BENGALURU: As voters lined up at polling booths to cast their franchise for the post of AICC president in Bengaluru on Monday, it was evident that party senior leader from Karnataka Mallikarjun Kharge is the clear favourite. Kharge, opposition leader Siddarmaiah, Congress state president DK Shivakumar, opposition leader in the Council BK Hariprasad and other senior leaders stood in a queue and cast their votes in Bengaluru

The ballot papers from the three polling booths at the Congress office were collected in a sealed container and taken to New Delhi by Pradesh Returning Officer Sudharshan Nachiappan, who is a former union minister. On Monday evening, Nachiappan left for Delhi with the container after it was sealed in the presence of important Congress leaders, including Kharge. The boxes collected from across the country will be kept in a strongroom till Wednesday, when they will be opened for counting by Madhusudan Mistry, chairman of the AICC Election Authority.

An internal assessment, like an exit poll, was conducted after the election concluded at 4 pm. It  revealed that close to 99.9 per cent of support from Karnataka was for Kharge. Sources said that out of 503 votes, 501 were cast on Monday and an overwhelming number confirmed that they had voted for Kharge. Information from other states, including Kerala, revealed that Kharge had scored there as well.

An unofficial assessment is that Kharge could garner over 8,000 votes out of nearly 9,000 polled from different parts of the country, while the other contestant, Shashi Tharoor, could get less than 500 votes.
In Karnataka, among the absentees were Prashant Deshpande, son of RV Deshpande, and Nivedith Alva,
son of former union minister Margaret Alva. They had already informed party leaders that they would be out of the country.

Nasheman news

MS Dhoni picks up equity in the plant protein startup Shaka Harry

Bengaluru: Indian cricketer, MS Dhoni, has joined global      investors in backing India’s fastest growing plant protein startup, Shaka Harry and picks up equity in the company. This is a huge development on the backdrop of the company having recently received USD2M in a seed funding round led by Better Bite Ventures, Blue Horizon and Panthera Peak Ventures. Other investors include; Dexler Holdings, celebrity Chef Manu Chandra and a group of domestic family     offices and angel investors.

MS Dhoni, India’s most loved cricketer, is known to back sector-leading startups across the consumer segment. The plant protein segment has seen a lot of      celebrity backing globally. Plant protein diets are inherently more sustainable and it’s health benefits are driving more customer adoption.

Speaking about the partnership, MS Dhoni said, “I love everything chicken, but increasingly, I am looking at a more balanced diet. It is much easier with products from Shaka Harry, which has a wide range that delivers a healthier experience to that of traditional meat dishes. For a growing population, current protein sources aren’t sustainably as scalable. We now have a choice to shift to smarter protein alternatives without compromising on taste and texture. The plant protein       segment is an exciting consumer space. The team at Shaka Harry has all the        ingredients to build a great company.”

Anand Nagarajan, co-founder and CEO of Liberate Foods said, “We are very excited to have Dhoni partner with us in growing Shaka Harry. This is a validation of what we are building. Shaka Harry has the unique combination of the worlds best players.” On customer traction and plans going ahead, Anand added, “We are  serving over 30,000 customers across 10 cities monthly, and expect to triple this number in the next few months. Shaka Harry will also be available on global shelves by the end of this year.” 

Varun Deshpande, Managing Director, at expert alternative protein nonprofit Good Food Institute India, said “Remaking our protein supply is our best bet at building sustainable economic prosperity for the 21st century – we’re still in the very early stages of the global smart protein transformation. Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s partnership with Shaka Harry is exactly the kind of leadership we need, bringing plant-based meats to his legions of adoring fans, breaking into the true multi-billion dollar mass market. We’re delighted that Mahi and Shaka Harry are forming this dream duo!”

GFI research with Deloitte indicates that the right investments in talent, R&D, manufacturing, and distribution could drive the Indian smart protein sector to a market size of nearly INR 19,000 Cr by 2030, including a sizeable export market.

Shaka Harry, India’s fastest growing plant based company, has strong food        technology bearings that provide an advantage in terms of superior product development capabilities.

“Shaka Harry is at the cutting edge of innovation. Our R&D team is constantly adding new products to our everyday essentials, celebrations, grab & go and world-cuisine ranges. We currently have an on-going consumer trial of our plant based diary line. With this investment, and our partnership with Dhoni, our        customer reach and new product launches will increase multifold” added Sandeep Devgan, co-founder of Shaka Harry.

Shaka Harry has been on the shelves for less than a year and already are category leaders in this fast growing sector. Celebrity investors, like MS Dhoni, only further validate both consumer and investor sentiments in a plant first future.

About Shaka Harry

Liberate Foods Pvt. Ltd., a plant protein company with a meat alternate line,     Shaka Harry, is founded by proven founders with prior experience and success in scaling businesses in India and globally. The co-founders include Anand Nagarajan, Sandeep Devgan, Hemalatha Srinivasan, Ruth Renita and Anoop Haridasan. The cofounders and leadership team consists of specialist, functional leaders with extensive experience in the food sector.

Shaka Harry, one of the fastest growing plant-based meat brand offers a range of meal and snacking products which are designed around the Indian cuisine and palate. The range includes; snackables and meal accompaniments. The product has a distinct advantage with access to proprietary taste and flavour solutions coupled with the brand’s partnership with Chef Manu Chandra, one of India’s top chefs.

Shaka Harry aims at reaching every Indian household for their choice for plant based protein. The company’s products have zero trans-fat and are cholesterol free.

SHIVAMOGGA: In a shocking incident, a coffee estate owner and his son allegedly locked up several members of some Dalit families and even assaulted a pregnant woman. The accused have been identified as Jagadeesh Gowda and his son Tilak. The incident came to light after a video, showing Gowda assaulting the pregnant woman and verbally abusing her and other some others, went viral on social media. The incident occurred at Hunasehalli Pura village near Balehonnur on October 8

Gowda allegedly hit the pregnant woman Arpitha in the abdomen and also attacked two other women Roopa and Kavitha when they tried to rescue her. Arpitha has said in her complaint that Gowda and Tilak assaulted her and her husband Vijay and even snatched their phone.

Dalit families had borrowed money: SP 

After Arpitha developed stomach pain after the incident, she was taken to a private hospital for treatment in Gowda’s vehicle on October 9. She was then shifted to District Hospital in Chikkamagaluru where she is undergoing treatment. According to the complaint, about a fortnight ago, a scuffle broke out between Vijay’s relatives Satish and Manju and Gowda’s neighbours over a matter involving children which led to Gowda assaulting Manju.

An angry Manju told Gowda that he would not work at his estate anymore. Gowda then asked Manju to return the money he had borrowed from him and leave. The assault and locking up incident took place when Manju and Satish went out to arrange money from another estate.

Superintendent of Police (SP) Uma Prashanth told The New Indian Express that the Dalit families, who hail from Mudigere taluk, had borrowed Rs 9 lakh from Gowda and were working at his estate for the past four months.

“We have registered a case based on the video that went viral. We have taken up an investigation. Further details will be known during the course of investigation,” she said. The Balehonnur police in Chikkamagaluru district registered a case against Gowda and Tilak under Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. The police said they are yet to arrest the accused. Meanwhile, the Congress has said that Gowda is a member of the BJP.

“With Assembly elections fast approaching, BJP leaders are claiming that they are in favour of SCs and STs. But people are clever and will teach a befitting lesson to the BJP,” he said and added that it was his government that had proposed to increase quota for SCs/STs and formed a committee to study the matter.

Comparing BJP to a factory that produces lies, Siddaramaiah said, “BJP leaders, including PM Narendra Modi, make people believe their lies. Before the 2014 elections, they said the value of the Rupee will be more than US Dollar… but $1 is now Rs 83. While the UPA lost power, the country’s debt was Rs 53 lakh crore and now it has reached Rs 153 lakh crore.”

Bidar-Madrasa A mob entered the premises of the 15th century ASI-protected Mahmood Gawan monument(L)’ a dharna or protest staged in front of Bidar’s town police station by Muslim groups. (R)By Express News Service
BIDAR: Bidar police arrested four persons for allegedly barging into a madrasa in Old Bidar city, and performing prayers in the early hours on Thursday. Video footage, which has gone viral on social media, shows that a large number of people left the procession of Bhavani Devi, and entered the premises of the 15th century ASI-protected Mahmood Gawan monument, where a Madrasa and mosque are located.

People take out the Bhavani Devi procession every year in Old Bidar city, but so far, nobody has entered the madrasa to perform puja, sources said.Bidar SP Dekka Kishor Babu told TNIE that there has been a ritual of offering prayers inside the ASI monument in Bidar. “Every year, a small group enters the same premises and perform puja, but this time, a large one entered. The lock of the gate was not broken by the people. Four people have been arrested, and a case has been registered against many people. The people used to offer prayers to a tree near the monument during Nag Panchami every year, and puja is performed annually before a pillar on Dasara, after the tree was axed due to during road-widening work,’’ the SP said.

In his complaint to Bidar Town police station, Mohammad Shafiyogiddin Mohammad Bismilla (69) said, “The group entered the ASI monument Mahmood Gawan Madrasa and Masjid illegally by breaking the lock, and threatening security personnel. The people in the group have been shouting slogans against the country and trying to instigate people.’’ A police jeep and police personnel were allegedly present at the spot during the incident. When asked why no action was taken, the SP said he would take note of it. Meanwhile, people staged a dharna in front of the police station, demanding stringent action against the accused.

NAGAMANGALA (MANDYA): Throwing away all netagiri, former AICC president Rahul Gandhi has hit the road with one concept: Talk less, listen more. During the course of the Bharat Jodo Yatra, Rahul is mixing with people, giving a patient hearing to those who want to talk about problems, and humbly requesting them to suggest solutions too.

During an interaction with this correspondent over a 3-km long walk, he reversed the question-answer session, seeking details on a variety of issues and challenges facing different segments of society, especially farmers. The Congress icon has been interacting with people to know their grievances, besides the region’s core social and political problems.

As the yatra passed through the sugar bowl of Mandya, Rahul Gandhi got some in-depth knowledge on the agrarian realities. When he sought to know why farmers had not taken up agriculture activities, they told him they were helpless as many who had grown horticulture crops like tomato, brinjal, beans and others crops, had suffered from a crash in prices. With their pockets empty, and little support from banks, they couldn’t invest in their farms again.

When told that farmers were happy with the loan waiver implemented by the Siddaramaiah government, a jovial Rahul said he was the force behind the waiver and other welfare programmes, but the people were not aware of it. He was curious to know about the family and agricultural background of this correspondent, besides agro economics.

Rahul said the BJP is making all attempts to weaken the Constitution and change it, and that he wanted to wake up the people and sensitise them to the dangers of this exercise. “People should now decide and play a role on how the Constitution needs to be protected,” he said.

He threw back questions on the success of the BJP and its religious politics, and Dalits looking to the saffron party for positions. He questioned why a section of educated Dalits was turning to the saffron party, when the BJP is trying to take away their rights.

Expressing huge respect for former President K Narayanan, he said, “I have met him, he is incomparable, and always ensured that he followed the Constitution.” Rahul, who was curious about social ills and evils prevailing in modern times, felt a social boycott has great impact on children, and that belief in the Constitution and mutual respect can bring about positive change.

Having been on the yatra for weeks now, Rahul said right from Kanyakumari, through Kerala and Karnataka, he has perceived a “large river of people flowing”, and there is only faith, no hatred or anger in this river. Quoting Basavanna, he said that the social reformer had taught people not to hate anybody, treat others as you would treat yourself and also listen to them.

“These are the lessons I have imbibed in this yatra, while the present-day ideology of the government has divided the country,” he said. “The DNA and essence of this country is that we should not hate anybody, and treat others equally.”

MUMBAI: Police have arrested the main accused involved in the Rs 12 crore cash theft from ICICI Bank in Thane’s Manpada area from Pune after more than two-and-a-half months, an official said on Wednesday.

The police have also recovered around Rs nine crore from the prime accused, identified as Altaf Shaikh, 43, he said.

With Shaikh’s arrest on Monday, the police have so far arrested five accused in the case, including his sister Neelofer. The theft had taken place on July 12.

“Shaikh, a resident of Mumbra, had been working with ICICI Bank as a custodian. As the custodian, he was the caretaker of the bank’s locker keys. He spent a year planning the heist, studying the loopholes in the system, and gathering tools to pull it off,” the official of Manpada police station said.

During the probe, police found that Shaikh planned the entire heist by enlarging the AC duct to pass the cash to the garbage chute and tampering with the CCTV footage, he added.

“After deactivating the alarm system and sabotaging the CCTV, Shaikh had opened the bank vault and transferred the cash to the duct and below to the chute.

The incident came to light after the bank realised that the security money was missing, as were the DVR of CCTVs, which prompted its personnel to call the inspection team,” the official said.

After the incident, Shaikh went absconding. He would change his looks and use burqa to hide his identity. Shaikh’s sister Neelofer, who was aware of his movement, hid some cash in her home.

She has been booked as co-accused in the case and arrested, police said. Shaikh was finally arrested from Pune on Monday.

The police managed to recover around Rs nine crore, out of Rs 12.20 crore stolen from the bank, and the remaining amount would be recovered soon, he said. Shaikh was nabbed in a joint operation by Thane and Navi Mumbai police.

Earlier, the police had arrested Neelofer and three others – Abrar Qureshi (33), Ahmed Khan (33) and Anuj Giri (30). More persons are likely to be arrested in the case and further investigation is underway, the official said.

KALABURAGI: Veteran Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge said on Wednesday that he is confident of winning the election to the post of AICC president. Speaking to reporters before leaving for Mysuru where he will join Congress president Sonia Gandhi and party leader Rahul Gandhi in the party’s ongoing Bharat Jodo Yatra, Kharge said many state PCC unit leaders and senior party leaders were present when he filed his nomination papers which is an indication that there is overwhelming support for his candidature.

Kharge also ruled out the possibility of his return to state politics as a chief ministerial candidate by saying, “I am a sincere worker of Congress, which made me a Union minister twice and also the leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha.

Now, as many leaders are backing me for the post of AICC president, what more can I expect”, he said. He also declined to comment on rumours that his supporters were urging his rival for the Congress chief’s post, Shashi Tharoor, to withdraw his papers.

‘Will focus on collective leadership’

Kharge said, if elected to the top post, he will focus on making the collective leadership of the party strong. He said his first priority would be to strengthen the Congress party for the Legislative assembly elections next year and the Lok Sabha elections in 2024.

He added that efforts will be made to implement the ‘Udaipur Declaration’ of the party. On unifying opposition parties, the senior leader said that after the elections, a meeting of all senior leaders of the Congress party will be convened to discuss alliances.

He said he shares a good rapport with leaders of many political parties which would help in forging alliances with other parties, for the survival of democracy and for the defeat of communal forces in the country.

MYSURU: At a time when religious animosity and hatred is causing concern across the nation, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi devoted considerable time on Day 4 of Bharat Jodo Yatra to reach out to religious heads to send a message of social harmony.

Starting the Monday padayatra from Hardinge Circle, Rahul Gandhi, party workers, members of civil society, morning walkers and cultural troupes added to the Dasara festive mood. Various folk teams joined in the padayatra and gave an enthralling performance on the wide roads of Mysuru, so the march resembled a mini Dasara.

Enroute, Rahul met JSS seer Shivaratri Deshikendra Swami, interacted with moulvis near Masjid-e-Azam, the Mysuru Bishop and members of the Jain community. Gandhi heard out representatives from Iskcon, youngsters and women who lined up with Bharat Jodo flags to send out a message that they are for communal amity and secularism.

After grabbing people’s attention with his public speech in a heavy downpour in Mysuru on Sunday, Rahul opened the day listening to people and thanked them for apprising him about many issues. “Without harmony, there is no progress,” he stressed, when he met heads of various religions and visited places of worship.

During the 22-km yatra on Monday, Rahul reached out to farmers, and even tasted sugarcane harvested in the fields near Pandavapura. He also received a letter presented by the public, and as students and children turned up, he made them walk along with him, enthralling the crowd.

Rahul got many gifts, among them were photographs of his parents, and his pencil sketch done by an artist in Kollegal village. Dalit women in Haralahalli in Pandavapura taluk performed arti with a lamp made of jaggery, and put a tilak on his forehead. He obliged a young girl who sought his autograph, and signed on her hand.

Addressing a street corner meeting, Rahul called on people to rise against corruption, unemployment, price rise, and division of the people for political gains. Thanking people for joining him during his nationwide Bharat Jodo Yatra, he said the response has given him greater vigour to take up the fight against evil and the government. Terming Karnataka the most corrupt state in the country, he said corruption has not spared even labourers, contractors, farmers and industrialists, and wanted people to reject such a government.

New Delhi: Congress on Monday took a dig at the RSS voicing concern over inequality, unemployment and poverty and credited it to the impact of the Bharat Jodo Yatra spearheaded by Rahul Gandhi.

“Look at the impact of Bharat Jodo Yatra. Even those who break the country and spread poison in the society are raising the issues of poverty, unemployment and inequality,” AICC General Secretary Jairam Ramesh said on Twitter.

He was referring to the remarks of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) General Secretary Dattatreya Hosabale at a seminar on the need to address the challenges posed by poverty, income inequality and unemployment in the country.

However, Hosabale had blamed the “faulty’ economic policies of the earlier governments for the “ills” in the economy.

Former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Digvijaya Singh also said that the impact of the yatra was visible on RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and Hosabale.

“What was the impact of Bharat Jodo Yatra under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi? Ramdev started praising the Nehru-Gandhi family, Mohan Bhagwat started visiting masjid and madrassas.

“‘RSS General Secretary Dattatraya Hosabale ji started worrying about the increasing poverty in the country, the growing gap between the rich and the poor and unemployment,” Singh said on Twitter.

Last month, Bhagwat, along with senior Sangh functionaries, met Umer Ahmed Ilyasi, the chief of All India Imam Organisation, at a mosque here, taking forward his outreach to the Muslim community.

Singh said not even a month has passed since the launch of the yatra and the BJP and Sangh Parivar have already started worrying about poverty, unemployment and inflation in the country.

The senior Congress leader also wondered why Hosabale does not raise these issues with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“Dattatreya ji, understand this it is due to the policies of Modi ji the wealth of 100 big families of the country is increasing and the income of the poor and middle-class families of the country is decreasing,” Singh said.

Congress functionary Pawan Khera also took a dig at Hosabale’s remarks on poverty, unemployment and inflation at a seminar organised by the Swadeshi Jagran Manch.

“I have heard that the clouds of worry have started gathering over Nagpur. Now even Hosabale ji has started seeing the unemployed,” said Khera, the Chairman of AICC’s Media and Publicity Department.