Bommai says organisations plotting to eliminate BJP leaders; BSY to lead delegation to Delhi to seek ban 

BENGALURU: The Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), People’s Front of India (PFI) and a few other similar organizations may soon be banned, Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai and Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister JC Madhuswamy told the media after the cabinet meeting on Friday. They said the issue was discussed in the cabinet and some stern action is being considered against these “extreme outfits”.

This statement comes after information that the organisations were seeking to eliminate some known names in the BJP like Bangalore South MP Tejasvi Surya and Chakravarti Sulibele of Yuva Brigade, a sister outfit of the BJP.   Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai said, “Many of them are known violators, they have planned and executed murders, unrest and terror activities over a period of time, and much has been documented.’’ Many have been arrested in previous cases and questioned, and the government has a lot of information on their activities which will all be provided to central government and other agencies, Bommai said. There have been murders, terror activities, planning and conspiracy in Bengaluru, Mangaluru, Mysuru and other places also.

This is the third time the government is reiterating that it is seeking to ban these organisations. It may be recalled that the first time was following the attack on Congress MLA Tanveer Sait in Mysuru, when the government had stated that it would consider a ban on the PFI. Cabinet Minister R Ashoka had said they would go ahead with banning the SDPI and Karnataka Forum for Dignity. 

The second time the ban was mentioned was after the protests in Mangaluru, when the government again considered the issue of banning SDPI and PFI, where protests saw two deaths due to police firing. Minister Suresh Kumar had said that “both organisations instigate violence and disturb peace in society. Both need to be banned’’.

SDPI state secretary Akram Hassan said, “There is no basis for banning any political party. We are a registered political party functioning under the Constitution. We have won more than 20 seats in municipal and other elections across the state. We are a 10-year-old party, and from day one, they have tried to ban our party, questioning our existence.’’

Earlier in the day, Health Minister B Sriramulu told reporters that a delegation headed by Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa will soon go to Delhi to meet Home Ministry officials, demanding a ban on these organisations. “I will also be part of it and meet the officials concerned next month to submit the memorandum,” he said.Police said that those who attacked a BJP worker for taking part in a pro-CAA demonstration were planning to target many senior  leaders, including Bangalore South MP Tejasvi Surya. “I have more trust on God. There is talk of giving security to people like us, what about people who work on the ground. Our worker Varun was attacked, who will give security to them? People who work for country cannot be seen holding a gun or seen with a gunman. If this is seen, it is nothing but destroying the very purpose of democracy,” the MP said.

Industry Minister Jagadish Shettar said the SDPI always denies its involvement in such activities but it has been proved now. The organisation should be banned as the members have always been involved in anti-social activities and the Union government should take very serious note of this, he said.

Asha workers to get one-time settlement
The strike by thousands of ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activists) workers seems to have succeeded in garnering the attention of the state government.  Although the government has not fulfilled all their demands, it has offered them a one-time settlement of Rs 3,000 each to the 41,000 Asha workers and said it will look into their other demands.  Minister J C Madhuswamy, who announced it after the cabinet meeting on Friday, the state government will incur an additional burden of Rs 12.5 crore to meet the one-time settlement.  ASHA workers had staged a massive protest soon after the New Year after all the deadlines they had given the government expired at the end of last year. The offer came in about a fortnight after the protest began.

KAPALA BETTA, KANAKAPURA (RAMANAGARA DISTRICT): Anthoniyamma Mary flips the pages of the Bible which according to her is more than 100 years old.

“He (Jesus) has given us everything and it is our turn to give him back. It is mentioned in the book. We were told during Sunday prayers to give Rs 1 lakh for the construction of the tallest Jesus statue. I am happy contributing to it.”

With pro-Hindu organisations opposing the construction of the statue, local residents seem to be determined to go ahead with it.

There are 800 houses in villages near Kapala Betta. Christians are in majority here. Each house is contributing Rs 1 lakh for the 114-foot tall statue.

Many of these families largely depend on sericulture.

Anthoniyamma and her husband stay at Jyothinagar which is close to Kapala Betta. They work as coolies in sericulture farms for their bread and butter. They also own a couple of sheep.

“We were told to contribute for the statue. Every month, we save a little money and pay at the church. When we ran short of money one month, we even auctioned our calf (goat) for Rs 6,000. We paid this amount to the church as part of our contribution,” she said.

According to the villagers, they offer prayers to the Cross on the hilltop. Now, they have symbolically placed a  five-foot-tall statue of Jesus Christ on a platform there.

The tallest statue will come up nearby for which Congress leader DK Shivakumar laid the foundation stone last month.

Lewis and Mary, another couple who are also sericulture workers, have four children. They too have committed to pay the money for the statue.

Asked how they will raise such a huge amount, Mary said, “If I need money for my children’s education or marriage, I will take a loan. Paying Rs 1 lakh to the church is my responsibility and I will do it by taking a loan.”

Lily Mary, who is married to a farmer and lives in Sipayi Doddi, has a special connection with  Kapala Betta.

“My daughter was about to deliver a baby. Doctors in Bengaluru said they could save either the mother or the baby. We went to the hilltop and prayed. Now, my granddaughter is five years old. Both mother and daughter are healthy. I have been saving money every month for the statue. We are happy that it is coming up in our place.’’

You will find a sprinkling of Hindus here. They too offer prayers at Kapala Betta –  like Ramu and his son-in-law Krishna, residents of DK Nagar (named after Congress leaders DK Shivakumar and his brother DK Suresh who constructed 40 houses free of cost).

“We have no issues with the Christ statue coming up here. We were neither told to convert nor contribute,” said Krishna.

Many villagers told TNIE that they only want land and are not asking for money from the government.

Susheelamma from Kadledoddi said, “There is no Shiva temple here as claimed by a political party. Even Hindus visit and they do not have a problem.”

But a few Hindus did object.

Bogesh (name changed) said, “We are minorities here. Our children will get influenced by Christianity. We cannot leave this place, we were born and brought up here. There are some Hindu temples which are in a bad state. Why isn’t anyone bothering to get them repaired,” he asked.

Reacting to the rally, Shivakumar said that BJP is in power, so let them do what they want.

BENGALURU: Thousands of BJP, RSS and VHP workers took part in ‘Kanakapura Chalo’ — a protest rally against the proposed 114-foot Jesus Christ statue in Kapali Betta. Kanakapura assembly segment is represented by former Congress minister  DK Shivakumar, who had laid the foundation for the statue on December 25.

The rally began from Ayyappa Swamy Temple and concluded with a public meeting at Channabasappa Circle in Kanakapura. Senior RSS leader Kalladka Prabhakar Bhat, who was leading the rally, addressed the gathering, claiming the people living in and around Kapali hill do not want the statue. “Why Jesus statue? Why cannot we erect a statue of Basavanna or Vishveshatheertha of Pejawar mutt or Balagangadharanatha Swamiji, who has contributed to the nation?’’ Bhat questioned. He blamed Shivakumar for going ahead with the plan just to please his party high command Sonia Gandhi.

Meanwhile, senior BJP leader and former MLC Ashwath Narayan Gowda alleged that forced conversions are happening and that the brothers (Shivakumar and DK Suresh) are supporting this, which is unfortunate. “Kapali Betta was worshipped by Hindus, by erecting a Jesus Christ statue here, they are trying to break the harmony,’’ he alleged.

Reacting to the rally, Shivakumar said that BJP is in power, so let them do what they want. “I do not know who Kalladka Prabhakar is. I believe in humanity. In a democracy, there is a ruling party and an opposition. Anyone can come to Kanakapura, any leader or minister. We welcome them,” said Shivakumar. BJP leaders are alleging that this land is a gomala (grazing land) and belongs to the government, while Shivakumar is making it privatized.

About the Kashmir issue, Swamy said that there was much hullabaloo about abrogation of Article 370.

BENGALURU: BJP MP Subramanian Swamy, who was felicitated in Bengaluru by Virat Hindustan Sangam for 50 years of public service on Sunday, spoke about the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), saying the Act provides citizenship to illegal migrants, and will in no way affect Muslims in the country.

Addressing the gathering, he said there were too many protests against CAA happening. “Many are protesting against the CAA, but they have not read the bill. I think most Congress people cannot read and write.

What is the bill about? That those who were persecuted because of their religion and left Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh came to India, they are still illegal migrants. They cannot get jobs as they do not have any documents. 

For 70 years, Congress was speaking about giving them citizenship, but they did not implement this. Our (Indian) Muslim minorities and their citizenship is not affected at all because of CAA. As Muslims are not persecuted in Pakistan and Bangladesh due to their religion, Muslims were not included in the list,” Swamy said.

About the Kashmir issue, Swamy said that there was much hullabaloo about abrogation of Article 370. “See what has happened. Not even a  single bullet has been fired there. Yes, there are some people in jail. But if we had let them out, terrorists might have even killed them. For their safety, we have arrested them,” he said, without taking any names.

He further said that Kashmir is still partly in the hands of Pakistan. “It is called PoK (Pakistan occupied Kashmir) and we are ready to take it back,” Swamy said. 

Aurangabad, Jan 10: Rishikesh Dewerkar, arrested by Karnataka SIT in the journalist Gauri Lankesh murder, was living in central Maharashtra’s Aurangabad city until 2016 and sold Patanjali products, the people who knew him said here on Friday.

The Special Investigation Team of Karnataka arrested him from Katras town near Dhanbad in Jharkhand on Thursday.

In Aurangabad, Dewerkar sold Patanjali products from a shop he had rented in M2 area here from local resident Jagdish Kulkarni.

According to Kulkarni, he ran the shop from 2014 to 2016. “He paid rent on time. Beyond that we had no interaction,” he said.

In 2016, he shifted to a house owned by Yeshwant Shukla in the same area.

“The longest meeting I had with him was when he came to fianalise agreement for the house in February 2016 describing him as taciturn.

“He said he wanted a house on the ground floor as his parents were old. He himself stayed there for only one and a half months,” Shukla said.

“He then shifted to Solapur and his parents continued to live in the house till April 2019. He used to visit them for a day or a night. His parents did stitching work. Last year they shifted to Mumbai where their other son lives,” he added.

“Dewerkar’s involvement in the Gauri Lankesh case is a shock to all of us,” Shukla added.

Dewerkar is the 17th accused to be arrested in the Lankesh murder case.

Lankesh, a firebrand journalist and writer, was shot dead in Bengaluru on September 5, 2017.

An official of the SIT said Dewerkar was suspected to be part of the conspiracy to kill Lankesh.

He accused Opposition parties of spreading lies with an intention to cause riots in the country.

MANGALURU: BJP state president Nalin Kumar Kateel on Wednesday kicked up a controversy by claiming that terrorist organisations are involved in anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protests being held across the country. Speaking at a workshop for BJP workers on CAA, he said ‘genuine Muslims’ are not involved in the protests, and that those involved are “naxals, thinkers and terrorist organisations.”

He accused Opposition parties of spreading lies with an intention to cause riots in the country. “The Opposition did not have any issues in the last six years of Modi’s rule to protest. They were eagerly waiting. They thought that implementation of Article 370 and the Supreme Court order on the Ram Janmabhoomi issue will lead to Hindu-Muslim riots. When they did not find any weapons, they took up CAA.”

PM will also hand over the keys of deep sea fishing vessels and fishing vessel transponders to select farmers.

BENGALURU: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be on a two-day official visit to Karnataka on Thursday and Friday. The PM will address farmers in Tumakuru on Thursday and will electronically transfer Rs 2,000 to each farmer across the country under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana, by pressing a button. In all, 3.10 lakh beneficiaries are from Karnataka. The farmers in Karnataka not only get Rs 6,000 per year given by the central government but also Rs 4,000 to each farmer per annum which B S Yediyurappa announced as soon as he became the CM.

The mega rally at Tumakuru is expected to see a huge turnout of farmers. The PM will hand over Krishi Karman Award to 21 states that have recorded good agriculture production in various categories during the previous crop seasons. Karnataka too will get the award for performing extraordinarily in the production of the pulses for the year 2017-18. In an area spread across 30.24 lakh hectares, Karnataka’s farmers have produced about 7.7 quintals of pulses per hectare.

Award-winning states get a trophy, a citation and cash award of Rs 2 crore for total foodgrains production and an amount of Rs 1 crore for each of the four crops included in foodgrain. At the same event, the Prime Minister will also hand over the keys of deep sea fishing vessels and fishing vessel transponders to select farmers. Union agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar who arrived here on Wednesday evening took stock of the arrangements made for the event. On Friday, the PM will inaugurate the 107th Indian Science Congress at the Gandhi Krishi Vignana Kendra Campus at the University of Agricultural Sciences in Bengaluru.

Packed visit Bengaluru: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be arriving in Bengaluru today on a two-day official visit. According to the itinerary, the PM will be landing at Air Force Station Yelahanka at 1.20 pm, and will immediately leave to Tumakuru by helicopter. Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa will receive the PM and accompany him to Tumakuru. At 2 pm, they will land at Tumakuru University helipad and drive to Siddaganga Mutt. The two will be at the mutt for a hour – 2.15 pm to 3.20 pm. They will attend a farmers rally and a ceremony to present the Krishi Karman Awards and distribution of fishing equipment at the Junior College Grounds at 3.30 pm. 

The SUV jumped the median and collided with an autorickshaw rickshaw and a canter that was coming from the opposite direction.

BENGALURU: A car that was part of Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa’s convoy, rammed into the
road median and hit two other vehicles coming from the opposite direction on Yeshwantpur flyover, on Tuesday morning. Four people sustained minor injuries in the accident.

Police said that the Chief Minister was on his way to Tumakuru and his convoy was on Yeshwantpur flyover around 11 am, when Vinay Kumar, the driver of the Chief Minister’s Secretary Selva Kumar’s car, lost control over the vehicle and rammed into the road median.

The SUV jumped the median and collided with an autorickshaw rickshaw and a canter that was coming from the opposite direction.

“The driver of the SUV, the auto driver, and two others in the canter, sustained minor injuries in the accident. The SUV’s front portion was completely damaged in the incident. When the incident occurred, Chief Minister’s secretary was travelling in the CM’s car. Overspeeding is the reason for the accident,” Yeshwantpur traffic police, who have registered a case in this connection, said.

Nasheman news

Searches were conducted by the CBI at the premises of then DC IT Sourabh Nayak , also at the premises of D Kumar, then AC IT (investigation wing / assistance wing/ Bangalore. Searches were also conducted at the premises of three private persons at right locations including five in Bengaluru and one each in Karwar , Hosur, Selam.

During Investigation it was found that these public servants had conducted income tax Searches at the ImA office and also assessment of account in 2017. It was Alleged that they didn’t take action with regards to deduction of TDS on interest payment and also with regard to huge cash payment enteries in the books of account.
Further the bank accounts which were frozen after they conducted IT Searches were allegedly defrozen .
Allegation was that huge bribe was paid to public servant by the MD of this group

Further investigation to unearth the trail of funds , indentification of end beneficiary underway.

premise of these private persons Ashish Jain, kiran Pamedi , kaizal Basha were also raided.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the 107th Indian Science Congress, organised by the University of Agricultural Sciences on Friday.

BENGALURU: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the 107th Indian Science Congress, organised by the University of Agricultural Sciences on Friday.

More than 15,000 participants, including Nobel laureates, scientists, intellectuals, academicians, policymakers, students and delegates from various institutions of 24 countries are expected to participate in the six-day event whose focal theme is ‘Science and Technology: Rural Development’.

Discussions on 14 contemporary science areas will be the highlight of the conference. The other important parts of event are ‘Women Science Congress’, ‘Children Science Congress’ and ‘Science Communicators Meet’. For the first time, ‘Farmers’ Science Congress’ is included.

There will also be a science exhibition, titled Pride of India, where technologies, equipment and science models will be on display. The entry for the exhibition is free from January 4-7.