act in that regard with utmost care and caution, said the court.