The party also announced Rs. 1 crore aid to flood-hit Tamil Nadu.
JD(S) to announce MLC list soon
Bengaluru: The JD (S) today convened a meeting of the MLAs to discuss the upcoming Legislative Council polls scheduled for December 27.
The JD (S) has 13 representations in the Legislative Council and of these, five MLCs recently retired. The party has not yet taken a final call on whether it should field candidates for all the 25 seats. The party said the decision will be announced soon.
JD (S) said that there are no differences of opinion about the selection of MLCs among members and said all petty differences have been sorted out.
In an aside party supremo and former prime minister blamed the media for distorting the image of the party .
JD(S) rules out alliance in Council elections
Mysuru: JD(S) president H D Kumaraswamy ruled out an alliance with any party whatsoever in the upcoming Council elections.
H D Kumaraswamy at a press meet held in Mysuru said that both the national parties have cheated the state, especially the farmer community. “Following this, we have decided to field our own candidates from all 25 seats. Few party people who should discuss few matters within the party are doing it in public and those work against the party will face action”, he asserted.
With regard to the list of the candidates he informed that it will be finalised within the next two days. He also said that internal conflict in the party will be discussed with party supremo HD Devegowda.
“Both the national parties have attempted to close Lokayukta organisation as they closed KPSC organisation. They have wasted 10 days of winter session for their political gain”, he alleged.
JD(S) supremo H D Devegowda too, turned on his previously made statement and ruled out an alliance with Congress in the upcoming council elections. Earlier on Thursday, he had asserted alliance with the Congress.
(Agencies)
BJP and JD(S) seek Lokayukta’s removal
Bengaluru: Taking the first step for the removal of Justice Y Bhaskar Rao from the post of the Karnataka Lokayukta, the Opposition BJP and JD(S) have submitted separate petitions to State Legislative Speaker KagoduThimmappa for initiating the process of conducting an inquiry into alleged charges of corruption in the office of Lokayukta on Tuesday.
The two opposition parties have also submitted similar petitions to State Legislative Council Chairman DH Shankaramurthy.
A total 46 BJP members and 37 JD(S) members in the Assembly have signed the petition.
After receiving the petition, the Speaker said he would write to the Chief Justice of Karnataka and request for constituting a committee of retired judges to probe into alleged charges of corruption in the office of the Lokayukta.
Lokayukta Justice Bhaskar Rao’s son Ashwin is at the centre of a controversy for allegedly being a key player in the racket in collusion with some officials of the body.
For the removal of the Lokayuka, one third of the total members of either House or both Houses of the Legislature must sign a notice of a motion for the removal on the ground of proved mis-behaviour or incapacity.
The Speaker said he would refer the petition to the Chief Justice of the High Court for investigation in two or three days.
The State amended the Karnataka Lokayukta Act during last session of the state legislature in July last and simplified the removal procedure of the anti-graft ombudsman.
Once the Speaker or the Chairman (or both) refer the petition to the Chief Justice, the Lokayukta would be precluded from discharging duties during the pendency of the motion.
Justice Bhaskar Rao has been continuously on leave since July and the institution of the Lokayukta has become virtually non-functional.
The State Government can appoint an Advocate to conduct the case.
Terming the entire issue as a “legally complicated matter,” Thimmappa said: “I want to have an unanimous opinion on this.”
“The three members, consisting two members appointed by Chief Justice and one member appointed by us will inquire and come out with a finding which will be placed before the Legislature and a final decision will be taken,” the Speaker explained.
(Agencies)
Kumaraswamy threatens to withdraw support after corruption charges surface in BBMP
Bengaluru: The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) that was formed after the alliance between the Congress and Janata Dal (Secular) is now in a critical position as former Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy has threatened to withdraw support after corruption charges were leveled against the new set up.
Addressing the media, Kumaraswamy said that he was fed up with the corruption in the BBMP. The Mayor should have taken initiative and seen that the BBMP was corruption-free; due to this the people suffer. However, if the trend continues, we may have to rethink our alliance with the Congress, he added.
Siddaramaiah reacting on the issue said that he had not received any official intimation about withdrawing support from the alliance; however he assured that he would speak to Kumaraswamy regarding the matter.
It should be noted that though the BJP emerged as the single largest party in the BBMP polls, an alliance was struck between the Congress and the JD(S) and they have been sharing power from the past two months.
(Agencies)
Land scam: HDK demands Minister Deshpande’s resignation
Bengaluru: JDS Karnataka unit president H D Kumaraswamy today sought resignation of Industries Minister R V Deshpande for “illegally” acquiring reserved forest land near here.
He threatened that if Deshpande does not resign in the next ten days, he would file petition before the Green Bench against cabinet ministers including Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.
Kumaraswamy had alleged last week that Deshpande and 49 others had illegally acquired vast tracts of reserved forest land near here.
“Last week, I had released government documents, exposing Deshpande’s illegal acquisition of forest land in the city.
The Chief Minister so far has not taken any action in this regard. If he continues to protect the minister I will file a petition before the Green Bench against him, Revenue Minister Srinivasa Prasad, Forest Minister Ramanath Rai and Deshpande,” Kumaraswamy told reporters here.
The former chief minister had tabled documents to support his claims of a “land scam.” He had claimed that government was proposing to fix the guideline value of land at Rs 22,000 per sq feet and once that was done the value of the “scam” would be more than Rs 14,000 crore.
Kumaraswamy had alleged that these people, including Deshpande, had “illegally” acquired more than 177.28 acres in Jakkur-Allasandra plantation village, which was declared Reserved Forest in 1940 by erstwhile Mysore Government.
Replying to a query, Kumaraswamy said: “Siddaramaiah, government and BJP are silent over the issue … they are silent because I suspect they also must have illegally acquired the reserved forest land.”
Kumaraswamy said the scam was brought to the notice of the government by chief conservator of forests by writing a letter to the government, seeking an inquiry.
The Chief Minister, after forming the government, had promised strict action against land grabbers, but so far no action had been taken, he said.
“Whose interest or whom are the Chief Minister protecting – the land-grabbers or poor people, who are the rightful beneficiaries of government land to build houses. The Chief Minister should respond immediately,” Kumaraswamy said.
Deshpande had denied the charge linking him last week and argued that it was not possible for anybody to purchase reserved forest land.
“Is it possible to purchase land declared as reserved forest? It is not possible. I request Kumaraswamy to review his allegations against me,” he had said.
(PTI)
JD (S) withdraws conditions for alliance with the Congress in BBMP
Bengaluru: HD Kumaraswamy, JD (S) leader made a u-turn on Monday September 7 by saying that the conditions he had set for having an alliance with the Congress in the BBMP council would be withdrawn.
He said that the part would not try for bargaining with regard to power-sharing in the Council anymore.
He added that he had put certain conditions for the Congress which was an independent decision. “I wanted the Congress to drop the Bengaluru restructuring bill, but the party’s stand was different. Now we have decided not to impose any conditions. The CM has to take the responsibility to see that things had to be set right,” he said.
He later said that if the Congress offered, the party would accept the post of the Deputy Mayor. A call on power-sharing module would be taken if the Congress felt benevolent enough to offer the post of Deputy Mayor and the party would not demand anything with regard to the standing committee posts, he added.
This was the first time that the JD(S) clarified its stand on the alliance with the Congress. Previously, as soon as the results were announced, the party used to assume contradictory stances which gave room to conspiracy theories.
However, national president HD Deve Gowda has said that they had not laid down any conditions. But Kumaraswamy has noted that he would not meet the Congress leaders until they issued a public statement that the proposed BBMP restructuring bill would be dropped.
Kumaraswamy informed that he had conveyed the party’s stand over the phone to state Congress president G Parameshwara and CM Siddaramaiah on Sunday September 6 and said that he might meet Parameshwara in a day or two.
He further said that the alliance with the Congress would be only in the BBMP, however, the JD(S) would not mind ruling the Council along for the next 5 years only on grounds that the Congress was willing to do the same.
He criticized the Congress and the BJP for branding the JD(S) an opportunist. He said that the national parties had misused his party to suit their convenience.
At present there are 3 candidates for the post of the Deputy Mayor in the JD (S) – MLA Gopalaiah’s wife S P Hemalatha from Vrushabhavathinagar, MLA B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan’s candidates Umme Salma (Kushalnagar ward) and Nazima Khanam (KR Pet ward).
(Agencies)
BJP organizes signature campaign against Congress and JDS
Bengaluru: The BJP conducted a signature campaign against the state govenrment on Sunday in Bengaluru. The campaign was to highlight the infirmities in the cobbling up of an alliance by the Congress and the JDS against what they called the mandate of the People.
Union Ministers Ananthkumar, Sadanandagowda, BJP National Vice President B.S.Yediyurappa, BJP State President Prahalad Joshi, and other senior leaders of the Party were present during the campaign.
(Agencies)
We won’t bargain for any posts with Congress: Deve Gowda
Bengaluru: “We will not bargain for any posts”, said H D Deve Gowda on Tuesday September 1, finally coming to a decision to give his party’s “unconditional support” to the Congress.
After the entire saga rounding the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike elections the JD(S) ruled H D Deve Gowda came up with this decision.
Addressing a press conference, Gowda said, “We have neither set any conditions nor bargained for anything during our negotiations.”
Ruling out the possibility of the party supporting the BJP, he said, “There is a need to protect the existence of the JD(S) and all decisions are taken in keeping with this line.”
Declaring that he was not going to compromise on the “ideals of the party”, he said, “People from the minorities, dalits and OBCs are among our 14 corporators.”
Referring to his meeting with BJP leader and Union Law Minister D V Sadananda Gowda last week, he said, “He sought our support, but I have not committed anything to him.”
He said Sadananda Gowda might not have got the party’s approval to broach an alliance with the JD(S).
(Agencies)
JDS decides to join hands with Cong for BBMP Mayoral poll
Bengaluru: Former Prime Minister and JDS Supremo H D Deve Gowda today said his party has decided to join hands with Congress for the Mayoral elections to Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), the city civic body.
“Our party leaders including legislators have decided to join hands with Congress for the Mayoral election,” he told reporters here.
Gowda’s son and JDS president H D Kumaraswamy had yesterday made it clear that his party would join hands with Congress for Mayoral polls. The decision was taken at a meeting with the party’s core group to discuss strategies for the election.
Gowda said the final decision on the alliance would be taken in a meeting between KPCC President G Parameshwara, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Kumaraswamy.
“Mallikarjun Kharge, who is a senior Congress leader, had told our partymen to hold talks on the issue at state level since it is a matter concerning corporation poll and there is no need for intervention of High Command,” he said.
Asked if his party had bargained for getting posts, Gowda said, “there is no question of it because the party will get its pieces of cake based on its numerical strength.”
“Except the post of the Deputy Mayor, my corporators will get two chairmanship posts and memberships of various BBMP committees, simply based on numerical strength,” he said.
On allegations of “unethically” forging an alliance to keep BJP out of power from BBMP, Gowda cited instances of Congress-BJP, Congress-NCP and NCP-Shiva Sena alliances for mayoral elections in Maharashtra.
“There are innumerable instances – In Pune, Sharad Pawar forged NCP-Shiv Sena alliance – Do not get embarrassed, in Mumbai, Congress tied up with BJP for mayoral alliance. So there is no need for pondering over such allegations,” he said.
To a query, Gowda said nobody from Congress and BJP had approached him, except Union Minister D V Sadananda Gowda, who was not a representative of the BJP central leadership.
Upsetting Congress plans to wrest control of the BBMP council, BJP won 100 wards out of 198 at the polls held on August 22. Congress had bagged 76, JD(S) bagged 14 and others 8.
Besides Corporators, the 260-member BBMP Council includes 62 other members from Bengaluru with voting rights. They include Members of Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha, MLAs and MLCs.
With the magic number to gain control over BBMP being 131, BJP’s strength including non-corporator members stands at 125, Congress at 111, JDS 21 and others 13.
(PTI)