Karnataka

Lok Sabha 2019

The venue of the rally was chosen carefully, so as to relay the message to the cadres in three constituencies.

Empty seats dotted the Krishnaraja Boys Junior College ground in Karnataka's Mysuru where top leaders of the Congress-JD(S) coalition were about to address a rally. "Rahul Gandhi is arriving, Rahul Gandhi is arriving. He's not too far away, he will come here to the people," a song specifically designed to showcase the poll promises of the Congress party was blaring through the speakers. This song, meant to be a metaphor, turned literal for the impatient crowd waiting at the venue on Saturday. It took some time for the chairs to get occupied. The event, supposed to start at about 5.30 pm, was delayed and began at 6.45 pm. While Gandhi was set to arrive at 5 pm, he finally reached at around 7 pm after he had addressed two more rallies in Karnataka, earlier in the day. This was a crucial meeting for the Congress-JD(S) alliance in the state. The leaders of both the Congress and JD(S) had gathered together to display unity amid rumours that the party workers of both political parties were not willing to work together. The rally was not just to pacify Congress workers in Mandya, it was also to pacify JD(S) workers in Mysuru and Chamarajanagar. Sitting on stage beside his arch-rival and political nemesis Siddaramaiah, JD(S) supremo HD Deve Gowda was all smiles. “This is the ultimate test for us. Yes, Siddaramaiah and I were separated for a while. We had been close before. But now we have come together once more. This is because our country is facing a huge threat from the BJP. The extreme polarisation that is going on now is changing the dialogue from what matters,” Deve Gowda said, addressing the rally. “It may be true that Siddaramaiah and GT Devegowda have differences. But they are willing to let go and come together for the sake of this country. I urge the party workers to do the same,” he added. The JD(S) supremo added that the goal was to defeat Narendra Modi. “If by any misfortune, Modi becomes the Prime Minister again, he will destroy the Constitution created by Dr BR Ambedkar. I am begging you, please ensure that such a thing does not happen,” he said. Congress President Rahul Gandhi reiterated the message, saying, “This election is about justice versus injustice. Truth versus falsehoods. We stand for the truth,” Rahul Gandhi said. Gandhi then called upon workers of the JD(S) and the Congress to work together and use all their strength to back the three candidates – JD(S)’s Nikhil Kumaraswamy, who is contesting from Mandya; CH Vijayashankar, who is contesting from Mysuru-Kodagu; and sitting MP Dhruva Narayana who is contesting from Chamarajanagar. “Congress and JD(S) workers are here. And on the stage, Congress leaders, as well as JD(S) leaders, are present. Together, we are standing against Modi, the BJP and the RSS. And all of our leaders and workers stand united and will defeat the BJP in Karnataka. Congress workers have to use all their strength to help this alliance win. Janata Dal workers have to rally together and help the alliance win. I want to tell the Congress workers, give all your support to the JD(S). Our aim is to defeat BJP and Narendra Modi,” said Rahul. In addition to Congress President Rahul Gandhi, Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy, JD(S) supremo HD Deve Gowda, former Karnataka Minister Siddaramaiah, Karnataka Water Resources Minister DK Shivakumar, senior leader and Kalaburagi MP Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal, Primary Education Minister GT Devegowda and Tourism Minister Sa Ra Mahesh were present at the event. The location of the rally was also crucial “KR Nagar is like a trident. Although it lies in Mysuru district, it belongs to the Mandya Lok Sabha segment and also shares a border with Chamarajanagar. This is an auspicious place,” Deve Gowda said, addressing the rally. KR Nagar is part of the Mandya constituency from which Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy’s son Nikhil K is making his electoral debut. Mandya, being part of the Vokkaliga heartland was supposed to be a cakewalk for the otherwise novice third-generation politician. However, it has turned out to be a tough contest with independent candidate Sumalatha Ambareesh, widow of the late Rebel Star Ambareesh, getting the support from grassroots workers of the Congress party and the support from the BJP leadership across the state. All the three seats are part of the old Mysuru region, the only part on the state where the JD(S) has a strong grassroots presence. Here, the main fight over the years has been between the Congress and the JD(S), with BJP have little to zero significance. While an alliance have been forged from the top, on the ground, there is no understanding between the JD(S) and Congress workers, who were arch rivals till May 2018. Former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah not been able to cut much ice in his attempt to change the minds of the Congress workers in Mandya, who have even risked suspension from the party. This rally, with Congress President himself asking the cadre of the two parties to work together, is being seen as the last-ditch attempt by the Congress leadership to maintain the coalition dharma in Mandya.

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Lok Sabha 2019

While the first draft of voters list was published in January, the final roll was published on March 16.

TNM Staff

Former Indian cricket captain and Bengaluru’s own Rahul Dravid, who was the Karnataka election icon during the 2018 Assembly elections, cannot vote in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. His name has been deleted from the electorate list. Rahul Dravid, who changed his house, got his name deleted in the old constituency in Indiranagar. However, his name was not added in the new constituency list before the deadline. It was during a special drive carried out by the Election Commission that Rahul’s brother Vijay submitted Form 7 (for deletion of names from the list), as the cricketer had then not shifted to his new house in Ashwathnagar in RMV Extension. However, Dravid did not fill Form 6 meant to add his name in the electoral roll from his new place. Ironically, Dravid is also currently the coach of the Indian U-19 team and has boards and billboards across the state with his face urging people to vote. How the confusion happened While the first draft of voters list was published in January, the final roll was published on March 16. Speaking to TOI, Mathikere sub-division Assistant Electoral Returning Officer Roopa said, “Our officials visited his house twice, but we were not allowed inside. We were informed Dravid is touring abroad and there was no message from him to include his name in the voters’ list.” Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Commissioner N Manjunath Prasad, who is also the District Election Officer, clarified that while Form 7 meant for deletion can be submitted by family members, Form 6 for inclusion in the electoral rolls can only be submitted by the voter concerned. Additional Chief Electoral Officer KN Ramesh told TNM, "He had to submit Form 6 before March 16, otherwise nothing can be done. We came to know about this only after we finalised the electoral rolls. Our officials must have visited his home and if he had then informed us that he had got his name deleted from the Indiranagar list, we could have done something.” Rahul Dravid reportedly came to know about the incident only after March 16 and then contacted the officials concerned. TOI quoted Basawaraju Magi, the Domlur sub-division Assistant Electoral Returning Officer, as saying, “Rahul Dravid was in Spain, but was eager to vote. Unfortunately, his name got deleted from the Shantinagar Assembly constituency.”

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Lok Sabha 2019

A video shows two men carrying a black box to a private Innova parked at a helipad, allegedly immediately after Modi's chopper had landed in Chitradurga.

IANS

The Congress on Sunday demanded an immediate investigation by the Election Commission (EC) into a mysterious box, which was allegedly unloaded from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's chopper after it landed in Chitradurga in Karnataka earlier this week. The Karnataka Congress on Saturday tweeted a 14-second video clip, claiming that it was filmed soon after Modi landed in Chitradurga on Tuesday to address an election rally. The video shows two men carrying a black box to a private Innova parked at a helipad, allegedly immediately after Modi's chopper had landed there. During a press conference on Sunday, former Union Minister and senior Congress leader Anand Sharma said: "In Chitradurga, we got to see something very unusual, something not seen before. The Prime Minister was in an Air Force helicopter, and a big, black box was unloaded from his helicopter. "We received this information today and will also show you the video. The box was loaded onto a private vehicle which was not a part of the SPG (Special Protection Group) carcade and it sped away." Sharma pointed out that whenever the Prime Minister or other Cabinet Ministers travel to various locations for election campaign, EC officials check their vehicles. "This rule is applicable on the Prime Minister too. There should an investigation, as nothing is out of the purview of the SPG, which accompanies the Prime Minister everywhere. But an exception was made in the case of this box. Where was the box transported," Sharma asked. The Congress demanded that the poll panel should investigate the contents of the box. Sharma said: "It is not just in favour of the people of India, but also the Prime Minister in order to uphold the dignity of the post." He said that Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) leaders have registered a complaint with the EC in this matter.

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Education

The managements of private institutions are yet to decide the percentage of hike in school fee.

Soumya Chatterjee

Representational image

A recent decision by the Karnataka Education Department to increase the minimum salaries of both teaching and non-teaching staff is set to further the burden of many parents whose children are studying in private schools. As a result from the coming 2019-20 session, private schools in the state including those in Bengaluru is set to increase their fees steeply. While private school managements have opposed the government decision to hike the minimum wages in a sudden decision, they claim they have no other option other than to go for a fee hike. “This will definitely impact us very badly. We have heard about the news only yesterday and yet to have a full fledged discussions about it. See if they increase the salaries by this much, we have to hike our fees there is no other way. We have to see closely and discuss about how exactly we can balance this,” Srinivasan, President of Bengaluru CBSE Schools Association said. “Maybe the government has some reason to take this decision and we will approach the government regarding the issue. Unfortunately we have holidays now, many of our staff and association members are out of station, So we have not been able to fix a date to discuss on the issue yet,” he added. According to the new rules, the new minimum monthly salaries have been fixed at Rs 25,800 per month for primary school teacher, Rs 33,450 for high school teacher. The minimum salaries for first division clerk and second division clerks are Rs 21,400 and Rs 17,000 respctively. Nibedita Ray Sahoo, a member of Karnataka Schools Parents Association said while the decision to increase the minimum wage is understandable, the government is not doing enough to regulate the fee structure of private schools. “Anyway every year parents are forced to pay an increased fees of 10-15% on account of some reason or the other. But the government is not respecting orders of the courts with respect to regulating the fees,” she said. In May, 2018 the government had issued a notification to cap the fee hikes in private schools under the Karnataka Education Institutions (Classification, Regulation and Prescription of curricula) Amendment Rules. But parents claim that this has not changed anything in practicality. It was reported at the start of the month that many parents group objected to the government’s non action over private schools not following the rule of displaying their fee structure on their website or notice board.

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Lok Sabha 2019

During the May 2018 Assembly elections, many were caught taking selfies and videos inside the poll booth while casting votes.

IANS

Electorate in Karnataka will not be allowed to carry smart-phones or mobile phones inside the polling booth while going to vote to prevent them from taking selfies or recording videos, an official said on Sunday."The Model Code of Conduct (MCC) prevents voters from carrying mobile phones or smart-phones and cameras inside the polling booth. In fact, no voter will be allowed to take his/her cellphone within 100 metres radius of the booth. "They will have to leave it at home or deposit it with the police personnel before entering the booth," Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer Sanjiv Kumar said.. Another poll official admitted that though the MCC has had the ban provision since 2008, it was not enforced strictly during the previous elections for reasons such as manpower shortage and absence of internet-connected smart-phones with a camera."The provision to not allow mobile phones or smart-phones inside the booth was observed more in breach in the past, as not many voters had them a decade or five years ago or carried them while going to vote," recalled senior poll official Surya Sen. With most urban voters now using camera-wielding smart-phones, during the May 2018 Assembly elections many were caught taking selfies while casting their vote or making videos inside the booth as a proof of exercising their franchise."This year, the security personnel have been instructed to prevent voters from carrying a mobile or a smartphone inside the booth. If the security personnel are busy, the voters can leave their devices with party agents who sit outside the booths with the voter lists," Kumar added. Polling officials, security personnel and others manning booths, including presiding officers, their assistants and agents of candidates, however, will be allowed to carry and use smart-phones. The number of polling booths in 28 seats across the state has increased 7 per cent from 54,265 in the 2014 elections to 58,186 this year. The state's 14 Lok Sabha constituencies in the central and southern regions go to polls on April 18, while the remaining 14 parliamentary seats cast their vote on April 23. The 14 constituencies polling in the first phase are Udupi-Chikmagalur, Hassan, Dakshina Kannada, Chitradurga (SC), Tumkur, Mandya, Mysore, Chamarajnagar (SC), Bangalore Rural, Bangalore North, Bangalore Central, Bangalore South, Chikkaballapur and Kolar (SC). Those in the second phase are Chikkodi, Belgaum, Bagalkot, Bijapur (SC), Gulbarga (SC), Raichur (ST), Bidar, Koppal, Bellary (ST), Haveri, Dharwad, Uttara Kannada, Davanagere and Shimoga. The votes will be counted on May 23.

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Lok Sabha 2019

Moudgil will be tasked with enforcing the poll code and controlling the movement of cash and liquor during elections.

IANS

Karnataka's Chief Electoral Officer Sanjiv Kumar has named senior IAS officer Munish Moudgil as Special Officer to enforce the Model Code of Conduct strictly in the city's three Lok Sabha constituencies where polling is on April 18, it was announced on Sunday."Moudgil has been appointed as Special Officer to enforce the poll code for controlling the movement of cash, liquor and freebies in all the three parliamentary seats after it was found that the enforcement teams, including the flying squads were not effectively regulating them," said Kumar in a statement. Presently the Commissioner for Survey Settlement and Land Records in the state Revenue Department, Moudgil will monitor activities of the enforcement teams and develop software to track their movement daily as it has become a challenge to enforce the poll code and monitor the expenditure of political parties, candidates and their agents, Kumar added. Meanwhile, the flying squads, static surveillance teams and excise teams have cumulatively seized Rs 15.45 crore in cash, 17,694 litres of country liquor (arrack) valued at Rs 62.14 lakh and 136 kg drugs worth Rs 6.42 lakh from across the state from parties, their candidates and agents since the Lok Sabha elections to the state's 28 seats was announced on March 10 by the poll panel. The state Excise Department has also cumulatively seized 8.83 lakh litres of Indian made foreign liquor (IMFL) valued at Rs 35.94 crore from across the state Munish is an alumbus of IIT Bombay and was serving as Commissioner of Survey, Settlement & Land Records in Bengaluru. He is also the nodal officer for the crop loan waiver scheme which is being implemented through a software model by the Kumaraswamy-led coalition government in Karnataka.

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Death

Nikhil Pai was found dead at his apartment in Mangaluru.

TNM Staff

Popular cartoonist and food blogger from Mangaluru - Nikhil Pai - passed away on Sunday after he allegedly took his own life. The 28-year-old's body was found in his house at Malemar in the city. He is survived by his wife, mother and sister. The reason for the alleged suicide was not clear although sources close to the food blogger claimed that it is due to personal reasons. His body was taken to AJ Hospital while police officials at Kavoor Police Station have registered a case. Nikhil shot to fame as the co-founder of Three Hungry Men, a popular food blog. He ran the blog along with his friends Colin Vernon D'Souza and Rajat Rao and reviewed various restaurants while also conducting food-related events. It was one of the first food-reviewing blogs to emerge out of Mangaluru. The trio reviewed restaurants in places like Mangaluru, Hubballi, Manipal, Pune among other places. Explaining their method, Nikhil said, "People don’t want to go there and try something wrong which is expensive because then you will be unsatisfied. Out of a menu with fifty items, not all fifty items would be good. What we do is, we help to choose the right dish. We try out about 15 to 20 dishes from the menu and filter it out. We highlight what we like and write our review," in an interview with The Manipal Journal. In particular, the group was popular among youth in Mangaluru for hosting food eating competitions like the 'Ice Cream Premier League', chicken eating competition and so on. He had also appeared in national television programmes on food and travel and popularised the coastal cuisine in Mangaluru through the shows.

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Tejasvi Surya was chosen by the BJP as the candidate from the Bengaluru (South) constituency although Tejaswini Ananthkumar was widely tipped to contest from the seat.

TNM Staff

Tejaswini Ananthkumar has clarified that she has not endorsed a campaign to vote NOTA in Bengaluru (South) constituency in the Lok Sabha elections. A poster asking people to 'vote NOTA in Bengaluru (South) to support Tejaswini Ananthkumar' was shared on social media. However, Tejaswini has responded to the poster by stating that the claims made by the poster was "unfounded and malicious". She wrote on Twitter, "It came to my knowledge that somebody is spreading rumours that I am asking people to vote for NOTA. This is unfounded and malicious. For me it's VOTE BJP Modi Again National First It came to my knowledge that somebody is spreading rumours that I am asking people to vote for NOTA. This is unfounded and malicious. For me it's VOTE BJP Modi Again National First @BJP4India @BJP4Karnataka— Chowkidar Tejaswini AnanthKumar (@Tej_AnanthKumar) April 14, 2019 The poster asked voters to vote NOTA in order to show the BJP high command that their preferred choice of candidate was Tejaswini Ananthkumar. "We all karyakartas know that Tejaswini Ananth Kumar was the most deserving candidate to become MP from Bengaluru (South). Due to games played by other members of BJP, she has missed the ticket and an immature arrogant boy has taken her place. Let us vote NOTA in high numbers and show the high command that we are with Tejaswini Ananth Kumar. Tejaswini was widely tipped to be named as the BJP candidate from Bengaluru (South) constituency. She is the wife of Ananth Kumar, former MP and union minister from the same constituency who passed away in November 2018. Ananth Kumar had won the last six elections from the constituency. However, her name did not figure in the list of candidates released by the BJP and young lawyer Tejasvi Surya was picked by the party instead.

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Lok Sabha 2019

The Congress had aired a phone conversation between the woman and her friend, in which she spoke about Tejasvi Surya.

TNM Staff

A woman entrepreneur from Bengaluru, who had taken to Twitter to allege that Bengaluru South BJP candidate Tejasvi Surya had physically harassed her, has now accused Congress spokesperson Brijesh Kalappa of violating her privacy. The woman is livid at the Congress for publicly airing a private conversation she had with a friend about Tejasvi Surya. On Sunday evening, Brijesh Kalappa held a press conference and released two audio clips of the phone conversation between the woman and her friend. In the audio, the woman is heard telling her friend that Tejasvi Surya had sexually harassed three other women and a complaint was filed at the Koramangala Police Station. She has now demanded an apology from the Congress party and has accused them of violating her privacy. Brijesh Kalappa, during the press conference had questioned the BJP as to why no action had been taken against Tejasvi Surya. “If allegations made by (name withheld) are true, the facts were there before BJP and RSS leaders and yet they declared Surya as the nominee. If the allegations are to be believed, under the Supreme Court-directed Vishaka guidelines, what steps did BJP/RSS take?” Brijesh Kalappa had asked. Brijesh Kalappa had also stated that the woman, now settled in America, had submitted a complaint letter to both the BJP and RSS in addition to filing a complaint with the Koramangala Police. He also stated that Tejasvi had violated the norms and not mentioned the case against him in his affidavit. However, the woman had deleted her tweets (tweeted during the last week of March) accusing Tejasvi Surya of assault, hours after she tweeted them. She had told various media houses that she was not interested in speaking further. “Shame on Brijesh Kalappa for violating the dignity of a woman for political gains. I will soon initiate legal proceedings against him for outraging my modesty and violating my dignity,” she said in a tweet addressed to Kalappa. “Stop this political witch hunt at my cost. I have already written to the Women’s Commission, clearly stating that I am not involved in this matter and any cases initiated on my behalf is done without my will,” she added. Kalappa was quick to respond to her tweet and said that he is willing to face any legal proceedings against him. “You’re welcome to initiate legal proceedings. Will be happy to face it. You will, however, find it an uphill task to prove how I have violated your dignity or that of any woman for that matter. My best wishes to all your endeavours including legal action against me!!” Kalappa said in a tweet. This was followed by a Twitter war between the woman and Kalappa where she demanded an apology from the Congress and Kalappa himself. “You are obviously a woman of great eminence. I respect you. This conversation has been heard by millions, having gone viral over the last 2-3 days. I had a PC (press conference) only this morning. If you think I had first-hand access to this conversation, you are mistaken,” Kalappa added. The woman also told Kalappa that she was not aware that the conversation with her friend was being recorded and that she was being coerced into giving him information. “Sir, as an advocate you know very well the conversation was private and I was egged on by the guy. I didn’t authorise him to publish it. The whole conversation was an instigated one and also private,” she said. Kalappa went on to state that by tweeting that the audio clip was a conversation she had with her friend that it was in fact authentic. “Madam, the moment you concede that the conversation is authentic, you concede that all my three demands are justified. Please don't bother to delete this tweet. There would be half a dozen screen shots taken already!” Kalappa added. On March 26, Tejasvi Surya’s nomination was confirmed after which the woman had tweeted about the harassment, she had faced at Tejasvi’s hands while they were in a relationship. She, however, deleted the tweets stating that she did not want to cause her family any trouble and that she did not wish to talk further about the issue.

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Death

Bharat used a wet stick to reach the fruit and touched a live wire passing through the tree.

TNM Staff

Image credit: picxy

A 13-year-old boy was electrocuted to death in Jeevan Bhima Nagar in Bengaluru on Sunday while trying to pluck mangoes from a tree. Bharat, who was enjoying his summer holidays with friends, spotted a mango on a tree and climbed it. However, he did not notice a live electric wire passing through the tree. He was electrocuted when he used a wet stick to reach the fruit. “An 11 KV line of Bescom is covered by the tree. The boy was probably not aware of the live wire passing through the tree. He touched the wire with a stick and got electrocuted,” a senior police officer at JB Nagar police told Deccan Herald. Bharat was rushed to the hospital by G Vinod who witnessed the incident. He was declared brought dead by hospital authorities. "I managed to lay my hands on a wooden stick lying nearby, rushed towards the transformer and hit its fuse with force. The power supply was disconnected but the damage had already been done. Bharat hung limply on the tree. He was unconscious or perhaps dead," said G Vinod, speaking to Times of India. His parents Aiyappa and Maralamma, a couple from Andhra Pradesh, shifted to Bengaluru four years ago to work as daily-wage labourers. The incident comes less than two months after a 7-year-old boy was electrocuted after he stepped on a live wire in a park in the city. Read: 7-yr-old electrocuted to death after he steps on live wire at a Bengaluru park Experts say say live wires should never be touched and that insulating yourself is important to avoid electrocution. It is also advised to keep wires away from a child's reach and provide adult supervision whenever children are in an area of a potential electrical hazard. In case a person touches a live wire, it is advised to immediately disconnect the power before dealing with the injured person. Do not move them with bare hands but use insulated material like rubber or wood to touch the person and after they are safely removed from the source of current, it is better to not move them much as they might have suffered spinal injuries. If the person is not breathing, administer CPR immediately and call for help to take the person to the nearest hospital.

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Lok Sabha 2019

Siddaramaiah was addressing party workers in Mysuru when he urged party workers to set aside their rivalry and work together.

Theja Ram

“If we lose (Congress-JD(S)), will the coalition government last?” These were the words spoken by former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah while addressing party workers in Mysuru on Sunday. For nearly 13 years, Siddaramaiah has remained a staunch opponent of the JD(S) and former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda. However, he has now had to shed his long-standing rivalry with the JD(S) first family in order to ensure that the Congress candidate CH Vijayshankar wins the Lok Sabha polls from the Mysuru-Kodagu segment. “The coalition government should last for five years. But the question is – will the coalition survive if we lose? I am not a minister. I was the CM and my time is coming to an end. Now Kumaraswamy is the Chief Minister. GT Deve Gowda, Sa Ra Mahesh, CS Puttaraju (JD(S) leaders) are all ministers now. The goal is to ensure that BJP does not win and we must work towards it,” Siddaramaiah said. Siddaramaiah also said that “a few people” had worked against him during the Assembly Elections to ensure that he does not become Chief Minister for a second term. He also said that his interest in electoral politics is waning and that he would not want to contest any more elections. “In the last election (referring to 2018 Assembly polls) a few people had worked against me to ensure I do not become CM again. My defeat in Chamundeshwari is a reminder of who was slated to become the Chief Minister. I have lost interest in electoral politics and I will not contest elections in the future. Rahul Gandhi must become the Prime Minister and I will work to ensure that happens. Hence, the coalition’s candidate must win in Mysuru,” Siddaramaiah told Congress party workers. Siddaramaiah, however, stated on Monday that he would not contest from the Chamundeshwari segment again, but may think about contesting from another segment if the party high command wants him to. During the 2018 Assembly Elections, the contest was between the Congress and JD(S) across various segments in the Old Mysuru region in Karnataka. One of the most crucial battles was between the then Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his mentee-turned-foe GT Devegowda of the JD(S) in the Chamundeshwari segment. GT Devegowda had emerged victorious and this was a bitter experience for Siddaramaiah as he had suffered defeat in his stronghold. With the Congress and JD(S) coming together to form a coalition, Siddaramaiah is now being forced to shake hands with his longstanding rivals – JD(S) supremo HD Deve Gowda and Chamundeshwari MLA GT Devegowda in order to ensure that the Congress candidate for Mysuru, CH Vijayshankar wins. Sources in the Congress party say that the top state-level leaders fear defection of MLAs to the BJP if the coalition’s candidates suffer defeat in key constituencies. “If the BJP wins in Old Mysuru region, it will be a blow to top Congress leaders. There are rumblings among certain Congress MLAs that it would be risky to continue with the coalition if the party does not win enough seats. Everyone is worried. A lot of party workers rebelled and now the leaders have realized what impact it could have. Just a week before polls, they ran into damage control. Now they are trying to ensure that their candidates win,” the source added.

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Lok Sabha 2019

Shobha Karandlaje is seeking a re-election from Udupi-Chikkamagaluru, a place from where Indira Gandhi had won in 1978.

Prajwal Bhat

In the Udupi-Chikkamagaluru constituency, the lone woman MP from Karnataka - Shobha Karandlaje - is fighting a perception that she has neglected the constituency since 2014. Shobha is not just an MP but also the General Secretary of the BJP in the state. She is seeking a reelection from the Udupi-Chikkamagaluru constituency despite voices within the BJP appealing to the party's high command for a different candidate. TNM caught up with Shobha on the campaign trail at Saibrakatte in Udupi about her renomination, discord within the BJP, and her opponent - Pramod Madhwaraj contesting on a JD(S) ticket. Before your nomination was confirmed, a 'Go Back Shobha' campaign was initiated in which social media users appealed to the BJP to change the party's candidate in Udupi-Chikkamagaluru. What are your thoughts on BJP workers unhappy with your nomination and do you think it will affect the upcoming elections? It is normal when there is an indication that the party will win from one Lok Sabha constituency, many aspirants will expect a ticket. This is not wrong and there is a democratic set up in BJP. Anyone can ask for a ticket and some of them started a campaign like this but today, all workers of the BJP are working together as one unit to ensure Narendra Modi is Prime Minister again. What are the works that you have taken up in your tenure as MP? For this constituency, we have turned state highways into national highways. There was a request from people to complete double-railway track and electrification of Konkan railway and work on it has begun starting in Madgaon. It will be completed in one-and-a-half years. CRF (Centra Road Fund) road development works have been taken up. The first Sakhi centre in Karnataka has been inaugurated in Udupi. A Government Tool Room & Training Centre (GTTC) and Kendriya Vidyalayas have been built in this constituency for the first time. Also, the Ramakrishna Skill Development College is being built in Udupi Railway Station. The first Gems and Jewellers certification institute in India has been built in Udupi and admissions are beginning now. But in spite of this, there is criticism that you have focused on state and national issues more than the issues affecting the constituency. We have paid attention to a lot of developmental work in this region but there is work that is remaining. There is scope to build tourism here. There are problems faced by the fishermen community, coffee growers, areca nut growers and we have to give them their due and we should complete the works we have begun and we will do this in the next five years. Were you surprised by the fact that the Congress handed over the seat to the JD(S) despite the latter's limited presence in the two districts? Chikkamagaluru is a constituency that had given a rebirth to Indira Gandhi. But this time, there is no Congress symbol to vote for. This shows their weakness since they have stooped to this level. There is no Congress candidate from here and it is a surprise because at one point, Udupi-Chikkamagaluru was considered a Congress bastion. But now, in 10 Assembly seats, nine of them are held by BJP. So the BJP has emerged here and the dream of making India Congress-mukt which is shared by PM Modi can begin from here. You have argued in Parliament about the cycle of political murders in coastal Karnataka. But critics have claimed that you are making the issue communal. What do you have to say about this? Today, the youth have been killed by jihadis and people do not talk about this. Not even the government. Today I ask Congress and JD(S) leaders when these people died, weren't they the youth of Karnataka? You have been accused of selectively raising your voice to highlight deaths of Hindu workers. What about the deaths of RTI activist Vinayak Baliga from Mangaluru or Prashant Poojary from Udupi? Why haven't they (Opposition) raised their voice for them? Why haven't they given them solutions? Why are they waiting and saying that we should raise our voice? Because they haven't raised their voices, we had to raise it and give them justice. There is a need to raise the voice for everyone and particularly when there is injustice against our workers, we will do this. There have been repeated protests over the long-standing issue surrounding sand mining in Udupi. Last year, protestors demanded that 171 persons be given permission to extract sand from Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) areas in the district while an NGT ruling has banned sand mining in CRZ areas. How do you propose to resolve this issue? I have told the government clearly that the (state) government should take the sand and sell it. I have spoken about this with ministers, state representatives and in meetings with MLAs and Deputy Commissioner. If they (state government) don't want to give sand to private operators, then the government can take the sand and under the AC or tahsildar's directive and the sand can be given for the poor and for government related construction work.

Body 2:

Lok Sabha 2019

The voice in the audio, allegedly that of Chetan Gowda, son of incumbent Mandya MP Shivarame Gowda, is heard saying that huge amounts would be spent to ensure a JD(S) win.

Dr Nimeshika Jayachandran

Facebook/NikhilGowda

Karnataka’s Mandya has been a hotbed of controversy ever since the Lok Sabha elections were announced. With Nikhil Kumaraswamy, the son of Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy, and actor-politician Sumalatha, wife of the late Congress MP Ambareesh, competing for the constituency, several eyes are on the district to see who will clinch the seat. The latest controversy emerging from the district is an audio clip, allegedly that of incumbent Mandya MP LR Shivarame Gowda’s son Chetan Gowda, claiming that the Deve Gowda family is willing to spend exorbitant amounts of money to ensure that Nikhil wins from Mandya. Allegedly speaking to former Congress leader P Ramesh, Chetan Gowda claims that around Rs 5 lakh per booth will be spent to ensure that Nikhil wins the Mandya seat, to which the other person (allegedly P Ramesh) replies that the total amount to be spent will be Rs 150 crore. “The Deve Gowda family is spending around Rs 5 lakh per booth for around 2,800 booths in the district,” claims the voice, allegedly belonging to Chetan Gowda, in the clip. Responding to the allegations made in the clip, HD Kumaraswamy said that the family is not dependent on such tactics and relies on the support of the people for its win. Meanwhile, Sumalatha, who decided to contest as an independent candidate from the constituency, said in a campaign speech in Malavalli that it was now clear that Kumaraswamy was willing to go to any lengths to secure a win. The battle in Mandya is a do or die one for the JD(S). The party had won all seven assembly segments during the 2018 polls. The clear majority in Mandya seemed like the right time for JD(S) supremo HD Deve Gowda to introduce his grandson into politics. With the electioneering in Mandya taking centre stage in Karnataka, Deve Gowda has now created a platform for Nikhil Kumaraswamy to become a well-known face across the state. At this juncture, a loss for the JD(S) would come as an embarrassment to the party, especially in a district considered to be its stronghold. Sumalatha’s late husband, actor and Congress MP Ambareesh was a tall figure in Mandya's political scenario. Following his death, several speculations arose that she would be given the seat on behalf of the Congress, but ultimately the JD(S)-Congress coalition gave the seat to Nikhil. While both Nikhil and Sumalatha are novices in the frontlines of politics, they are not at all new faces to the public. Nikhil, being the son of Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy and the grandson of former Prime Minister Deve Gowda, is the third generation from the political dynasty to enter the political arena. Sumalatha, on the other hand, is a familiar face in the district, as Ambareesh was a native of Mandya and represented the district in the Lok Sabha twice for the Congress and once for the JD(S). Several Congress leaders have reportedly refused to campaign for Nikhil as they are in favour of the seat going to Sumalatha. Sensing rising tensions between the JD(S) and the Congress, senior Congress leader and former CM Siddaramaiah has asked party workers to set aside their rivalries. “The goal is to ensure that the BJP does not win and we must work towards it,” he said speaking at a gathering in Mysuru on Monday. On Tuesday, the Karnataka state government transferred Mandya Deputy Commissioner N Manjushree on the Election Commission’s direction after allegations rose of the DC favouring Nikhil. She was transferred after Sumalatha alleged that Nikhil had violated election norms by submitting a fresh affidavit after the deadline was over. Sumalatha had also approached the Election Commission and filed a complaint in this regard. Note: TNM cannot independently verify the veracity of the claims that the voices in the audio clip belong to Chetan Gowda and P Ramesh.

Body 2:

Transport

Airport authorities said the UDF has been revised for domestic and international flights and will apply from April 16 to August 16.

TNM Staff

Air ticket prices for passengers flying out of the Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru are set to increase for four months from April 16 onwards, as the User Development Fee (UDF) at the airport is being revised. According to airport officials, the UDF is being revised based on an Airport Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA) amendment, which was issued on April 4. The UDF for domestic departures will be revised from Rs. 139 to Rs. 306 while the UDF for international departures will increase from Rs 558 to Rs 1226. The revised charges will be applicable from April 16 to August 16, 2019, after which the UDF charges will revert to the earlier rates. "This incremental increase in charges would provide BIAL much-needed relief as we are in the midst of a massive Rs 13,000 crore capacity expansion to cater to the stupendous growth of the aviation sector in India. We are thankful to TDSAT, AERA and the government of Karnataka for their continued support for BIAL’s huge infrastructure outlay," said Hari Marar, MD CEO of Bengaluru International Airport (BIAL). The additional funds collected will be used to fund infrastructure expansion projects in the Bengaluru airport. "'As mandated by AERA, the money generated from the incremental increase in UDF, during these four months, will be deposited in a separate bank account and will be used only to fund the ongoing infrastructure expansion," Hari added. The Kempegowda International Airport is the first Greenfield airport in India to be built as a public-private partnership. It is operated by Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL), where private promoters hold 74 per cent (Fairfax: 54 per cent and Siemens Projects Ventures: 20 per cent) stake in BIAL, while the Government holds the remaining 26 per cent (Karnataka State Industrial & Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited: 13 per cent, Airports Authority of India: 13 per cent).

Body 2:

Lok Sabha 2019

On April 13, the tax sleuths raided the premises of Congress candidates B.N. Chandrappa (Chitradurga), Prakash Hukkeri (Chikkodi) and Rizwan Arshad (Bangalore Central) though nothing incriminating was found from them.

IANS

Karnataka's ruling Congress-Janata Dal-Secular alliance on Monday urged the Election Commission to transfer the state's Director General, Income Tax, B.R. Balakrishnan for "selectively" carrying tax raids on their leaders and contractors and traders close to them."In view of the partisan tax raids on our political leaders, their relatives, contractors and traders ahead of the Lok Sabha elections in the state on April 18, Balakrishnan has to be transferred outside the state," the allies said in a joint letter to Chief Electoral Officer Sanjiv Kumar. Noting that ensuring free and fair elections on a level playing field for all parties was the poll panel's responsibility, the allies said the tax office was selectively raiding their candidates and associates in the state since March 28. They said Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, Deputy Chief Minister G. Parameshwara, Congress Legislature Party leader Siddaramaiah and other leaders have protested against the raids at the tax office on March 28. On April 13, the tax sleuths raided the premises of Congress candidates B.N. Chandrappa (Chitradurga), Prakash Hukkeri (Chikkodi) and Rizwan Arshad (Bangalore Central) though nothing incriminating was found from them"By selectively targeting our candidates, Balakrishnan is trying to show that only we are flush with funds and not any candidate of the BJP," said Congress state President Dinesh Gundu Rao in the letter. The combine also said, in the letter, that though facts belie the fallacious assumption of the tax office, Balakrishnan's comment that the protest by the allies was similar to the tactics of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Bannerjee, as per his March 30 letter to the CEO, was "disturbing"."Political or loose comments on ministers and elected leaders makes Balakrishnan's continuation in the office untenable, as they reflect his hostility and vindictiveness against our coalition government in the state," they said in the letter. The letter also referred to the arrest of a tax officer for allegedly taking Rs 14 lakh bribe from a builder in the city recently."The tax officer's arrest reveals that the IT department was blackmailing and harassing individuals, politicians, businessmen, traders and contractors," the ruling parties alleged. Accusing the tax office of overlooking the omissions and commissions of the BJP leaders and candidates, the allies said Balakrishnan was misusing his office to target only Congress-JD-S leaders, candidates and their associates.

Body 2:

Lok Sabha 2019

When the police and Election Commission conducted a raid to find out if fake Voter IDs were being printed, they found only voter slips – also known as booth slips – which are legal.

TNM Staff

Representation Photo

When the police and Election Commission conducted a raid to find out if fake Voter IDs were being printed, they found only voter slips – also known as booth slips – which are legal. On Monday, the BJP accused Congress of printing fake voter IDs, and claimed that a Youth Congress member had been arrested for the same. However, debunking this claim, the Election Commission has clarified that no fake Voter IDs have been found. The Bengaluru Police and the Karnataka Election Commission conducted a raid in Chickpet on Monday evening to check if fake voter ID Cards were being printed, however, they only found voter slips – also known as booth slips – which are completely legal. According to Joint Commissioner of the State Election Commission Surya Sen, the officials found voter slips at Prabhat Complex in Chickpet, which are given to voters by all political parties to boost polling numbers. “Generally, political parties distribute slips to voters asking them to vote for the party. These slips were found in the raid. There were also some papers regarding internal surveys the party had conducted,” an Election Commission official said. According to BBMP Commissioner Manjunath Prasad, who is the election official in Bengaluru, the slips were addressed to people who were registered to vote in the city but were living elsewhere. “This was being distributed to encourage such people to vote, and to ensure that polling percentage increases. It is not illegal," he added. The controversy On Monday, the BJP had put out tweets claiming Congress’s Bengaluru Central candidate Rizwan Arshad was behind a fake Voter ID scam, and that 18 people involved in printing fake Voter ID cards have been arrested. “Youth Congress National Secretary Ibrahim Khaleelulla was operating from Prabhat Complex 3rd floor Room No 507. They were caught red handed by BJP corporate and karyakartas. It’s speculated Congress is printing fake voter cards in other parts of the country too,” the BJP said. Congress Exposed Youth Cong Nation Secretary Ibrahim Khaleelulla has been arrested after being caught printing fake Voters ID cards. 18 people involved in printing fake Voter ID cards have been arrested Bengaluru central candidate @ArshadRizwan is behind this racket. — BJP Karnataka (@BJP4Karnataka) April 15, 2019 Youth Congress National Secretary Ibrahim Khaleelulla was operating from Prabhat Complex 3rd floor Roon No 507. They were caught red handed by BJP corporate & Karyakarthas. It’s speculated @INCIndia is printing fake voter cards in other parts of the country too. — BJP Karnataka (@BJP4Karnataka) April 15, 2019 Congress party should be disqualified from contesting elections. They have challenged the very existence of democratic values in the country. Will @RahulGandhi come out in open & explain the nexus between his party & the anti constitutional activities of his party members.— BJP Karnataka (@BJP4Karnataka) April 15, 2019 Election commission should ban @ArshadRizwan from contesting elections until the investigation is completed The Congress today stays exposed before the country. They have waged war on the democracy of this nation@RahulGandhi, do you have any shame left ? Speak out !! — BJP Karnataka (@BJP4Karnataka) April 15, 2019 BJP legal cell has lodged a complaint with EC against this anti democratic act. Congress is corrupt, anti democratic, anti constitutional & dangerous for this Nation. We request EC to act on this on priority. pic.twitter.com/rosd9CtDUf— BJP Karnataka (@BJP4Karnataka) April 15, 2019 After the EC’s clarification that no fake Voter IDs were found, Congress and its candidate Rizwan Arshad hit out at the BJP. “As expected, sensing defeat in Bengaluru Central, a rattled BJP has launched extraordinary attacks on me through IT raids/fake ids claims,” Rizwan Arshad said, “I am their target because the BJP does not want an ordinary boy to succeed. They can’t tolerate the fact that Bengaluru Central will finally have one of their own representing them. Ordinary constituents of Bengaluru Central can see the BJP’s game plan. My appeal to ordinary residents of Bengaluru Central is this. You have to ensure the defeat of these feudal forces who are attacking me because I am one of you and NOT their arrogant and elitist class. They simply can’t digest the fact that a commoner will now finally represent you in the parliament.” Fact check: Was Congress caught printing fake Voter IDs in Bengaluru? https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/fact-check-was-congress-caught-printing-fake-voter-ids-bengaluru-100111In Bengaluru Central, the contest is between Congress’s Rizwan Arshad, BJP’s PC Mohan, and independent candidate and actor Prakash Raj.

Body 2:

Human Interest

And of course, he got suspended for it.

Theja Ram

Let’s face it, no one wants to put themselves in a beat constable’s shoes. What with the phone calls and WhatsApp messages coming in 24x7, the constables are running around trying to complete their work and more often than not, are infuriated. Work-life balance, that myth that people constantly peddle, is close to impossible for constables who are expected to work round the clock. So, when his superior asked him to explain why he was late to work every day, one Bengaluru constable reached the end of his patience and decided to get back with a sarcastic reply that will make every frustrated employee proud. Note: Don’t try this at home, kids. The guy actually got suspended. Constable Sridhar Gowda, along with Head Constable Manjunath, and constable Anjanamurthy, attached with the Jayanagar Police Station, were issued notices by the Inspector on April 11. Pujar had taken note that the three constables had been coming in late for the last few weeks and had warned them of stringent action if they were not punctual. Sridhar Gowda in his reply wrote, “If I could have breakfast at Shiv Sagar, eat lunch in the canteen, have dinner at Empire Restaurant, and eat ice cream at Milano for dessert, then come back and sleep in the room above the police station, I would never be late for work and always show up at 8 am.” “Unlike you, I have a wife, who is also a police officer. I have two children and old parents to take care of, and hence, I was unable to come early to work,” Sridhar further stated in his reply. Ouch. Sridhar – predictable – got a suspension order instead of a hug and a kudos for his honesty. Sridhar was suspended on Monday by DCP Annamalai up on the recommendation of the ACP. Speaking to TNM, Sridhar said, “My wife is a head constable who works in the control room. She has to leave home at 7 am if she has to reach work on time. My job is to feed the children and drop them to school. How can the officers expect us to show up at 8.30 am? I have requested them to change my shift so it won’t clash with my wife’s many times, and they did not listen. Unlike SI Malappa Pujar, who sleeps in the room above the station, we have to bear the traffic, too, to get to work. We are also human beings.” However, DCP Annamalai said that Sridha's allegations are not true. "He is definitely not suspended for that reply. This man (Sridhar Gowda) is slightly mischievous and got suspended once already with some other punishments added to it. Sridhar chose to make allegations against the Inspector and circulated a copy of the letter to the media even before the inspector had a chance to read it. He chose to twist it saying that reply was for the SI Mr Pujar and not for the Inspector. Separate action will be taken against the SI as well, if the allegations are found true, after the local ACP s report," SP Annamalai added. He also stated that if Sridhar's wife could arrive on time for duty, so could Sridhar. "When his wife is able to go at shift timings to the control room, only for 8 hours, he can also go as per his shift timings. I know in rural districts police personnel work for 15 hours. All timings in our limits are computerised with zero human intervention and duties are also allocated fairly again at random. It’s just that some guys simply believe voicing their opinion is cool and that too in a way that runs counter to organisational ethos and values," he added.

Body 2:

Lok Sabha 2019

It was speculated that Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora will take a decision if Rahul Dravid’s name can be included in the voter list on an exceptional basis.

Soumya Chatterjee

PTI/ File image

Former Indian cricket captain and the mascot of the Karnataka State Election Commission, Rahul Dravid will not be able to cast his vote this Lok Sabha election, Deputy Chief Election Commissioner Sandeep Saxena told TNM. On Sunday, it was reported that the former cricketer will not be able to vote as his name had not figured in the voter list. Following this, it was also speculated that Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora will take a decision if Dravid’s name can be included in the list on an exceptional basis. However, Sandeep Saxena told TNM on Tuesday that this will not be possible. Rahul Dravid was set to vote from Bengaluru North constituency on April 18 as 14 seats in Karnataka will go to polls as part of the second phase of general elections across the country. “The law clearly states that the last day of application for the inclusion of names is seven days ahead of the candidate’s last date of filing nominations for that particular phase. This (the application) did not happen and Rahul Dravid’s name inclusion is legally not possible now,” Saxena told TNM. Following reports of the exclusion of the Election Commission’s brand ambassador himself from the voter list, Sunil Arora on Sunday had reportedly sought a report from Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer Sanjeev Kumar. It was reported on Sunday that Rahul Dravid, who has boards and billboards across the state with his face urging people to vote, had not followed the due process on time to get his name added in the voters’ list from his new residence in RMV Extension, which comes under Bengaluru North constituency. As Dravid had moved from his Indiranagar residence to Ashwathnagar, his brother Vijay had submitted Form 7 (for deletion of names from the list) during a special drive carried out by the Election Commission in the area. After this, Dravid had to add his name to the new list by filling form 6 of the Election Commission by March 16. However, Dravid learnt about this only after March 16. He contacted the officials concerned but by then it was too late. Additional Chief Electoral Officer KN Ramesh on Sunday had said, "He had to submit Form 6 before March 16, otherwise nothing can be done. We came to know about this only after we finalised the electoral rolls. Our officials must have visited his home and if he had then informed us that he had got his name deleted from the Indiranagar list, we could have done something.”

Body 2:

Fake News

The forged letter was also published by Kannada paper Vijayvani – which was started by a former BJP MP – on its front page.

TNM Staff

The BJP in Karnataka on Tuesday alleged that Home Minister MB Patil and former All India Congress Committee chief Sonia Gandhi had “conspired to break the Lingayat community in 2017”. To prove its claim, the party tweeted a letter purportedly written by MB Patil to Sonia Gandhi, which says the only way to increase Congress tally is by dividing Hindus and subsequently uniting Christians and Muslims. Not only is the letter fake, it has been busted as fake several times before, but the BJP seems to have no qualms in spreading it further. Strangely, the letter which carries the signature of MB Patil, on the letterhead of the Bijapur Lingayat District Educational Association (BLDEA) of which he is President, was also published on Kannada daily Vijayavani on Tuesday. The BJP Karnataka handle and several BJP IT Cell Twitter handles had also attached a screenshot of the article from Vijayavani’s Hubbali edition’s page one, about the letter. “MB Patil sparks fire again”, “Congress in a pickle ahead of Lok Sabha polls regarding the Lingayat issue?” and “Did MB Patil write a letter to Sonia Gandhi?” were the various headlines used in the package of stories accompanied with a picture of an angry MB Patil. Although the headlines were blatantly misleading, the story did mention that the letter was fake and that the same letter was being circulated on social media since 2018. According to fact checking website BOOMLive, when they pointed out that the organisations mentioned in the fake letter did not even exist, Channegowda KN, editor, Vijayavani said, “It is not our duty to check whether such organisations exist or not.” Vijayavani was launched by Vijay Sankeshwar in 2012. Sankeshwar was previously a BJP MP from Dharwad (North) constituency. Despite fact checks in the past and presently, BJP and its leaders have continued to post the fake letter. On Tuesday, the BJP in Karnataka tweeted the letter saying, “Congress exposed. The entire Lingayat and Veerashaiva community division was planted under direct instruction of Sonia Gandhi. The letter written to Sonia Gandhi by Congress leader MB Patil exposes shocking details of how Sonia Gandhi wanted to divide Hindu communities in Karnataka.” Why is the letter fake? The letter had been doing the rounds on WhatsApp in 2018, ahead of the Karnataka Assembly Elections, when the issue of a separate Lingayat religion was at its peak. It was first published by fake news website PostCardNews. The 'letter' talks about a meeting that a few ministers held with representatives of the “Global Christian Council” and “World Islamic Organisation” regarding the strategy to be adopted for the Karnataka Assembly Elections. The letter says, "This (seats for the Congress) can be achieved by uniting the Muslims and Christians on the basis of their faith: divide the Hindus on the basis of caste/sub-caste and sect and sub/sect. To achieve this objective it was decided that we use the difference prevailing in the Veerashaiva-Lingayat community and announce sops for Muslims and Christians in our budget and later in the election manifesto.” The only problem is that “Global Christian Council” and “World Islamic Organisation” do not exist. When this was exposed by fact checkers BoomLive and AltNews in 2018, PostCardNews coolly deleted their story and tweets. MB Patil files police complaint Speaking to TNM, MB Patil said that the letter is fake and that miscreants had scanned a copy of a letter he had written as the President of Bijapur Lingayat District Educational Association (BLDEA) and changed the contents of the letter. MB Patil on Tuesday submitted an original copy of BLDE's letter head (right) to the police “I have said this before and I say it again, the letter published by Vijayavani and BJP is fake. I will now initiate legal action for forgery against those who manufactured it and published it. I will pursue the matter till it reaches a legal conclusion and even go to the Supreme Court if I have to and fight those who are involved in this,” MB Patil added. MB Patil on Tuesday filed a complaint with the Adarshnagar Police in Vijayapura regarding the incident. Patil had in 2018 stated that he had asked the authorities to look into the fake letter issue. However, a complaint was never filed. MB Patil on Tuesday submitted an original copy of BLDE's letter head to the police, stating the contents of the letter, the symbol on the letter head and his signature were forged.

Body 2:

I-T Raids

The raids were on in five residences at Hassan and one residence each at Mandya and Bengaluru, the Income Tax Department said.

IANS

Teams of Income Tax (I-T) sleuths raided certain businessmen in Bengaluru, Hassan and Mandya in Karnataka on credible information of tax evasion on undisclosed income and assets, an official said on Tuesday."The searches being conducted on Tuesday are based on credible intelligence that certain businessmen have earned income not disclosed for tax and are in possession of undisclosed assets," the tax official said in a statement here. The raids were on in five residences at Hassan and one residence each at Mandya and Bengaluru. Hassan is 180 km northwest of Bengaluru while Mandya is 100 km southwest of the state capital. The raids coincide with the last day of campaigning for the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections in 14 constituencies in the state's central and southern regions on April 18."The non-taxpayers under our search operations are engaged in the business of real estate, quarrying and stone crushing, executing government contracts, running petrol bunks and saw mills and managing cooperative banks."These are the sectors which are prone to generation of black money," the statement said. The tax raids resumed a day after the ruling Congress and JD(S) wrote a joint letter to the Election Commission seeking the transfer of Income-Tax Director-General for Karnataka BR Balakrishnan from Bengaluru for carrying tax raids on their leaders, contractors and traders close to them."In view of the partisan tax raids on our political leaders, their relatives, contractors and traders ahead of the Lok Sabha elections in the state on April 18, Balakrishnan has to be transferred outside the state," said the allies in a joint letter to Chief Electoral Officer Sanjiv Kumar. As ensuring free and fair elections on a level-playing field for all the parties was the poll panel's responsibility, the allies said the tax office was selectively raiding their candidates and associates in the state since March 28. On April 13, the tax sleuths raided the premises of Congress candidates BN Chandrappa, contesting from Chitradurga, Prakash Hukkeri from Chikkodi and Rizwan Arshad from Bangalore Central though nothing incriminating was found from them."By selectively targeting our candidates, Balakrishnan is trying to show that only we are flush with funds and not any candidate of the BJP," said Congress state unit President Dinesh Gundu Rao in the letter.

Body 2:

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