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The Chennai police have filed a case against an assistant professor of Chennai's Kalakshetra, a prestigious institution for classical arts, on a complaint of sexual harassment filed by a survivor, a former woman student. A case was filed against Hari Padman today, days after around 200 students, both women and men, started protesting, alleging sexual harassment, body-shaming and verbal abuse by this faculty member and three repertory artists. Earlier, the national commission for women had called these allegations a disinformation campaign. Around 90 students had given a complaint to the state women's commission chief yesterday. Chief Minister MK Stalin has assured legal action against anyone found guilty. The National Commission for Women had also dismissed the charges as baseless. The students allege that they have faced years of sexual harassment, body-shaming, verbal abuse and discrimination based on their skin colour at Kalakshetra. They also allege that the administratio...

Kudligi BJP MLA N Y Gopalakrishna today resigned as legislator, ahead of the May 10 Assembly polls in Karnataka, and is likely to join the Congress. Gopalakrishna met Speaker Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri at his office here and submitted the resignation. According to reports, he had recently met senior State Congress leaders D K Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah, and held discussions. Gopalakrishna was earlier with the Congress and had got elected from Molakalmuru Assembly segment in Chitradurga district four times (1997, 1999, 2004 and 2008). On not getting the Congress ticket in 2018, he had joined the BJP ahead of the elections. The party gave him a ticket from Kudligi in Vijayanagara district instead of Molakalmuru, as senior leader Sriramulu was fielded from there. He had won from there. Earlier this month, two MLCs from BJP -- Puttanna and Baburao Chinchansur -- quit from their Legislative Council membership to join the Congress. JD(S) MLA S R Srinivas (Gubbi Srinivas alias Vasu) on T...

A woman in Bengaluru was allegedly dragged from a park and then gang-raped by four men in a moving car, the police said today. All four accused have been arrested and an investigation is underway.  According to the police, the incident took place last week on March 25 when the woman was meeting a friend at the National Games Village Park in Koramangala. One of the accused approached the two, objecting to both of them sitting in the park late at night.  When the woman's friend left, the man called three of his friends who dragged the woman from the park into their vehicle waiting outside. The four men sped away in their car, and gang-raped the woman in the moving vehicle before dropping her near her house in the early hours of the next morning. The four accused threatened the woman with "dire consequences" if she reported the incident to the police. "We are investigating the matter. All the four have been arrested and they are being interrogated," senior Beng...

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Friday promised action on any complaint about sexual harassment at Kalakshetra Foundation, a top arts and cultural academy in Chennai, where around 200 students held a protest a day ago over the issue. "Legal action will be taken against those found guilty [but] there has been no written complaint to the police yet," he said, a day after calls for justice for the survivors of alleged sexual harassment by four male faculty members. The students held placards and shouted slogans against the administration and the National Commission for Women (NCW), which they accused of dismissing their complaints. The protest came a day after NCW chairperson Rekha Sharma made an unscheduled visit to the Kalakshetra campus. She met with the director, Revathi Ramachandran, and some of the faculty members. Students said she asked them to tell her in public, in the presence of students and faculty members, about incidents of sexual harassment. "She...

Allegations of state relief funds being mismanaged by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and his government were today referred by the Lokayukta or anti-corruption watchdog to a larger bench after a difference between two judges. Pinarayi Vijayan and several ministers are respondents in the case linked to allegations that the Chief Minister's Distress Relief Fund (CMDRF) was mishandled. The Lokayukta took up the case today after the Kerala High Court asked the petitioner to approach the watchdog last week. Activist RS Sashi Kumar had appealed to the High Court for a decision, arguing that hearings in the case had been completed a year ago. The petition alleges nepotism in the distribution of relief money - among the beneficiaries were the family of a CPI(M) legislator who had died, the family of Left ally who had died, and the family of a Kerala police officer who died in an accident while accompanying CPI(M) leader Kodiyeri Balakrishnan. In 2019, while admitting the activi...

YSR Telangana Party chief YS Sharmila was today detained by the police from a protest demonstration in Hyderabad. Dramatic visuals from the spot showed the police dragging her as she resisted detention. Several of her supporters, who joined her in raising slogans demanding justice over exam paper leaks, were also ferried away from the spot in a bus. The alleged leak of the Telangana State Public Service Commission exam paper was the immediate trigger for the protest. The BJP has also been turning the heat on the K Chandrashekar Rao-led state government on the issue. The police have arrested at least eleven people in the case. There have been sharp exchanges between Ms Sharmila and KT Rama Rao, who is the Industries and Information Technology minister of the state. The minister said that the leakage was a limited activity by certain individuals who behaved in a malafide manner.  The BJP state chief Bandi Sanjay Kumar has said that there is a more systemic problem and that people...

The BJP and Congress have lodged complaints against each other with the Election Commission about Model Code of Conduct violations. While the Congress alleged that cookers and other inducement materials were found at Byatarayanapura in Bengaluru, the BJP charged that former chief minister Siddaramaiah distributed cash in Varuna in Mysuru. In his complaint, Congress candidate and former minister Krishna Byre Gowda alleged that about six days ago GST officers raided a premise and seized the inducement material worth Rs 3.6 crore. The BJP MLC Chalavadi Narayanaswamy lodged the complaint on Wednesday in which he alleged that Siddaramaiah went to his constituency and distributed money. Meanwhile, Congress state president D K Shivakumar landed in trouble for allegedly throwing cash among people during an election campaign in Mandya on Tuesday. The police registered a non-cognisable offence against him. Assembly elections in Karnataka would be held on May 10.  (Except for the headli...

A non-cognisable offence has been registered by the police against the Karnataka Congress President D K Shivakumar following a complaint, which alleged that he distributed cash during a poll campaign. The complainant alleged that the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee President had "thrown money" at Bevinahalli village in Mandya Taluk on Tuesday, a day before the Election Commission announced the Karnataka Assembly election schedule. "We haven't registered an FIR yet. A non-cognisable offence has been taken up and the matter will be presented before the court seeking its direction," Mandya Superintendent of Police Yathish N told news agency PTI. Meanwhile, Congress workers in Mandya said Mr Shivakumar was only paying money to the artists, who had performed a cultural event during the party campaign. They refuted the allegation that he distributed money to lure voters ahead of the May 10 polls.   (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by...

Around 200 students staged a protest on Thursday at Kalakshetra Foundation, a top arts and cultural academy in Chennai, demanding justice for the survivors of alleged sexual harassment by four male faculty members. The students held placards saying "We want justice" and shouted slogans against the administration and the National Commission for Women (NCW), which they have accused of dismissing their complaints. The protest came a day after NCW chairperson Rekha Sharma made an unscheduled visit to the Kalakshetra campus. She met with the director, Revathi Ramachandran, and some of the faculty members. Students say she asked them to tell her in public, in the presence of students and faculty members about incidents of sexual harassment. "She asked one by one, 'were you molested, were you molested'. Is that the way to do an enquiry? Their aim is to cover it up," a woman student said. A former student of the academy added, "This has been going on for ye...

JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy todayclaimed that both the Congress and the BJP were trying to cosy up to his party, as they may need his party's support in the event of a fractured verdict in the May 10 Assembly elections.  He indicated that "middlemen" from both national parties had reached out to him. Addressing a press conference, the former Chief Minister, however, said he was confident that people would bless his party this time to form an independent government in the state, by giving it a clear majority. "...there is concern among both the parties, middlemen come from both parties. Why they come one has to understand. It is because the JD(S)' strength is increasing day by day with the blessings of the people," Mr Kumaraswamy said in response to a question on whether leaders of national parties were in touch with him.  "It is their ongoing plan. There is competition among both the parties to try to get close to JD(S) and earn its confidence....

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy has called on Home Minister Amit Shah and urged him to resolve several long-pending issues since the bifurcation of the state. This is his second visit to Delhi in a month. On March 17, Mr Reddy had met with Prime Minster Narendra Modi and Amit Shah. Observing that the pending issues have pushed Andhra Pradesh backwards in terms of development and revenue, the Chief Minister asked the Home Minister to immediately release Rs 10,000 crore on an ad-hoc basis to expedite Polavaram project. That apart, he requested for Rs 2,020 crore to fill the scourge pits formed at the main dam site due to the washing away of the diaphragm in flash floods, said a statement on Wednesday night. During the meeting, Mr Reddy sought the reimbursement of Rs 2,601 crore expenditure incurred on Polavaram project and accept the technical advisory committee's revised estimates of Rs 55,548 crore, including treating the drinking water supply component as a ...

Former chief minister BS Yediyurappa, who is spearheading the BJP's election campaign in Karnataka, today hinted that his son may contest against Congress veteran Siddaramaiah. Siddaramaiah, also a former chief minister, has been fielded from the Varuna seat in Mysuru, currently represented by his son Yathindra. High-level discussions are on over BY Vijayendra's candidature from Varuna, said Mr Yediyurappa, who is now in a firefighting mode amid protests over reservation issues with the polls just over a month away. His remarks came at an emergency press conference in Bengaluru, a day after the Election Commission declared that the state polls will be held on May 10. "The reservation quota for Lingayats and other communities justified. No injustice has been done to the Muslims as well. Now they will get reservation in the Economically Weaker Sections," said the BJP leader. The Congress will not cross more than 70 seats in the 224-seat assembly, he asserted. Mr Y...

Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said today that the Congress and HD Kumaraswamy's Janata Dal Secular have struck a deal for the assembly elections to be held in the state on May 10. The agreement was made in Hyderabad, he said. The allegation has been rejected by Mr Kumaraswamy. The Chief Minister's comments came in the backdrop of the Election Commission's announcement of the poll date for the 224-member Karnataka Assembly. Speaking to reporters, Mr Bommai claimed the Congress has been pleading with the BJP MLAs to come and join the party. Responding to a query on the Congress charge that there was an understanding between the BJP and the JD(S), the Chief Minister said: "There is nothing of that sort. In fact, there was a meeting in Hyderabad between the Congress leaders and the JD(S), according to my information. A deal has been stuck there between them." Mr Bommai said the process of releasing BJP candidates' list for the assembly polls will b...

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy reached the national capital on Wednesday and is scheduled to meet with Union ministers, including Amit Shah, to discuss long-pending state issues. The chief minister was to on Union Home Minister Shah around 10.30 pm. He is scheduled to meet with Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday, according to Andhra Bhawan officials here. "Andhra Pradesh chief minister reached Delhi in the evening and he will meet the Union home minister and the finance minister tonight and tomorrow," the officials said. Jagan Mohan Reddy has also sought an appointment to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss several pending issues, including the Pollavaram project. (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.) source https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/andhra-chief-minister-to-meet-amit-shah-other-union-ministers-in-delhi-3904093

The ruling BJP is confident of returning to power in Karnataka with absolute majority, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said on Wednesday. The Election Commission announced today that the polls to the 224-member Assembly would be held on May 10. Chief Minister Bommai, who was speaking to reporters, said he had toured almost all the constituencies in the State in the last three-and-half months. "I am fully confident that we will get an absolute and clear majority and the BJP government will come (back) to power in 2023," he said. Speaking about how the party was connecting with the public, the Chief Minister said the BJP had used various means to reach out to the people, including digital technology and campaigning by top party leaders. To a question about the likely candidates for the election, Basavaraj Bommai said that in the BJP the process of releasing the list of candidates would start after election dates are announced. "Already we have the survey reports (on w...

The Tamil Nadu government has assured all support including legal and diplomatic help through the Centre, in bringing home a two-year-old boy, orphaned due to his parents death, in the US. A senior government official said on Wednesday that Chief Minister M K Stalin has directed the officials to pursue the issue through the Union External Affairs Ministry and ensure the early return of the lad, now in the care of his neighbour. The boy's parents were found dead in Mississippi in May last year and since then his aunt and grandparents have been struggling to get custody of the lad. The issue came to light after the boy's aunt drew the government's attention for the legal custody of the child. Following this, State Minorities Welfare and Non Residents Tamil Welfare Gingee K S Masthan instructed the Tamil Nadu Nor Residents Tamil Welfare Board to take steps to extend a hand of support to the family from Madurai. Accordingly, the Board's chairman Karthikeya Sivasenapathy...

Karnataka will vote on May 10 to elect a new government and members to its 224-seat assembly, the Election Commission announced on Wednesday. The results will be declared on May 13. The announcement comes amid a high-stakes political battle between the ruling BJP and the opposition Congress and Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S). The BJP, led by Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, hopes to retain power in the state, fending off allegations of corruption and communal polarisation. The election will also test the popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his party's policies at the national and state level. Addressing a news conference, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar said the elections have been scheduled on a Wednesday, and not on a Monday or Friday, to encourage greater participation of voters and discourage them from leaving town for a long weekend holiday. The last assembly election in Karnataka was held in May 2018, which resulted in a hung assembly. The BJP emerged as the ...

The Election Commission is expected to announce dates today for the Karnataka election that is due by May. The election will be for the 224-member Karnataka Legislative Assembly and the next Chief Minister of the state. It is expected to be a close contest between the ruling BJP and the opposition Congress, with the Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) playing a possible kingmaker role. The BJP came to power in Karnataka in July 2019, after the collapse of the coalition government of JD-S and the Congress, which was formed after the 2018 election. The BJP managed to secure the support of several rebel MLAs from the coalition, who later joined the BJP and won by-elections. The BJP currently has 121 MLAs in the assembly, while the Congress has 70 and the JD-S has 30. The BJP also changed Chief Minister during its tenure, with BS Yediyurappa resigning in July 2021 and being replaced by Basavaraj Bommai. The Congress, on the other hand, is hoping to regain power in Karnataka, which was once its s...

As many as 64 people were injured, some seriously, as a bus carrying Sabarimala pilgrims from Tamil Nadu fell into a gorge in Pathanamthitta district on Tuesday, police said. The accident occurred when the bus carrying pilgrims was returning after darshan at Lord Ayyappa temple in Sabarimala, they said. A total of 64 people including nine children and two staff were on board when the bus veered off the road and fell into the gorge in Elavunkal near Kanamala Naranamthodu at around 1.30 PM. The injured pilgrims were shifted to the hospitals by the police, fire and rescue officials and locals. The Pathanamthitta District Public Relations Department said the pilgrims are from Mayiladuthurai district in Tamil Nadu. In a Facebook post, State Health Minister Veena George, who coordinated the rescue operations with various departments said 11 pilgrims have been shifted to Government Medical College Hospital, Kottayam. Police said 48 pilgrims were brought to the General Hospital, Pathanamt...

A herd of wild elephants went on a rampage in a village bordering forest in Kerala damaging a Government Upper Primary school in the early hours of Tuesday, Forest officials said. The incident was reported from Idamalayar village in the eastern part of Ernakulam district, they said. Window panes, three bathroom doors and the outdoor water tank of the school were found broken, the officials said. Locals alleged that the elephants entered the premises as the authorities failed to repair the damaged electrified fencing. "Around thirty window panes of the school, a door, water tank and the pipeline were destroyed," local sources told PTI. School officials said the elephants also made an attempt to enter the office block. They have estimated a loss of around Rs three lakh. Forest officials reached the place and assessed the damage. Since the annual examination is going on, the school authorities arranged alternative place in the building for students to write the exam. (Ex...

Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Tuesday charged the State Congress chief D K Shivakumar for luring BJP MLAs offering them tickets in constituencies where the grand old party is yet to announce its candidates for Assembly polls, due by May. The Chief Minister also said that BJP's first list of candidates is likely to be announced in the first week of April. "KPCC President D K Shivakumar since the last two to three days has been making phone calls to our MLAs in 100 constituencies where they are yet to announce tickets. He is stating that if you (BJP MLAs) come (to Congress) we will give you the ticket," Bommai alleged. Speaking to reporters here, he said, "Congress leaders are frustrated, they don't have proper candidates at all, so he (Shivakumar) is calling our party people. This shows that as a matter of fact the Congress party is bankrupt." The Congress has announced its first list of 124 candidates on March 25 and is yet to announce tick...

A month after the Supreme Court's stamp of approval over his leadership, Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) on Tuesday formally graduated as its General Secretary, after being the interim general secretary of the 50-year old organisation for the past seven months. On Tuesday, the Madras High Court rejected the pleas of EPS' rival leader O Panneerselvam and his aides against the July 11, 2022 AIADMK general council resolutions as well as the conduct of the general secretary election, announced in the wake of the February 23 Supreme Court verdict allowing him to continue as the party's interim chief. AIADMK founder and the late Chief Minister MG Ramachandran was the party's first general secretary after he founded it in 1972. The late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa was general secretary from 1989 to 2016 till her death. Her confidante VK Sasikala was elected interim general secretary post Jayalalithaa's demise but she was later convicted and sentenced to a 4 year prison te...

Karnataka Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Nalin Kumar Kateel has said that he is "ready for open discussion" challenging the Congress on the reservation issue in the state. Mr Kateel said that the Bommai government has taken the right decision to scrap 4 per cent reservation for minority communities.  "The decision has been taken so as not to cause injustice to any community. Congress is playing politics in this issue. I am ready for an open discussion on this matter. It's an open challenge to Congress", said Mr Kateel. "DK (Shivakumar)'s statement told that if their government comes to power then they will scrap 4 per cent reservation for minority communities. Let them remove it if they have the guts. Everyone should get social justice. In that regard, our government has done a good job", he told the media. He also said that Congress is against the ideals of Gandhiji and Ambedkar. On the incident of stone pelting on BS Yeddyurappa's ho...

In a huge win for team EPS, as AIADMK chief Edappadi K Palaniswami is addressed, the Madras High Court today rejected the challenge by rival leader O Panneerselvan (OPS) to his expulsion from the party, and the former's elevation to the party's powerful General Secretary post. Soon after, AIADMK formally announced EPS as its General Secretary. Celebrations broke out at the party headquarters over a resolution to the protracted feud for leadership. Team OPS is now likely to appeal to a two judge bench. The Madras High Court was hearing a batch of petitions challenging the elevation of former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami as the AIADMK's interim general secretary by the party's general council in July last year, where resolutions were adopted, and the amendments made to the party's by-laws. The Supreme Court had a month back greenflagged his continuance as the interim chief, but left it to the Madras High court to decide on the legality of the resol...

A group of men in Tamil Nadu's Tirunelvelli district have alleged custodial torture by an IPS officer. A magisterial inquiry has been ordered and the officer in question has been put on "compulsory wait, pending inquiry". The alleged torture is said to have taken place 10 days ago at the Ambasamudram police station. The men -- five shop keepers and an auto driver who have been accused in an assault case -- are now out on bail. The men alleged that Assistant Superintendent of Police Balveer Singh "crushed the testicles" of a man, despite knowing he is newly married. Five of the men say they had their teeth broken. The officer, they allege, had filled their mouth with gravel and then punched them on the cheek. One of them, Mariappan, is "bed-ridden and in a critical condition" said Chellappan, another man in the group. One of them showed a half-healed scar on his shoulder, claiming it to be a relic of the torture. The officer had changed into t-shirt...

Agitating members of the Banjara community on Monday targeted BJP strongman and former Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa's house in Shikaripura town of this district and resorted to stone-pelting, injuring some policemen during a protest against the internal reservation for the Scheduled Castes (SCs) announced by the state government. Prohibitory orders under Section 144 of CrPC have been imposed in the town. Reacting to the incidents, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai saw Congress hand behind the violence. "Local Congress leaders are instigating people. The Congress is unable to digest the social justice done to every community and it resorted to inciting violence. Banjara community should not fall for any hearsay," he told reporters. Police used batons to disperse the large number of protesters which included women. Some members of the Banjara community, who are also known as Lamani or Lambani, were injured. Police were taken by surprise as the agitators, most of them y...

The Supreme Court today issued a notice to a Karnataka BJP MLA to defend the interim bail granted to him in an alleged bribery case. Madal Virupakshappa had secured the interim bail on March 7 after his son was caught accepting Rs 40 lakh bribe and unaccounted cash worth Rs 8 crore was seized from them. The case stems from a bribery complaint against Mr Virupakshappa when he was the chairman of the state-owned Karnataka Soaps and Detergents Ltd (KDSL). The Karnataka High Court, which allowed him the pre-arrest bail, has barred his entry to the KSDL office. The state anti-corruption bureau and the corruption watchdog last week challenged his interim bail in the top court after which he was issued a notice to appear through his counsel and defend the bail. A Lokayukta trap led to the arrest of V Prashanth Madal, the MLA's son, on March 2 while Mr Virupakshappa, the prime accused in the corruption case, had gone missing. An eye-popping mountain of Rs 8 crore cash was also found d...

JD(S) MLA S R Srinivas (Gubbi Srinivas) on Monday submitted his resignation as a legislator to the Karnataka Assembly Speaker, ahead of the polls in the state, and said he will be soon joining the Congress. Mr Srinivas was accused of cross-voting in the June 2022 Rajya Sabha polls, which according to the JD(S), contributed to the defeat of its candidate D Kupendra Reddy. ಇಂದು ವಿಧಾನಸಭೆಯ ಮಾನ್ಯ ಸಭಾಪತಿಗಳಾದ ವಿಶ್ವೇಶ್ವರ ಹೆಗಡೆ ಕಾಗೇರಿ ಅವರನ್ನು ಭೇಟಿಯಾಗಿ ನನ್ನ ಶಾಸಕ ಸ್ಥಾನಕ್ಕೆ ರಾಜೀನಾಮೆಯನ್ನು ಸಲ್ಲಿಸಿದೆ. pic.twitter.com/n9iSQwt08s - S R Srinivas (@srinivas_gubbi) March 27, 2023 Last year, the JD(S) had expelled Mr Srinivas, and had even moved a petition to have him, along with another MLA K Srinivas Gowda from Kolar, disqualified under the anti-defection law. "After my resignation is accepted (by the Speaker) I will discuss with Congress leaders about joining the Congress officially...I'm planning to join Congress officially on March 31, after discussing with taluk leaders, I will decide,...

Popular Malayalam film actor and former Lok Sabha MP, Innocent died on Sunday after being hospitalised earlier this month. He was 75 years old. "He was infected with Covid and had respiratory issues along with multiple organ failure resulting in heart failure," the hospital said in a release, news agency PTI reported.  The hospital yesterday said that the actor was on cardiopulmonary support, wherein a patient's blood is pumped and oxygenated outside the body using a machine. Innocent had been diagnosed with cancer in 2012. Three years later, he announced that he beat the disease and wrote about his battle with cancer in his book 'Laughter in the Cancer Ward'. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan mourned the former Lok Sabha MP's death. "Innocent captured the hearts of people with his unique style of acting and as a public figure he touched the lives of people, taking up their issues," Mr Vijayan said. Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor als...

Flaying the BJP-led Karnataka government for its decision to scrap reservation for Muslims under Category 2B in the OBC list, the Congress declared on Sunday that it would restore the quota to the minority community in the event of the party coming to power in the State, where Assembly elections are due by May. The Cabinet meeting on Friday also decided to split this quantum (four per cent) equally between Vokkaliga and Veerashaiva-Lingayats at two per each in jobs and admissions in educational institutions, which was welcomed by the two politically influential communities. The government moved Muslims into the 10 per cent Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) pool. President of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) DK Shivakumar termed the step "unconstitutional". "They (the government) think that reservation can be distributed like a property. It's not a property. It's a right (of minorities)", he told reporters here. "We don't want thei...

Following the removal of 4 per cent OBC reservation for Muslims in Karnataka, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday lashed out at Congress and said that there is no provision in the Constitution to provide reservation on the basis of religion. In a cabinet meeting on Friday, the Karnataka government scrapped the 4 per cent OBC reservation for Muslims and distributed it among two dominant communities, Veerashaiva-Lingayats and Vokkaligas. It also decided to move OBC Muslims to the 10 per cent Economically Weaker Section (EWS) category. Mr Shah inaugurated the 'Garota Shaheed Smarak' and a memorial of Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel. He also hoisted a 103-ft high national flag in Karnataka. While addressing a public meeting, Mr Shah said, "Reservations provided to the minority was not as per Constitution. There is no provision in the Constitution to provide reservation on the basis of religion." "The Congress government, due to its polarisation politics, provided ...

Invoking an incident in which former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah allegedly slapped a Congress supporter, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said that someone who cannot respect party workers can never respect people. A video from Friday's incident, in which Siddaramaiah is seen purportedly slapping a supporter who had come to meet him at his Bengaluru residence, was shared widely across social media platforms. Addressing a rally in poll-bound Karnakata on Saturday, PM Modi, without naming the former Karnakata CM, said, "I came across a video on social media where a prominent leader of a political party is seen slapping his own party worker in full public view. Can those, who can't treat their own party workers with respect, be respectful of the people? In the BJP, no one is big or small." Further, taking the attack to the police, PM Modi said Karnataka has seen opportunistic and selfish governments for a long time and it is time for the state to ha...

A man who tried to jump the barricade and run towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi during an election road show was intercepted by the police in Karnataka's Davangere today. This was the second attempted security breach after a similar incident in the BJP-ruled state's Hubballi district. The intruder has been identified as a young man from Koppal district. He is being questioned by the police. Senior police officer Alok Kumar on seeing the man try to breach the barricade ran towards him and intercepted him. A Special Protection Group commando also ran after him. source https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/security-breach-during-pm-modis-poll-rally-today-in-karnatakas-davanagere-3893009

Hyderabad: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Telangana police, probing the alleged leak of a question paper of the State public service commission, on Saturday issued notice to State BJP President Bandi Sanjay Kumar directing that he appear before it on March 26.  Referring to the reported comments of Mr Kumar that there are some incredible truths on the paper leak issue, the SIT officials sought his appearance with any documents in his possession in the interest of the investigation. Responding to the notice issued to him, Mr Kumar said the party's legal team would go into the issue and that an appropriate response would be given. Mr Kumar, who was addressing a 'Maha Dharna' organised by his party against the alleged paper leak and seeking jobs for unemployed youth, attacked the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) government for issuing notices to opposition leaders instead of taking action as per law against those guilty. On Thursday, State Congress president and Memb...

The Congress today announced its first list of candidates for the Karnataka Assembly elections, featuring former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and state party chief DK Shivakumar, both of who have reportedly been eyeing the top job if the party is voted to power. The grand old party released 124 names for the total 224 constituencies in the first list. While DK Shivakumar will contest again from Kanakapura constituency, Siddaramaiah has got Varuna in Mysuru, currently represented by his son Yathindra Siddaramaiah. The former Chief Minister was, however, hoping to contest from Kolar, and had prepared the ground for it for months. In his formal application to the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) in February, Siddaramaiah had mentioned Badami, Varuna, and Kolar as the three constituencies from which he would choose. Badami and Kolar do not feature in the first list, raising eyebrows on the party's game plan, as Siddaramaiah was planning to contest from two seats, like last t...

Senior Congress leader and former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday indicated that he might contest from his home constituency of Varuna in Mysuru district in the upcoming Assembly polls. The Leader of the Opposition in the State Assembly also hinted at fighting the elections from two constituencies, including Varuna, like he did in 2018. Varuna is currently represented by his son Dr Yathindra Siddaramaiah. Siddaramaiah had earlier won twice from Varuna, and even went on to become the Chief Minister after winning from the seat in 2013. "From many constituencies they (supporters and party workers) are asking.... From 25 constituencies they are asking (me to contest). I cannot contest from all 25 constituencies. There is one opinion at home that I should be contesting from Varuna, so I have said (to the party's central leadership), clear Varuna, let's see," Siddaramaiah said. Speaking to reporters, he said, "...at home they are saying that I shou...

Telangana Congress President, A Revanth Reddy and some party leaders were today placed under "house arrest" at different places to prevent them from joining a protest at the Osmania University campus here over the TSPSC exams question papers leak issue. Revanth Reddy was invited to take part in the protest on the Osmania University (OU) campus, which was being held under the aegis of a joint action committee (JAC) of various students and unemployed youth associations of OU. The JAC called for two-day protest demanding a probe by a sitting judge into the TSPSC papers leak case, dismissal of the present TSPSC board and appointment of a new board, among others. Members of different students' groups held protests on the campus today and were also planning to take out a march from the OU campus to the Telangana Martyrs' memorial at Gun Park in front of the state Assembly, but were prevented by police. As no permission was granted for the protest, the agitators were tak...

The Tamil Nadu Assembly on Thursday once again unanimously adopted the bill to ban online gambling, weeks after state Governor R N Ravi returned it to the government for reconsideration. Piloting The Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Online Gambling and Regulation of Online Games Bill, Chief Minister M K Stalin said he was moving it with a "heavy heart" while referring to the loss of lives associated with online gambling. Speaker M Appavu read out a letter from Governor Ravi giving reasons for returning the bill. The letter to the Speaker said the Assembly had "no legislative competence," and the bill went against "several judicial pronouncements." Noted senior advocate Arvind Datar said the Governor was duty bound to give his assent for the bill passed by the Assembly. "He should have given his assent the first time itself," he told PTI. Chief Minister Stalin told the Assembly that 41 people had ended their lives after losing money excessively in onl...

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao on Thursday visited rain-affected areas in a few districts of the state and assured the farmers of financial assistance for cross losses. He announced a compensation of Rs 10,000 per acre for farmers who lost their crops due to recent unseasonal rains and hailstorms, informed the government. Chief Minister KCR while addressing the Ramapuram village of Khammam district, said, "Due to the rains, there was a loss of 2,28,250 acres of crops throughout the state. Out of this, maize crops suffered the maximum damage of 1,29,446 acres. As per the central government norms, they won't get much money. In the Telangana government, along with putting in big investments and completing the pending and new projects, we are implementing farmer support schemes that are not there anywhere else in the world. With it, the farmers are also getting stable and coming out of their debts. Despite that, they are some fools who say that we won't get any...

The Congress staged a rail roko in Kumbakonam and Virudhachalam in Tamil Nadu while party lawmakers resorted to a "black band" protest in front of the State Assembly in Chennai on Thursday condemning the sentencing of party leader Rahul Gandhi in a defamation case. TNCC chief K S Alagiri, on a personal visit to Kumbakonam, resorted to a sudden rail roko, along with some party functionaries, at the railway station as news spread about a Surat court pronouncing its verdict on Rahul Gandhi in a criminal defamation case over his "Modi surname" remark. "There was no direct reference to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Gandhi's election campaign. He had made a passing reference to those having a common surname," Mr Alagiri later told reporters. He slammed the BJP government at the Centre for branding all those who opposed Modi as anti-nationals. Mr Alagiri, later boarded the Cholan Express to reach Chennai. Party cadres staged a rail roko in Virudhachalam...