BJP files charge-sheet against Congress Government
Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday lambasted Congress Government for
collapsed public health system in Karnataka.
Releasing a charge-sheet titled “Arogya Ilakheyo? Saavina Kunikeyo? (Is it Health Department or
Death Knot?) against the State Government over deteriorated medical facilities in Karnataka, BJP General
Secretary and in-charge of State unit, Sri. Muralidhar Rao said the State of Karnataka, under Congress rule,
had touched all-time low in all health indicators.
He said infant mortality rate remained high in Karnataka even though it was coming down in other
parts of India. The malnutrition menace had also been rampant. The Government had been running only 40
blood-banks for entire state of 6.5 crore people.
He said as many as 21370 posts (accounts for one third of the total posts) had been vacant in
Health Department. It was better not to speak about the conditions of government hospitals. In most of the
rural hospitals there were no doctors and paramedical staff.
Sri. Rao said the BJP had earlier released report cards of Congress regime about different fields
such as Law and Order, Crimes, Slums, SC/ST and Backwards Class hostels etc. Now, the party, was
releasing charge-sheet on health sector scenario. The party would expect Congress to initiate healthy
debate on these issues but they had been indulged in diversionary tactics.
The BJP leader took serious objection to Sri Siddaramaiah’s attempt to paint Prime Minister, Sri.
Narendra Modi a person from North India. It was ridiculous statement from a Chief Minister of Congress,
which claimed to be a national party. If at all this was the case, then, Sri Siddaramaiah had to spell out the
geographical limitations of Congress President, Sri. Rahul Gandhi. It was pity that even after running
government for full five-year term, Sri. Siddaramaiah didn’t have any achievements to showcase.
The BJP State General Secretary, Sri. Ravikumar, who was present in the press conference, said as
many as 40,000 infants, most of whom belong to “AHINDA” communities, had been died of malnutrition.
Sri Siddaramaiah, who used to claim as the champion of “AHINDA” should take the “credit” of these deaths.
He charged the Congress Government was keen in implementing big health projects because they
would get commissions. However, they were not showing any interest in filling up vacancies in Health
Department, as they would not get commissions.
State Convenor of BJP Health Cell, Dr. Basavaraj and Co-convenor Dr. Anilkumar, who played major
role in preparing Health Report Card, were present.
Could be attacked or jailed, says Hardik after security withdrawn
With his ‘Y’ category security cover being withdrawn by the Union Home Affairs Ministry, Patel quota stir leader Hardik Patel on Thursday expressed apprehension of an attack on him or being jailed.
“Let’s see whether this is a plan to kill me or send me to jail. I continue to do my work and shall bear the fruits of my work, good or bad,” Hardik said in a tweet.
The Home Ministry has asked the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) to withdraw security cover provided to Hardik Patel during the run-up to the 2017 Gujarat elections when he had addressed over 100 public meetings across the state. Apprehending an attack on him, the central intelligence agencies had accorded him security.
Suspecting snooping being done on him in the guise of providing security, Hardik initially had declined to take the cover. He, however, agreed to have security after persuasion by senior administrative and police personnel in the state. He was provided with escort of eight security personnel
The Central government is now seeking inputs from the Gujarat Police on whether Hardik requires any local-level security instead.
(Ians)
Google celebrates Jnanpith awardee Mahadevi Varma
Google on Friday celebrated freedom fighter, women’s rights activist, Hindi poet and Jnanpith awardee Mahadevi Varma with a doodle.
On this date, in 1982, the Bharatiya Jnanpith honoured her with the prestigious award for her “outstanding contribution towards literature”.
Guest artist Sonali Zohra has designed the doodle that shows the transformative poet busy penning her thoughts into beautiful verses under a tree by the field on a breezy afternoon.
Often referred to as ‘modern Meera’ for ushering in the era of romanticism in Hindi literature, Varma was born on March 26, 1907, in Farukhabad in Uttar Pradesh into an orthodox family.
Married at the tender age of nine in 1916, Varma remained at her parental home to continue her education at Crossthwaite Girls’ School in Allahabad.
The spirit of a writer was kindled by Varma’s mother who inspired her daughter to write in Sanskrit and Hindi, according to Google.
She penned her first verses in secret, while pursuing a master degree in Sanskrit. However, her roommate and friend, Subhadra Kumari Chauhan (a well-known poet) discovered her talent soon.
Varma is revered as one of the foundational poets of the Chhayavad movement in Hindi literature, the Google blog said. Her poignant poetry and essays, mostly centred around her feminist outlook.
In her biography “Mere Bachpan Ke Din” (My Childhood Days), Varma wrote that at a time when a girl child was considered a burden upon the family, she was very fortunate to be born into a liberal family.
Her works appeared in magazines and books. Her collection of short stories “Sketches from My Past” portrays those women whom she encountered as the principal of an all-girls school.
Though a firm supporter of women’s rights, Varma also explored the topics of tradition and the past with great fondness, it added.
Varma was honoured with the Padma Bhushan in 1956, Sahitya Akademi Fellowship in 1979, and Padma Vibhushan in 1988. She passed away on September 11, 1987.
(Ians)
Indu Malhotra sworn in as SC judge
Senior lawyer Indu Malhotra was sworn in on Friday as Supreme Court judge, amid raging controversy over the Narendra Modi government returning recommendation on Justice K.M. Joseph.
She was administered the oath of office by Chief Justice Dipak Misra. She will have a tenure of a little over three years.
With her swearing in the strength of the top court judges rose to 25 — six still short of the actual sanctioned strength of 31.
It is for the first time that the apex court has two women judges — the other being Justice R. Banumathi. Justice Malhotra is the fifth woman judge of the top court.
Justice Fatima Bibi was the first woman judge of the Supreme Court. She was followed by Justice Ruma Pal, Justice Gyan Sudha Misra and Justice Banumathi.
(Ians)
Congress complains of snag in Rahul’s flight to Karnataka, seeks probe
The Congress on Thursday complained to the Karnataka Police that the aircraft in which its party President Rahul Gandhi flew to Hubballi in the state earlier in the day suffered a snag mid-air.
“The aircraft on a special flight (VT-AVH) from New Delhi to Hubballi suffered serious malfunction and tilted heavily to one side during the course of the flight,” a party official and Gandhi’s aide Kaushal Vidyarthee said in the complaint.
The complaint, addressed to the state’s Director General Neelamani N. Raju, requested the state police chief to “ground” the aircraft at Hubballi and investigate its malfunction.
However, a Hubballi Police official told IANS over phone that no complaint has been received by the local police station on the issue so far.
The complaint letter, also shared by the Congress through its official Twitter handle, however, does not mention the exact make of the aircraft the Congress President flew in and whose it was.
According to the letter, there were a total of three other passengers in the aircraft besides Gandhi and the complainant Vidyarthee — Rampreet, Rahul Ravi and Special Protection Group officer Rahul Gautam.
Alleging the aircraft’s auto-pilot mode was not functional and the aircraft could be landed only after two unsuccessful tries as it was “shaking and making unusual audible sounds”, the letter pointed to a possible “intentional tampering” with the aircraft’s functioning.
“The technical snags coupled with the failed auto-pilot system raise issues of aviation safety and intentional tampering which endangered the life of the passengers,” it added.
Gandhi arrived at Hubballi airport at around 11.25 a.m. on Thursday on a two-day visit to the poll-bound state to launch the party’s campaign for the May 12 legislative assembly elections in the coastal region.
In New Delhi, Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said that demanded a thorough investigation into the “serious case of aviation mechanics failure”, including the possibility of a “foul play”.
“Today Congress President Rahul Gandhi and other passengers were travelling by special flight from Delhi to Hubli. At about 10:45 am, the auto-pilot was lost off the flight. The flight tilted on one side and took a nosedive.
“For a few minutes, this special flight was off-the-radar. There was a lot of shuddering, although the weather outside was normal and sunny. On the third attempt, the flight finally landed at Hubli,” he said.
“It was then informed that the auto-pilot had failed, also the radars of the flight had partially failed.”
Surjewala also pointed out that usually when an SPG protectee is travelling, the complete details of the pilotsand the aircraft are submitted to the DGCA and the SPG.
“Only when all of these are cleared, then the flight plan is okayed. This is a serious case of aviation mechanics failure.
(Ians)
Odisha will ensure rape accused tried expeditiously: Patnaik
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Thursday said the state government will spare no efforts in ensuring that the rape accused are tried expeditiously.
“I want to assure this august house that my government will spare no efforts in ensuring that they are tried expeditiously. Safety and security of women, children and other vulnerable groups remains the top priority of my government,” eh told the Assembly.
According to a white paper tabled in Assembly on Wednesday, Odisha witnessed a surge in rape cases in 2017 as 2,221 cases were registered in 2017 against 2,144 cases in 2016.
The Chief Minister said the law and order situation in the state has by and large remained peaceful and the overall crime situation is also well under control, he added.
No major Left Wing Extremism activity has been noticed in the affected districts while the recruitment to the Maoist organizations has declined and their mass support base been rendered weak, said Patnaik.
He said the intelligence-based operations have yielded significant results in 2018 with neutralization of five hardcore cadres and 12 arrests.
To prevent cybercrime, in addition to the Cyber Police Station at Cuttack, three more Cyber Police Stations at Berhampur, Sambalpur and Rourkela have been established, Patnaik said.
The Chief Minister also said that Odisha government has decided to set up State Vigilance Academy in Bhubaneswar for upgrading the professional knowledge and skills of the vigilance officers.
Odisha Vigilance, during 2017 and till March 31 this year, has registered total 603 criminal cases. It has initiated 765 inquiries against the public servants in which 279 persons have been arrested while 44 public servants have been dismissed from government services, said the Chief Minister.
(Ians)
Silent march against sex crimes targeting women
Around 300 students from various colleges in the city donning black outfits, and sashes of ‘#AmINext’ worn around their heads and hands flocked under the banner of Humanising India, a students’ initia
Around 300 students from various colleges in the city donning black outfits, and sashes of ‘#AmINext’ worn around their heads and hands flocked under the banner of Humanising India, a students’ initiative to stir awareness and protest against atrocities towards women.Humanising India conducted a silent march from St. Joseph’s College (Autonomous), Shantinagar to the Town Hall, spearheaded by Arya Samaj supremo, Swami Agnivesh, on Thursday afternoon. The protest march took place in light of the recent horrific events of rape in Kathua and Unnao.“What we are used to is, they see, they empathise, they sympathise, but they do not speak up;
they are just like ‘it keeps happening’ but we need to start taking a stand, we need to speak up,” said Renita, a student of St. Joseph’s College who is said to be the brainchild of this movement.On being asked why Swami Agnivesh was invited to head the protest, one of the organisers said, “He is the only person who wears a saffron outfit but does not have a saffron ideology. He has also very boldly stood out and spoken about atrocities not only against women, but also other sections of society.”Swami Agnivesh highlighted the deplorable state of sexual abuse victims, speaking in the context of occurrences of communal violence and hate speeches perpetuated towards the minority communities and women at large. He cited examples of violence towards the Rohingyas, Bakarwal Muslims and the dreadful Unnao case in Uttar Pradesh.
The Arya Samaj scholar also alleged that most rape cases were reported in states ruled by the BJP, for which, justice keeps getting delayed.The gathering ended with the lighting of candles and singing prayers, followed by a brief moment of silence in remembrance of the victims. Humanising India roped in 22 educational institutions for the silent protest march to provoke actions by pious and effective means.
SP-BSP Combine May Play Hindu Card To Trump BJP in Kairana Lok Sabha By-Election
The seat had fallen vacant after the death of BJP MP Hukum Singh and falls in the Muzzafarnagar-Shamli-Kairana belt of western UP which witnessed large-scale communal clashes and a charged campaign in the run-up to the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.
Extremely wary of communal polarisation ahead of the next general elections, the united opposition is exercising utmost caution in selecting candidates for the Kairana Lok Sabha bypolls in politically crucial Uttar Pradesh.
The seat had fallen vacant after the death of BJP MP Hukum Singh and falls in the Muzzafarnagar-Shamli-Kairana belt of western UP which witnessed large-scale communal clashes and a charged campaign in the run-up to the 2014 Lok Sabha polls. The bypoll will be held on May 28, while the counting of votes will take place on May 31.
Kairana, like many other seats in western UP, has a high percentage of Muslim population, varying from 25% to 45% of the total electorate. In the last three General and Assembly elections, both the BSP and the SP have competed fiercely to dovetail the minorities with their core vote-base to stich a winning social combination.
For instance, in 2007 Assembly polls, the BSP fielded 61 Muslim candidates in UP, of whom 29 won. As many as 21 Muslim candidates from the rival SP could also make the cut.
Muslim representation in UP assembly peaked in 2012 when the SP wrested back power from Mayawati in the following elections. The 16th Assembly of the state had a record 68 Muslim MLAs.
Compare this with 2014 General Elections when for the first time since Independence not a single MP from the minority community was elected to the Lok Sabha, with the BJP and its allies winning a whopping 90% of the seats.
The 2014 Lok Sabha results and the near total dominance of the BJP in the assembly elections last year have not only forced the BSP and the SP to form a political coalition, but also look at alternative social alliances.
In the recent bypolls in Phulpur and Gorakhpur, the SP-BSP combine experimented by putting up non-Yadav Backward candidates. The idea was to mobilise core SP-BSP votes around a dominant local community to inflict a surprise defeat on the ruling BJP.
In Kairana bypolls, which may well shape the battlelines for a keen contest in western UP in 2019, the SP-BSP coalition may again settle for a candidate from a socially dominant Hindu caste.
There have been speculations that Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) wants to enter the grand opposition alliance in UP if Ajit Singh’s son Jayant Chaudhary is fielded from Kairana as a joint candidate.
However, SP state President Naresh Uttam was in Shamli earlier this week to assess the ground situation. The party seems to be zeroing in on three names as of now. Former MP Munawar Hasan’s wife is among those in contention.
But the opposition is wary that fielding a Muslim candidate may again polarise the elections as BJP is likely to nominate Hukum Singh’s daughter for the bypoll.
Singh, a local Gujjar leader, had started his political career with the Congress but later shifted base to the BJP.
SP’s Virendra Singh, also a Gujjar, is seeking a ticket for his son.
The third contender, and a surprise choice that the SP is considering could be an interesting choice. Dr Sudhir Pawar is a soft spoken professor from Lucknow University who contested the last assembly polls on an SP ticket from Thanabhawan in Shamli district.
He comes from the Jat community and his candidature could also be used as a test case by the non-BJP alliance to bridge the Jat-Muslim divide prised open by the Muzaffranagar riots. The bypolls to Kairana have not been notified yet by the Election Commission. The closer they are held, the higher will be the stakes for the BJP.
Rahul slams Modi government over new US visa rules
Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Thursday attacked Narendra Modi government’s foreign policy and said “new US visa rules is a huge setback for India”.
“New US visa Rules, huge setback for India. There are some things a hug can buy. For visas, you’re on your own,” tweeted Gandhi, attaching a Times of India story with a headline “Startup visas, work permits for spouses of H-1B visa holders to go”.
“Foreign policy by Narendra Modi, foreword by Donald Trump,” he added.
Ministry of Home Affairs to discuss Muslim reservation bill.
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) is holding a crucial meeting on Friday with the State government officials on providing reservation to Muslims in employment and education under BC Category.The
State Legislative Assembly adopted a Bill providing 12 per cent reservations to Muslims and also increasing the total BC reservation percentage and sent the same for the approval of the Union government.The State government’s Bill is pending with the Union Home Ministry, which sought some clarifications on the Bill. According to sources, the MHA raised two queries on Muslim reservations. The State government officials prepared the answers to questions. Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao reportedly approved the replies on Thursday.When the MHA invited the State government for the meeting, Chief Secretary SK Joshi called up BC Welfare secretary Burra Venkatesham, who was in Delhi, and asked him to attend the meeting on Friday. State Reorganisation (SR) department principal secretary K Ramakrishan Rao too will attend the meeting as the MHA is likely to discuss the issues mentioned in AP Reorganisation Act, 2014, which are pending for implementation.
The Telangana Backward Classes, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Reservation of seats in educational institutions and of appointments or posts in the services under the State) Bill, 2017.2) The Telangana Prevention of Dangerous activities of bootleggers, dacoits, drug-offenders, Goondas, immoral traffic offenders and land grabbers (Amendment) Bill, 2017.