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Nasheman News : India rode a third consecutive half-century by former skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni to defeat Australia by seven wickets in the third One-Day International (ODI) here on Friday.
The visitors thus clinched the three-match series 2-1.
Dhoni anchored the innings with a steady unbeaten 87 off 114 balls as the Indians chased down the 231-run target with four balls to spare.
Accusing BJP chief Amit Shah of trying to topple the Karnataka government by kidnapping his party MLAs, senior Congress leader BK Hariprasad on Thursday said it’s because of his deed that the BJP president is suffering from swine flu. Shah was on Wednesday night admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) after being diagnosed with swine flu.
“Bogus Chanakya tried thrice and failed. They are daydreaming. Amit Shah has kidnapped four Congress MLAs and their family members will file habeas corpus. That’s why Amit Shah is suffering from swine flu so he should calm down,” said Hariprasad.
The HD Kumaraswamy-led Karnataka government faced a setback recently after two independent MLAs decided to withdraw support. The crisis deepened further after it was reported that a few Congress MLAs were in Mumbai and were in touch with BJP leaders. The Congress alleged that the BJP was trying to poach its MLAs to topple the state government ruled by JD(S)-Congress alliance.
The BJP, however, rejected the allegations and instead accused the grand old party of trying to lure its MLAs in Karnataka.
Agencies
Congress Should Support Me : Raj
By: Rizwan Asad
Nasheman News : Prakash Raj happens to be a multilingual actor having created a niche for himself as in actor in Kannada, Malyalam, Telugu, Tamil & above all Hindi.
And now Prakash Raj has taken a leap in the political firmament too. Presented herewith is the 1st ever press conference account today of Prakash Raj’s opinionated personal nuggets & pearls of wisdom before, after & during his leap into his latest entry in the political arena. Tune in!
“Ever since I was that high I have never taken a decision on the predestined journeys of my life, whereas in contrast my journeys have always taken firm decisions for me.”
“To cite an example on New Year’s night I had made an announcement that I wanted to be with you people but before that an attempt to become parliamentary members has its own requirements.” “People may question me as to why I want to be with the people of Bengaluru Central? But let me explain that many people don’t know that Bengluru Central is my very own constituency, as I was born here, brought up here, educated here & took up theatre here & not only these but the cinema industry is also in my very own constituency.”
“Besides all the above mentioned factors even my childhood friends, relatives & everybody is here. So it was but natural that I decided to come back to my roots when I decided to take a plunge in the ever competitive political field. Actually speaking Bengaluru Central is like a mini India as many languages are spoken here and it also happens to be a very secular urban seat.”
“And now the million dollar question that is put before me is that why am I contesting for the assembly elections? So you see that during the assembly polls when I travelled all over the state & saw the communal politics right at that moment I decided against electoral politics. As I just wanted to be a catalyst, in fact I wanted to be the voice of the people. That apart over the past 6 months I felt that every people’s voice should be heard.”
The next million dollar question that is put before me is that why did I ever decide to be an independent candidate? My frank & honest answer to that is if I get into any political party I won’t survive for more than 3 months, so why join any party at all. The true fact is that I want to be the voice of the citizens. Today, any parliamentarian who stands for a party and the ones who gets lakhs of votes, just fly to Delhi and the minute they go to Delhi they become one vote for their party. I decided on independent to become a questioning rational voice. In the next 3 months parties have to put forward their policies. In the next 4 months I shouldn’t just be just asking but also answerable too. You have seen me as an actor & activist always questioning while travelling.”
“In India today not even a single political party will have a majority & they are just trying to survive. In fact they are just trying to protect each other & nobody is interested in the well being & welfare of the people. If they are secular let us support them why should I lose my voice. If any party with secular policies decides to support me I will welcome them but I will never join them. If the Congress party feels that I will eat in their votes then why can’t they come & support me.”
“In a country when communalism comes people will oppose it. If there is a group of people opposing communalism then why not join them as independent. It is important to stand against communalism but why should one join a party? I agree that the goal is same then let the paths be different.”
“People are also saying that I’m contesting against 2 national parties, but let me clarify that I am not contesting against anybody I am contesting for the people. I have a team & we have just started 6 months ago. And they thought that I was raising a voice for them but the truth is that I was raising a voice for a movement.”
“Let me clarify one more thing that I’m not against any religion but when someone says that other religion people are 2nd class citizens I would say that that it is totally against the Constitution. People keep asking about caste equations but Bengaluru Central is not like that.” “Let me tell you something if I was a calculative politician I would have looked at incentives but I’m not. I am leaving my comfort zone to come to politics. I have an ideology & something to prove & I also have a journey to undertake for the benefit of the people.”
“Although I know what has to be done & know the issues too but I don’t want to be arrogant & know what to do. From 20th Jan, 2019 I will seek to make a people’s manifesto. It will be an exercise of 15 days to 20 days.” “Not tapping on minority votes, these equations are important because it has been fought like this & allowed to be fought like this. Let us leave polarizing.Everybody is a citizen of the country let them come, why say that only friends from film line will come.” “There are a lot of issues. Have you read about Sachar report? Has any government done anything for that Community. They spend 60 crores on election but what is happening to MPLAD funds? Look at the government schools & slums, what happened to our tax money? Everybody is a thief. What have they done for the people? Many opportunists have come in the past & doubts are good. To have a doubt is a healthy thing.”
“Acting was my profession but people don’t see me anymore only as an actor. They also see me as someone who raises a voice for the people. But to support only because I’m an actor is not good.”
“You see I never spoke in favor of any political party but against those I was clear shouldn’t come to power. Our citizens should be such that they should give a certificate to any work done by the authorities.”“In fact this is not courage it is a practical decision. Doctors, lawyers, actors all of them contest some lose some win. But we are all citizens.”
“Everybody has a certain time when they change their views & the Gauri Lankesh murder was that for me. It changed my thinking.”
“On a parting note I would say that they should also be ashamed of operation Kamala. Are they working as an opposition? None of them are worried about working for the people, including those who are angry that they are not offered good posts.”
Nasheman News : Accusing ailing Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar of avoiding meeting legislators from the Opposition, state Congress President Girish Chodankar on Friday said if Parrikar continues this, the Opposition party would raise a ruckus in the forthcoming state Assembly session.
“Parrikar has been skipping office regularly. When it comes to meeting him, it is only the ruling MLAs and BJP leaders that get preference. Despite repeated official requests, Parrikar has not even had the courtesy of meeting our Leader of Opposition, let alone any Congress MLA,” Chodankar told reporters here.
“If he dodges meeting the Leader of Opposition Chandrakant Kavlekar on Monday during the Assembly Business Advisory Committee meeting, then the Congress MLAs will raise the issue of his inaccesibility in the Assembly session,” he added.
In the Business Advisory Committee meeting, the agenda for the upcoming three-day Budget Session of the state Legislative Assembly, scheduled to be held later in January, is expected to be finalised.
Both Parrikar, as Chief Minister and Kavlekar as Leader of Opposition, are part of the six-member Committee.
Parrikar is suffering from advanced pancreatic cancer and has been in and out of hospitals in Goa, Mumbai, Delhi and New York since February 2018. While the former Defence Minister, strapped with medical paraphernalia, has been making public appearances now and then, public access to the Chief Minister is limited, much to the chargin of the Opposition members.
According to sources in the Goa Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Parrikar is expected to attend the Assembly session which begins on January 29.
“The Chief Minister will take part in the Assembly proceedings and will table the budget too, irrespective of health concerns,” a party functionary said on condition of anonymity.
Nasheman News : Karnataka Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy on Friday said the Central government should confer the Bharat Ratna on Tumakuru Siddaganga mutt’s 111-year-old pontiff Shivakumara Swami.
“I had recommended Bharat Ratna for Swami in 2006 itself for his good work. If necessary, we will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi to grant the award to Swami,” Kumaraswamy told the media here.
The Swami, who has been in and out of hospitals lately due to advanced age, is currently being treated at the Siddaganga mutt in Tumakuru, about 70 km northwest of Bengaluru.
Known among his followers as a walking god and an incarnation of 12th century social reformer Basava, the Lingayat seer is also the head of the Sree Siddaganga Education Society which runs about 125 educational institutions in the state — from engineering colleges to business schools.
Kumaraswamy said he had recommended the Swami’s name to the Central government for the highest civilian award 13 years ago when he was the Chief Minister heading the Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S)-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) coalition.
The BJP’s state unit president B.S. Yeddyurappa also said that the party would request the Prime Minister to confer the award on the seer.
“His Holiness Shivakumara Swami is a remarkable personality and has positively impacted crores of lives through his outstanding service. The entire nation is praying for his speedy recovery and good health,” Modi had tweeted earlier.
Thousands of followers and students have gathered outside the mutt in Tumakuru, praying for the pontiff’s health.
N Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Friday accused the government of compromising national security and asked why it bought only 36 Rafale fighter jets instead of 126 required by the Air Force.
His comments come in the wake of fresh revelations on the Rafale deal in a media report which claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s decision to but 36 aircraft instead of the 126 asked for by the Air Force pushed the price of each jet up by 41.42 per cent.
“In the light of new facts and revelations in media, the question gains greater urgency: why did the government buy only 36 Rafale aircraft instead of 126 aircraft required by the Air Force?,” Chidambaram asked in a tweet.
“The Government has compromised national security by denying to the Air Force the 7 squadrons (126 aircraft) that it desperately needs,” he said.
Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia also took to Twitter to demand answers from Modi on the increased cost of aircraft. “The PM’s unilateral decision to buy 36 Rafales resulted in a price escalation of 41.42 per cent per jet. When will the prime minister answer? he asked.
By: Shaheen Raaj
YES BANK SIGNS MOU WITH KIA MOTORS
Yes Bank, India’s 4th largest private sector Bank, recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Kia Motors, world’s 8th largest automaker, to enter into a strategic financing partnership, making itone of the 1st ever Indian banks to become their preferred financier. The benefits of this partnership will be extended to the entire auto value chain, Auto dealers as well as customers, covering multiple car models offered by Kia Motors India. Kia Motors is all set to enter Indian market by 2nd half of 2019 with an all-new mid-SUV which was previewed at 2018 Auto Expo. The partnership will utilize Yes Bank’s capabilities to provide a comprehensive range of attractive financing options for Kia Motors’ customers in India, helping support the company’s continued growth & expansion plans in different geographies. Through the partnership, Yes Bank will be able to provide end to end financial solutions to Kia Motors India. The Bank will offer financing & banking solutions to both the Kia car dealers with products such as Term Loans, Cash Credit, Inventory funding et al, as well as the end consumers. The Bank will work towards satisfying the customers’ needs through auto loans with easy monthly repayment plans best suited for individual consumers. Moreover, Yes Bank will also leverage its chat bot based platform, YES mPower bot, allowing it to deliver superior customer experience with 1 min loan approval across all the retail touch points. The partnership will focus on providing easy financing opportunities for the dealers & also make it easy for eligible buyers to acquire brand new Kia vehicles. Besides providing financing solutions, Yes Bank will also work towards developing exclusive digital banking solutions for Kia Motors in India.
Addressing a minorities convention in Bengaluru on Thursday, the former Prime Minister said JD(S) is committed to facing the Lok Sabha elections along with Congress to defeat BJP.
Janata Dal (Secular) supremo HD Deve Gowda on Thursday asked the Congress to cooperate in his fight to defeat communal forces in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
Addressing a minorities convention in Bengaluru on Thursday, the former Prime Minister said JD(S) is committed to facing the Lok Sabha elections along with Congress to defeat BJP.
Gowda said (Chief Minister H D) Kumaraswamy’s swearing-in ceremony in May 2018, which was attended by leaders of all secular parties, had sent a strong message that secular forces across the country
were coming together to defeat the BJP.
Kumaraswamy said he has joined hands with the Congress to keep communal forces away from the power and in the Lok Sabha elections, JD(S) and the Congress will together win all 28 seats in the state.
Over a fortnight ago, 40-year-old Shivanna, a farmer from Kammagondanahalli in Karnataka’s Tumakuru district was going about his daily routine when he noticed an earth mover bulldozing its way into his farm.
The contractor in-charge of the widening of NH 206 had sent his workers to mow down the four-acre plot he owns in order to begin construction. Just before the earth mover could touch the first coconut tree demarcating his land, Shivanna stood between the vehicle and the tree, and refused to budge.
“How dare you come here and think you can usurp my land. Ask the government to send me my money first or give me another plot of land. Then I will allow you to mow down my precious trees,” Shivanna said.
Just like Shivanna, hundreds of farmers in Tumakuru, Hassan, Chikkamagaluru and Shivamogga districts are about to lose their land for the Union government’s ambitious project to convert NH 206 into a four-lane drive. The National Highways Authority of India (NHA) has taken up the widening of NH 206 along a 215-km stretch, which passes through Tumakuru district’s Tumakuru town, Gubbi, Tiptur and Arsikere, Shivamogga, and Kadur and Tarikere areas in Hassan district.
Farmers in these regions allege that the government is refusing to pay them the market value for the land they are about to lose. Since January 11, over 150 farmers from these districts have launched an indefinite strike against the government’s decision to go ahead with the project by offering them a “pittance” in return for their land. The farmers have camped outside the Assistant Commissioner of Tiptur’s office and are demanding to meet the NHAI officials.
“More than 80% of the properties they are acquiring is agricultural land. The NHAI is violating laws and not paying us the right amount of money for our land. I own three acres and 10 guntas of land. The central government is saying it will pay me only Rs 5,000 per gunta. I will be getting Rs 1.5 lakh for my land. My family’s livelihood depends on the vegetables and millets we grow. I will not be able to buy even a few guntas of land with this money elsewhere,” says 43-year-old Manohar, a farmer from Tiptur.
Manohar has spent Rs 13 lakh to install borewells on his land and says that the market value for his land is Rs 2 lakh per gunta.
“I own a coconut farm and I also grow areca nuts and vegetables. My family and I have lived happily until now. We will lose everything and will be left in lurch if we do not get compensation. We are not saying that we are opposed to the project. But we need to be able to buy land elsewhere. Either the government gives us the right amount or allot other agricultural land for us,” Shivanna says.
It has been seven days since the farmers began their indefinite strike. The disgruntled farmers have set up a camp along the footpath outside the AC’s office and are even cooking meals and sleeping at the protest venue. Protestors say that they will not allow a single earth mover to begin work until they are rightly compensated.
Speaking to media, Yashoda, the land acquisition officer appointed for the project says that the Centre has fixed the rates in compliance with the Land Acquisition Act 2013. “We have taken the average market value of the land for the year 2016, since that’s when the project was announced. The land value varies from place to place and if notifications have been issued incorrectly, it will be rectified. If the farmers have any problem with the rates, they can approach the court and appeal,” Yashoda added.
Farmers also allege that the NHAI did not conduct an environmental impact assessment and that the new alignment of the highway will cut across three eco-sensitive areas. Farmers also say that if the project is implemented, the man-animal conflict in the region will increase.
“The elephant corridor in Tumakuru will be disrupted. Chowdalapura and Konanakavalu forests in Tiptur and the Bukkapattana forest in Gubbi will be affected. Since environment impact assessment was not done, the government has not even counted the number of trees they will cut down. There is a lot of man-animal conflict in Tumakuru district and several leopards, foxes, snakes and elephants have died. If this road comes in the forest area, there will be increased threat,” Manohar adds.
BENGALURU: Amid Congress’s attempt to show its might with a party meeting on Friday, state Bharatiya Janata Party chief BS Yeddyurappa seemed unfazed.
“I’m not bothered about their Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting. That is left to Congress and JDS. Why should I comment about it? They’re telling many things, I’m not responsible for that,” said Yeddyurappa.
“Our 104 MLAs are worried about our party and preparing for Lok Sabha elections,” added the senior BJP leader.
Amid accusations of poaching MLAs, Yeddyurappa – who returned to Karnataka on Thursday – asserted that his party was not involved in any operation to topple the government.
Our party MLAs were also flying back from Gurugram, where they are staying for the past few days, he added.
Political turmoil hit Karnataka on Monday after both the ruling coalition of Congress-JD(S) and BJP hurled charges of horse-trading against each other.
The BJP has strongly denied the poaching allegations and said that its legislators were in Delhi last week for a party meet with national leadership, at a private resort in Gurugram, Haryana. The party further claimed that the coalition was attempting to poach its legislators.
Amid the exchange of horse trading charges by the three major parties in the state, two legislators withdrew their support to the coalition government on Tuesday. They were R. Shankar of Karnataka Pragnavantha Janata Party from Ranebennur Assembly segment in Haveri district and H.Nagesh, an Independent from Mulbagal constituency in Kolar district.
The coalition partners, however, continued to maintain that the government was stable and that they had the support of all their legislators.
In the 225-member Legislative Assembly, including one nominated member, the Congress has 80 legislators, JD-S 37, and the BJP 104, while one Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) MLA continues to support the coalition after one Independent Nagesh and the KPJP legislator Shankar withdrew their support.
The coalition government thereby has 118 legislators on its side, while BJP has 104.