Opposition members in Karnataka sleep overnight in Council Hall

The Opposition Congress in Karnataka created “history of sorts” when they slept overnight on the floor of the Legislative Council hall in Belgaum as a mark of protest against the “irresponsible” reply given by the Government on the calamity relief work in northern parts of the State.

The proceedings of the Legislative Council went on till the wee hours of Friday after the Opposition Congress members highlighted the distress among farmers of Koppal and different parts of northern Karnataka, which are reeling under a spell of drought.

Revenue Minister Jagadish Shettar, who started his reply in the small hours of Friday, denied the Opposition charge that farmers were migrating to neighbouring states in search of livelihood and the scenario was not as bad as the Congress members were trying to paint.

Dissatisfied with the Government’s reply on the matter, a couple of Congress members led by Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council Mr H K Patil decided against leaving the House as a mark of protest. “We will sleep in the Council hall itself overnight”, he said.

Though Deputy Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa arrived in the Council at that hour and requested the Congress members to call off their agitation, his efforts went in vain. The Congress members including H K Patil, V R Sudarshan and Prakash Rathod slept on the carpet of the Legislative Council Hall overnight.

Deputy Chief Minister Yediyurappa too slept in the chambers of the Legislative Council Chairman in the same premises after his efforts to convince the Opposition Congress to call off their agitation failed.

Later in the morning, Yediyurappa described the Congress members decision to sleep in the Council Hall overnight as a “publicity gimmick”.

The session resumed on Friday morning as usual with Yediyurappa offering to accompany the Congress members to villages, where farmers had been put to extreme hardships on account of the drought.

Meanwhile, the five-day special legislature session convened by the Karnataka Government in Belgaum came to an end on Friday. For the first time in its history, Karnataka was holding its legislature session outside the state capital in the border town of Belgaum. The Jawaharal Nehru Medical College in Belgaum served as the venue for the historic legislature session of Karnataka

Government puts off closure of de-recognized schools till end of academic year

In a major relief to hundreds of thousands of students studying in the 1,420 de-recognized primary schools and their parents, the Karnataka Government has decided to put off the closure of these schools till the end of ensuing academic year.

The Government’s volte face on the closure of schools came about after Minister for Primary and Secondary Education Basavaraj Horatti was pushed into a corner by not only the parents of the students and the school managements, but also his own partymen. Finally, Horatti relented to the pressure and agreed to allow the defaulting schools to continue imparting education till April 2007 by when the current academic year ends.

Making the announcement in the Legislative Council in Belgaum, Horatti said though the de-recognized schools will be allowed to continue till April 2007 in the interest of the students, the Government will not go back on its decision to close down these schools, which had violated the language policy. “We have taken this decision only to provide relief to the students and their families”, he said.

The Government had ordered 1,420 schools to shut down after they were found violating the language policy of the State. Though they had given an undertaking that their medium of instruction would be Kannada at the time of obtaining Government license in 1994, they had switched over to English medium of instruction.

Though the Government issued notices to these schools for flouting the language policy during March 2004, there had been no response from the managements. “So, we have decided to close them down. We are providing some relief to them as the closure of the schools during the middle of the term would affect 270,000 students”, he said.

Horatti also took the opportunity to clarify that the Government was not opposed imparting education in English medium of instruction, but the schools should impart education in the medium for which they have been given permission. “Many of these schools do not have qualified teachers”, he rued.

Meanwhile, the Government’s decision to defer the closure of schools till the end of the academic year has brought smiles on the faces of the managements of schools that had been de-recognized. “It is a welcome move. This was exactly what we sought for from Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy when we met him earlier this week. We told him not to punish the students for no fault of theirs”, General Secretary of Associated Managements of English Medium Schools K S Krishna Iyer said.

The President of Karnataka Unaided Schools Management Association G S Sharma said the media had played an important role in bringing about a change of heart in the Government. “I met former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda and he admitted that the Education Ministry had taken a hasty decision”, Sharma said.

The Government’s decision not to close down the schools till the end of the academic year gives their managements enough time to plan for their future course of action, Sharma added.

MES favours plebiscite in disputed Belgaum

Maharashtra Ekikaran Samithi (MES) has favoured a plebiscite in the disputed border district of Belgaum.

Addressing a press conference in Belgaum yesterday, MES legislator Manohar Kinekar said the opinion of people in the disputed areas in Belgaum should be collected to review the boundary between Karnataka and Maharashtra.

MES, which has been carrying an agitation to seek the merger of Marathi-dominated areas in the border of Karnataka with Maharashtra, said his party does not approve of the Mahajan Commission report on the boundary dispute. “The Mahajan Commission report on the boundary dispute is not final. A fresh exercise should be conducted to gather the opinion of people living in the disputed areas of Belgaum”, he said.

Clarifying that MES does not wish to include Kannada-speaking areas on the border with Maharashta, Kinekar said several Marathi-speaking areas figure in Karnataka’ side of the border, much against the wishes of the people.

He criticized the Karnataka Government for holding a special session of the state legislature in Belgaum. “It is nothing more than a picnic for the legislators. The people are the area are clearly against the idea of Karnataka Government holding a legislature session in Belgaum”, he said.

Earlier in the day, Manohar Kinekar and his fellow MES legislator Digambar Patil staged a walkout from Governor T N Chaturvedi’s joint address to the legislature session in Belgaum. They held placards claiming that MES does not accept the Mahajan Commission report and that Karnataka Government was subjugating the Marathi-speaking people in Belgaum.

When the MES legislators arrived to the joint session of the state legislature holding placards, Kannada protagonist and independent MLA Vatal Nagaraj rushed towards them and shouted slogans against the MES legislators, creating confusion in the House.

Later, Chaturvedi addressed the joint session, which was incidentally the third during the calendar year 2006, and emphasized the need for removing regional imbalances. He urged the Government to pay adequate attention to improvement of industry, tourism and irrigation infrastructure in north Karnataka.

The Governor also expressed his displeasure over the allegations and counter-allegations of corruption among politicians in Karnataka. He appealed to the Government to implement the 11-point programme advocated by President Abdul Kalam for the all-round development of the State.

Krishna wishes to quit as Maharashtra Governor

Citing border dispute as a reason, Maharashtra Governor S M Krishna is understood to have requested the Congress High Command to relieve him from the gubernatorial assignment in Mumbai.

According to sources in the Congress party here, Krishna has urged All India Congress Committee President Sonia Gandhi to relieve him from the post of the Governor in view of the heightened differences over Maharashtra and his home state of Karnataka over the border dispute.

“The border dispute between Karnataka and Maharashtra is hotting up and under such circumstances, it becomes embarrassing for me to function impartially”, he is understood to have to Sonia Gandhi.

Krishna’s stand comes in the wake of Karnataka Government’s decision to hold a legislature session in the border district of Belgaum, which is the bone of contention between the two states.

Krishna, a former Chief Minister of Karnataka, has brought to the party High Command’s notice the incongruity between his nativity and his constitutional position.

Expressing gratitude to the party high command for having appointed him as the Governor of Maharashtra after he had relinquished office as the Chief Minister of Karnataka, Krishna said he will become a suspect in the eyes of politicians from Maharashtra, who are raking up the issue of Belgaum afresh.

Karnataka ready to swap border villages with Maharashtra

Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy has expressed his willingness to swap Marathi-speaking villages with Kannada-speaking villages on the state’s border with Maharashtra.

However, Kumaraswamy said the “give and take” of villages and towns along the border should be within the recommendations of the Mahajan Commission report on the border dispute between Karnataka and Maharashtra.

As per the Mahajan Commission report’s recommendation, Karnataka was ready to transfer 262 villages to Maharashtra provided the latter transferred 248 villages to Karnataka, Kumaraswamy said.

However, Karnataka Government is planning to write a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Federal Home Minister Shivaraj Patil seeking action against the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra R R Patil for making an “inflammatory” speech at the rally convened by Maharashtra Ekikaran Samithi (MES) in Belgaum recently.

“It is highly improper and unethical for the Deputy Chief Minister of a neighbouring state to come here and make a statement that is anti-constitutional and against the spirit of federalism”, Kumaraswamy said referring to Patil’s demand for merger of Belgaum, Nippani, Bidar, Bhalki and Karwar with Maharahstra.

The Government will also lead an all-party delegation to the Federal Government to press for implementation of Mahajan Commission report.

Deputy Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa also joined the chorus among politicians in Karnataka against his Maharashtra counterpart. “We will write a letter to Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh against the provocative and uncalled for statements made by R R Patil”, he said.

He said an all-party delegation from Karnataka will shortly meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in New Delhi and press the Federal Government to act immediately on the border row. “There should not be any delay in the implementation of the Mahajan Commission report. The state will not pass any more resolutions on the issue”, Yediyurappa said.

Jaimala dismisses charges against her as baseless

Kannada actress Jaimala, who is in the eye of the storm over the purported desecration of the hill shrine of Sabarimala, has termed as “baseless” the charge of conspiracy levelled against her by Kerala’s crime branch police.

When reporters brought to her attention that Kerala’s crime branch police had detected a “conspiracy” in her claim that she had entered the sanctum sanctorum of the hill shrine of Sabarimala, Jaimala said “It is pure guess work by some people, who are not clear about the whole issue”.

She recalled that a team of police officials had visited her house in Bangalore immediately after the controversy broke out and had sought answers to several questions. “They seem satisfied with my replies. Now, they have come out with a conspiracy theory”, she said.

Jaimala, however, refused to answer a question on whether she knew astrologer Unnikrishna Panicker. “I have told everything to the investigation officer of the Travancore Devaswom Board and I don’t want to go into that”, she said.

She also added that it would be not be appropriate to react to something speculative. “Let the report be submitted officially and then I will comment on it”, Jaimala said when told that the report suggested that Panicker knew the actress very well and had even performed rituals for her.

“I do not want to react further on all these issues. I would prefer to wait for the complete report”, she said.

It may be mentioned here that the Kerala police’s crime branch had submitted a report hinting at the possibility of Jaimala conspiring with Panicker to defame the famous shrine and its authorities.

Belgaum will be second capital of Karnataka

The border town of Belgaum will be developed as the second capital of Karnataka.

The Karnataka Government’s announcement on granting the status of a second capital to Belgaum came during the special session of the State Legislature, which is presently underway at Belgaum.

By granting Belgaum the status of its second capital after Bangalore, Karnataka Government is seeking to send a strong message to neighbouring Maharashtra, which has staked a claim over the border district in view of the large presence of Marathi-speaking population.

The second capital tag for Belgaum will be akin to the one Maharashtra had given to Nagpur.

The Government will also build a replica of the Vidhana Soudha or the State Secretariat at Belgaum soon. “We have already identified land and figured out how much money is needed for the construction of a Vidhana Soudha in Belgaum”, Karnataka’s Minister for Primary and Secondary Education Minister Basavaraj Horatti told the Legislative Council meeting in Belgaum.

The Government will also hold legislature sessions at the Vidhana Soudha in Belgaum ever year.

Karnataka’s Minister for Higher Education D H Shankarmurthy said there has been a long-pending demand for setting up a state secretariat for a second capital in Belgaum like the one in Nagpur and Jammu. “The Karnataka Government has decided to accept this and build a Vidhana Soudha as a step towards correcting the regional imbalance”, Shankarmurthy said.

Earlier, both the houses of state legislature adopted a resolution endorsing the Mahajan Commission report, which has declared that Belgaum is a part of Karnataka.

However, it was the Opposition Congress that stole the thunder from the JD (S)-BJP combine when it forced the Government to give its nod to a resolution that virtually told Maharashtra to re-read the Mahajan report and quietly mind its business.

Brushing aside the objections of Speaker Krishna and protests from the treasury benches, leader of the Opposition in the Assembly Dharam Singh moved the resolution on Mahajan Commission report that was not listed in the business of the House. The resolution also decided to mount pressure on the Federal Government to stick to the report.

Later, the Government agreed to Congress’ proposal to pass the resolution. Incidentally, Karnataka has adopted such a resolution on Mahajan Commission report on four occasions earlier.

Maharashtra offers its Kannada-speaking areas to Karnataka

Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister R R Patil has kicked up a fresh storm over the vexed border dispute by offering to Karnataka the Kannada-speaking areas of Maharasthra in return for Marathi-speaking areas in Karnataka.

Patil announced his quid pro quo deal at the mammoth rally convened by Maharashtra Ekikaran Samithi (MES) in Belgaum to counter the special legislature session convened by Karnataka Government.

Patil said Maharashtra had many Kannada-speaking people and had never been unjust to them. But, the Karnataka Government, Patil said, had been behaving “rudely” with the Marathi-speaking population, by forcing Kannada on them in schools and Government offices.

Patil, who claimed that he had been authorized to attend the rally in Belgaum by Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Sharad Pawar, said the Mahajan Commission report on the border row is not acceptable to Maharashtra.

He demanded the merger of not only Belgaum, but also Nippani, Bhalki, Bidar and Karwar towns in Karnataka with Maharashtra, besides the 865 Marathi-speaking villages.

He appealed to Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy to look at the border row with a national perspective. Warning the Government of Karnataka of a backlash if persecution of Marathi people continued, Patil sought to assure the large gathering of Marathi-speaking people that their struggle for merger with Maharashtra will not go in vain.

Patil also came down heavily on the Karnataka Government for holding a legislature session in Belgaum at a time when the border row was before the Supreme Court. “The fact that the legislature session is being conducted under prohibitory orders shows that it lacks public support”, the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra ridiculed.

Later, the MES adopted five resolutions, which included declaration of Belgaum as a Union Territory till the Supreme Court gives its verdict on the border dispute. The MES also resolved the condemn the frequent dissolution of civic bodies in Belgaum that seek the merger of Marathi-dominated areas with Maharashtra and the assault on former Mayor of Belgaum Vijay More by Kannada activists in Bangalore.

Two Maharashtra MPs Sadashiva Mandalekar and Nivedita Mane also addressed the MES rally, besides a host of Shiv Sena leaders.

Karnataka holds Legislature session in Belgaum

The coalition Government in Karnataka made history yesterday by holding the state’s first-ever legislature session out of the state capital of Bangalore in the far-away border town of Belgaum.

For the first time in its history, the state secretariat shifted out of Vidhana Soudha in Bangalore to Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College in Belgaum, where the five-day special session of the Karnataka Legislature began on Monday.

However, the historic Assembly session got off to a noisy start with Maharashtra Ekikaran Samithi (MES) MLAs Digambar Patil and Manohar Kinekar voicing protest against the Karnataka Government’s decision to hold the legislature session in Belgaum at a time when the border dispute between Maharashtra and Karnataka was pending before Supreme Court.

Soon, the two MES legislators, donning the saffron headgears, began raising slogans for merger of Belgaum and other Marathi dominated areas of the border district with Maharashtra.

Immediately, Kannada protagonist and independent MLA Vatal Nagaraj got up rushed towards the MES MLAs shouting slogans and waving a black flag. Even as Speaker Krishna appealed to the protesting members to resume their seats, Vatal Nagaraj stood amidst the slogan-shouting MES members and waved the black flag.

The two MES members later staged a walk-out protesting against the “dictatorial” attitude of the Karnataka Government against Marathi-speaking population of Belgaum.

The Assembly was, however, adjourned for the day after passing obituary references to Shehnai maestro Bismillah Khan, folklorist S K Karim Khan, former Ministers L G Havanur and Puttaswamy Gowda, besides the victims of Malegaon bomb blasts.

Meanwhile, a few kilometers away from venue of the legislature session in Belgaum, the MES held a parallel session attended by thousands of Marathi-speaking people to oppose the Karnataka Government’s decision to hold a legislature session in Belgaum.

Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister R R Patil, who is also a Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader, addressed a large gathering of Marathi-speaking people at Lele grounds in Belgaum.

The MES rally, dubbed as Maha Melavu or a huge convention, by the organizers had attracted people from not only Marathi-dominated areas of Belgaum, but also from across the border in Maharashtra.

The MES convention resolved to appeal to the Maharashtra Government to approach the Federal Government once again to seek the merger of Belgaum with Maharashtra.
The border town of Belgaum resembled a fortress under siege with thousands of lathi-wielding policemen deployed both at the Legislature session venue as well as the Lele Grounds, where the MES held a mammoth rally.

George Fernandes likely to join Samajwadi Party - Mulayam

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav has disclosed that former Federal Minister George Fernandes is likely to join the Samajwadi Party soon.

Speaking to reporters at Hubli enroute to attending a party convention in Davangere in Central Karnataka, Yadav said two to three rounds of talks have already been held between his party and Fernandes on the matter. The Samajwadi Party is expected to take a final decision on admitting Fernandes in a fortnight’s time, he said.

“George has been knocking on the doors of Samajwadi Party and was willing to join the party unconditionally. The party would take a final decision on this matter in the next fifteen days after discussing it with the national committee of the party”, Yadav said.

Favouring the inclusion of Fernandes into the party, Yadav said the Samajwadi Party’s base in Bihar and Karnataka would also be strengthened, as the former Federal Minister, who is currently with the JD (U), was an influential politician in these regions.

However, Samajwadi Party’s General Secretary Amar Singh, who was accompanying Mulayam Singh Yadav, said his party would accommodate Fernandes only if he resigns as the convenor of National Democratic Alliance (NDA), which comprises the BJP.

“There is no question of accommodating him in the party unless he resigns as convenor of NDA and severs all his ties with the NDA. There are a few difficulties for Fernandes in quitting the NDA immediately. Hence the process of his entry into the Samajwadi Party fold has been delayed”, Amar Singh added.

Mulayam Singh Yadav, who was also accompanied by veteran Bollywood actresses Jaya Prada and Jaya Bachchan, later addressed a large gathering of people at Davangere and lashed out at the Federal Government for branding Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) as a terrorist organisation.

“The SIMI had no wrong in Uttar Pradesh. Yet, the Congress-led UPA had branded them as a terror outfit”, he said.

Yadav also came down heavily on former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda for pretending to be secular, but allowing his party to tie-up with the BJP to form a coalition Government in Karnataka. “Gowda pretends to be a secular leader, but he is not”, he warned.

“The BJP, Congress and JD (S) may appear like different parties from outside. But they are not. Basically, they are all the same”, he added.

De-recognized schools to run as private tutorials in Karnataka

With the Karnataka Government firm on withdrawing its recognition to the 1,420 primary schools across the state for switching the medium of instruction from Kannada to English in violation of the language policy, the de-recognized institutions are contemplating a proposal to function as “private tutorials”.

After their request for continuing classes till at least the end of current academic year went unheeded by Minister for Primary and Secondary Education Basavaraj Horatti, the Karnataka Unaided School Managements’ Association (KUSMA) decided to advise its affiliated schools to run their institutions as private tutorials.

Association President G S Sharma told reporters that the institutions could impart non-formal education to its students. “Nobody can stop us from doing that. There is a provision for students to join school from class 8 onwards on the basis of their age and appearing for an entrance test. There is no need for even a transfer certificate”, he said.

But, Horatti said the Government had drawn up a comprehensive plan that will help all the 273,000 students of the 1,420 de-recognized schools to secure fresh admission in different schools located nearby.

All the government, aided and unaided schools within the radius of three kilometers from the de-recognized schools will be mapped. The Government will make it obligatory for schools neighouring the de-recognized schools to admit the displaced students. The jurisdictional block education officers will monitor the relocation process. Counselling sessions will also be held to aid the process, Horatti said seeking to reassure the students and their parents that their future was safe.

The relocated students be exempted from paying fees or wearing uniforms. “The Government will even consider exempting these students from taking examinations, as a one-time measure, if they find it difficult to adapt to their new schools”, Horatti said.

Horatti’s refusal to reconsider the Government decision on de-recognizing the 1,420 schools came after a protracted meeting with officials of the Education Department on Saturday. During the meeting, Horatti even said he would prefer to quit as Minister for Primary and Secondary Education instead of withdrawing the Government order on de-recognition.

Horatti’s resolve to close down the schools was emboldened after 15 Kannada litterateurs called on the Primary and Secondary Education Minister and asked him not to change the Government’s stance on the language policy.

Meanwhile, the Opposition Congress has come down heavily on the Government for causing a huge inconvenience to thousands of students by closing down the schools in the middle of the academic year.

Former Primary and Secondary Education Minister B K Chandrashekar urged the Government to tread cautiously on the issue as the interests of thousands of students was at stake.

Kumaraswamy to visit Maratha-dominated village in Belgaum

After taking a historic decision to hold the winter session of Karnataka legislature in the disputed border district of Belgaum from September 25, Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy now plans to visit the controversial Maratha-dominated village of Yellur in Belgaum, whose inhabitants claim it is part of Maharashtra.

Yellur village had come under the spotlight of media a couple of months ago when its pre-dominantly Marathi-speaking population had strongly protested the efforts of the district administration to remove a concrete board that claimed the village is in Maharashtra state.

With Chief Minister deciding to visit Yellur, the Maratha-dominated Yellur village, located barely five kilometers from Belgaum town, has come under media spotlight once again.

During his visit to Belgaum to attend the Legislature session, scheduled to be held from September 25 to 28, Kumaraswamy will visit Yellur village and hold a meeting with pro-Maharashtrians.

The Chief Minister is expected to give a patient hearing to the Marathi-speaking people of the area and instruct district administration officials to immediately take up developmental works in and around the village.

With the border dispute between Karnataka and Maharashtra flaring up after the latter moved the Supreme Court to stake claim over more than 800 Marathi-speaking villages in Belgaum district, the Karnataka Chief Minister has already made it clear he is keen on winning the hearts of the Marathi-speaking people.

The Chief Minister also plans to stay overnight at the house of Maratha-speaking person in Belgaum as part of his efforts to woo them.

Meanwhile, preparations were in full swing for Karnataka’s maiden legislature session outside the state capital of Bangalore beginning from September 25 in Belgaum. The Jawaharalal Nehru Medical College, the venue for the legislature session, has been converted into a virtual fortress with more than 4,000 police personnel keeping a strict vigil on the movement of people and vehicles in the campus.

Various Kannada organizations had hoisted Kannada flags atop houses and various vantage locations in Belgaum to mark the occasion.

But, in a different part of Belgaum, Maharashtra Ekikaran Samithi (MES), which has already opposed the legislature session, was busy erecting a huge pandal for its Maratha rally. A spokesperson for MES told reporters that thousands of people from Maratha dominated areas of Belgaum and neighbouring Maharashtra are expected to attend the rally.

The authorities have already deployed Rapid Action Force (RAF) in large numbers to check any untoward incident in Belgaum.

Gowda threatens to end alliance with BJP in Karnataka over emotive issues

JD (S) supremo and former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda has threatened to end its coalition with the BJP in Karnataka if the saffron party deviates from the Common Minimum Programme (CMP) and continues to rake up emotive issues.

Apparently perturbed over the recent utterances of BJP Ministers and other leaders over issues like taking out a Shobha Yatra at the disputed Bababudangiri shrine and demand for removal of references to warrior king Tipu Sultan from the history books, Gowda said the JD (S) “will not take it lying down anymore”.

“These developments were certainly a threat to the survival of the coalition Government”, Gowda said. The former Prime Minister also said he would not allow the secular credentials of JD (S) to come under a cloud anymore. “Our commitment to secularism will not be compromised”, Gowda said.

He said a section of the BJP had clearly strayed from the CMP over the last three months. “A section of the BJP leaders are riding on the shoulders of the Chief Minister”, he said.

He hoped that the BJP’s national leadership will take note of the “deviation” and try to advice the party’s Karnataka unit leaders to stick to the sacred document that CMP was. “It is the CMP that holds the government together”, Gowda warned.

Gowda said he would not like to elaborate on the matter much as Karnataka’s maiden Legislature Session at Belgaum was round the corner. “But, I hope I have conveyed enough”, the JD (S) chief said.

Gowda’s threat to end the coalition comes at a time when there have been widespread protests against Higher Education Minister D H Shankarmurthy’s remarks that the legendary ruler of Mysore Tipu Sultan was hostile to Kannada and hence deserves no place in the history books.

The JD (S) chief offered his apologies for the “meaningless” comments made by the Higher Education Minister against Tipu Sultan. “I am apologizing for such meaningless comments that have hurt the feelings and sentiments of the people. No attempt should be made to distort history. We condemn any voice of dissonance against the great warrior king that Tipu Sultan was”, Gowda said.

Reprimanding Shankarmurthy, who belongs to the BJP, for the controversial comments, Gowda said it was improper on the part of the Higher Education Minister to have painted such a great patriot as anti-Kannada. “People across the country and the world look at Tipu Sultan as a great soldier and not as a Hindu or a Muslim. Only those with a narrow outlook will speak in such terms”, Gowda said.

Soon after Gowda’s reprimand, a chastened Shankarmurthy sought to play down his controversial remarks. “I am not against any religion. The statement was made as a passing reference. If some people think I have hurt their feelings, I am sorry for it”, he said.

Even the BJP’s state unit has begun distancing itself from the controversy over Tipu Sultan. BJP’s Karnataka unit President D V Sadananda Gowda said what Shankarmurthy had said about Tipu Sultan was his personal view. “It is not the BJP’s view. BJP does not support his views”, Sadananda Gowda said.

Just before the controversy over Tipu Sultan broke out, the JD (S) and BJP were gripped by differences over Shobha Yatra as part of the Datta Jayanthi celebrations atop the disputed hill shrine of Bababudangiri in Chikmagalur in Karnataka.

Though the Home Minister M P Prakash, who belongs to the JD (S), had banned the Shobha Yatra, the BJP leaders including Deputy Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa claimed that the final word on the Shobha Yatra will be taken by the co-ordination committee of the coalition partners.

Dasara festival kicked off in Mysore

The famous Dasara festival, a ten-day long cultural festival celebrated since centuries with traditional grandeur in the historic City of Mysore near here, was kicked off atop Chamundi Hills in Mysore yesterday.

With more than one million visitors expected to visit Mysore to savour the royal splendour that will unfold before their eyes during Dasara festival, the local administration has spruced up the historic city for the grand occasion by giving a make-over to the public buildings, roads and parks.

The famous Mysore Palace, which will be the cynosure of all eyes, will be illuminated for two hours during all the ten evenings of the Dasara festival. Close to 100,000 electric bulbs will light up simultaneously, creating a resplendent halo over the historic City. Cultural programmes featuring Hindustani and Carnatic music will enthrall the visitors to the Mysore Palace during the evenings.

Noted litterateur G Narayan inaugurated the festival atop Chamundi Hills near Mysore on Saturday morning to signal the start of a variety of programmes to entertain the young and the old alike. Air-show, Flower show, exhibition, musical concerts, wrestling competitions and adventures sports are just a few of the programmes organised as part of Mysore Dasara.

Apart from the state-sponsored festivities, the prince of the Mysore royal family Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wodeyar will continue the legacy of the Dasara celebrations by observing all the religious rituals. Wodeyar will ascend the 200-kg golden throne and hold a private durbar on all the ten days of Dasara.

While the private durbar is open only the family members and servants of the royal household, the priceless golden throne will be kept for public viewing before and after the private durbar. The centuries old bejewelled throne is guarded by a huge posse of policemen round the clock, besides being monitored by close-circuit television sets.

The Dasara festival culminates with a grand procession on the tenth day when caparisoned elephants will march through the main thoroughfares of the City carrying the golden howdah or the palanquin. The howdah, made out of 750 kgs of solid gold, has two wide seats in rows, bigger than a family car.

The procession, which also comprises colourful tableux depicting various events and regions of Karnataka, will reach Bannimantap Parade Grounds, where a torch light parade is held. A dazzling display of fireworks over the City will bring curtains on the ten-day Dasara festival.

Tipu’s letters written in chaste Kannada serve to counter BJP leader’s campaign

Karnataka’s Minister for Higher Education D H Shankarmurthy, who had sought to project the erstwhile ruler of Mysore Tipu Sultan as “anti-Kannada”, received a serious setback with a regional newspaper carrying copies of letters written by the warrior king himself in chaste Kannada to the then Shankaracharya of Sringeri.

The 18th century ruler of Mysore, whose commitment to secularism and affinity to Kannada language has been questioned by BJP leaders and Sangh Parivar outfits, had apparently written a total of 29 letters to Sri Sachchidananda Bharathi III, the then Shankaracharya of Sharada Mutt in Sringeri between 1791 and 1798.

The letters, written in chaste Kannada by the Sultan himself, not only bear the ruler’s letterhead and royal seal, but also indicate to the King’s proficiency in the Kannada language.

The letters, which are now a proud possession of the revered Hindu Mutt, also provide an insight into Tipu Sultan’s secular credentials. The correspondence between Tipu Sultan and the then Shankaracharya began after the Swamiji wrote to him about the damage caused to Mutt by the invading Maratha army. Though his letters, Tipu Sultan offers assistance to the Mutt and warns that the invading army Maratha army will have to face the consequences of its acts.

Noted historians, intellectuals and writers in Karnataka opine that the recovery of the two hundred year old letters would serve to counter the malicious campaign unleashed by the BJP and others against Tipu Sultan, who had laid down his life on the battlefield fighting the British forces.

Well-known historian and retired Vice Chancellor of Mangalore and Goa Universities B Sheikh Ali pointed out that it was not uncommon to find Tipu Sultan correspond in Kannada though Persian had become the lingua franca of the entire country under the Mughal rulers. Tipu also made sure that important circulars of his administration were issued in Kannada and reached the people through the popular language.

JD (S) supremo and former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda lashed out at Shankarmurthy, who belongs to the BJP, for questioning Tipu Sultan’s credentials as a Kannadiga. “The Minister will do well to stop criticizing the great ruler, who has earned a position for himself in the history of the country by fighting a brave battle against the British and laying down his life. He is truly a Kannadiga, who has made all the people in India proud by his deeds”, Gowda said.

Several intellectuals like noted theatre and film personality Girish Karnad dared Shankarmurthy to an open debate on Tipu Sultan’s credentials as a Kannadiga and his contribution to the region’s development.

Noted Kannada poet G Marulasiddappa said the Sangh Parivar tried to project Tipu Sultan as a religious “bigot” earlier. Now, they have launched a fresh campaign to paint him “anti-Kannada”. The Kannada poet accused the BJP Minister of trying to “saffronize” history to further its hidden agenda and trigger communal polarization in the country.

BJP Minister’s remark against Tipu kicks up row in Karnataka

The clamour for dismissal of Minister for Higher Education D H Shankarmurthy from the JD (S)-BJP coalition Cabinet reached a crescendo in Karnataka yesterday with intellectuals, writers and historians joining Muslim groups in criticizing the Minister’s “loose statements” against eighteen century warrior king Tipu Sultan.

D H Shankarmurthy, who belongs to the BJP, had stirred up the hornets’ nest recently by not only dubbing the erstwhile ruler of Mysore kingdom as “anti-Kannada”, but also questioning his inclusion in the history books prescribed for students in the State.

The Congress party had immediately swung into action by seeking his ouster from the coalition Ministry for “stoking communal fire” by his “thoughtless” comments against Tipu Sultan, who had laid down his life fighting against the British.

Senior Congress leader H Vishwanath told a press conference that it was obvious that the Higher Education Minister had a “communal mindset” and a “jaundiced eye”. “Tipu Sultan was a Kannadiga by any yardstick and had valiantly fought the British occupation of the region”, he said.

Noted historians like retired Vice Chancellor of Mangalore and Goa Universities B Sheikh Ali termed Shankarmurthy’s remarks as “baseless” and pointed out that Tipu Sultan had appointed Kannadigas like Dewan Poornaiah, Srinivasa Rao and Appaji Rao as his administrators. Though Persian was the official language in the region till as late as 1833, Tipu Sultan had patronized Kannada schools in his kingdom till his death in 1799.

On Thursday, a group of intellectuals comprising noted theatre personality Girish Karnad and leading educationist and former Minister B K Chandrashekar dared D H Shankarmurthy to an open debate on Tipu Sultan’s credentials as a Kannadiga and his contribution to the region’s development.

Noted Kannada poet G Marulasiddaiah endorsed Tipu Sultan’s contribution to Kannadigas and accused the BJP Minister of trying to “saffronize” history and further its hidden agenda and trigger communal polarization in the country.

But, Shankarmurthy remained unfazed by the growing criticism to his controversial remarks against Tipu Sultan. The BJP Minister said Tipu Sultan was “anti-Kannada” and a usurper. Shankarmurthy even said Tipu Sultan had changed the court language from Kannada to Persian and minted coins engraved in Persian language.

A public survey conducted by a regional Kannada television channel on Thursday showed a large number of people coming down heavily on the BJP leader for trying to stoke communal hatred by making uncharitable remarks against the erstwhile ruler of Mysore.

Managements of de-recognized schools to move court

Amidst palpable anxiety among the students of the 1,414 private schools in Karnataka, which had been de-recognized by the Government for violating the language policy, the managements of schools have decided move the court and secure a stay against the closure of their institutions.

Taken aback by the sudden decision of the Government to close down the schools for imparting education in English instead of the regional language Kannada, the Karnataka Unaided Schools Managements’ Association (KUSM) has been forced to take legal recourse.

KUSMA President G S Sharma told reporters that the Government’s decision to close down the schools was not only “tragic” for the hundreds of thousands of children and their parents, but also runs contrary to the fundament right of citizens to run educational institutions.

The Education Department has issued notices to the 1,414 private schools in Karnataka, including about 800 in Bangalore alone, for violating the language policy. “These schools had been accorded permission to conduct classes since 1994 after they gave an undertaking that the medium of instruction in the institutions will be Kannada. But, over the years, they have switched over to English medium of instruction”, Karnataka’s Minister for Primary and Secondary Education Basavaraj Horatti said.

Horatti has ruled out the possibility of the Government going back on its decision to close down these schools, causing concern among not only the students, but also the parents.

With the schools declaring mid-term holidays for Dasara from September 20 to October 2, the scheduled re-opening of the schools on October 3 after the vacations has come under cloud of uncertainty. Students and their parents are not sure whether they will have schools to go to after the vacations end.

But, the Government, however, has assured to protect the future of the students studying in these schools. “I have convened a meeting of senior officers of the Education Department in Bangalore on September 23 to thrash out a solution to secure the admission of these students into other aided, unaided and Government schools”, Horatti said.

The Government will issue instructions to all the deputy directors and block education officers to ensure that students of de-recognized schools are not denied admissions in other schools. “The de-recognized schools do not have any option, but to close down their institutions. If at all they are interested in conducting classes strictly in Kannada language, they will have to seek fresh approval and recognition from the Government”, Horatti added.

Karnataka planning to ban Maratha convention in Belgaum

The Karnataka Government is seriously considering a proposal to ban the Maratha rally convened by Maharashtra Ekikaran Samithi (MES) in Belgaum on September 25 to prevent a confrontation between pro-Maratha and pro-Kannada groups in the border district.

With MES planning to bring more than 25,000 people from Maharashtra including Shiv Sena leaders like Uddhav Thackeray for the convention, which co-incides with the legislature session of Karnataka Government in Belgaum, the threat of a showdown between Kannidagas and Marathas looms large over the disputed border district.

Speaking to reporters at Mysore near here, Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy said the Karnataka Government would take an appropriate decision within the legal framework to clamp a ban on the parallel Maratha rally. “Though a majority of people in Belgaum stood by Karnataka, a few people are indulging in activities, which are against the interest of the state. We will deal with it at an appropriate time within the legal framework”, Kumaraswamy said.

But, the Karnataka Chief Minister said the possibility of the MES rally’s success were bleak. The Karnataka Government would like to win the hearts of discontented leaders in Belgaum. “The joint session of Karnataka Legislature, scheduled to be held from September 25 to 28 at Belgaum, is an effort in that direction”, the Chief Minister said.

Meanwhile, the MES, which has invited Shiv Sena leaders from Maharashtra to participate in the rally, has asked its activists to hoist its saffron flag atop all houses in Maratha-dominated localities of Belgaum.

The party activists have been holding meetings in Maratha-dominated villages in the border district and mobilizing people to attend the rally and a send a strong signal to the Karnataka Government on their demand for transfer of Maratha-speaking areas in Belgaum to Maharashtra.

MES lawmakers in Karnataka Manohar Kinekar and Digambar Patil have already announced their boycott of the Karnataka Legislature session.

Parallel Maratha rally queers the pitch for legislature session in Belgaum

The Maharashtra Ekikaran Samithi (MES) has queered the pitch for the winter session of Karnataka Legislature in Belgaum from September 25 by convening a parallel Maratha rally in the border district on the first day of the session.

The MES, which has been spearheading the campaign for transfer of Belgaum and other Marathi-speaking areas of the border district to Maharashtra, has decided to mobilize a large number of Marathi-speaking people not only from Belgaum, but also parts of Maharashtra including Mumbai for the Maratha convention.

Working President of Belgaum unit of MES Deepak Dalvi told reporters that Marathi-speaking people from Mumbai, Pune, Satara, Kolhapur, Aurad, Bhalki and other areas in Maharashtra will attend the convention to express solidarity with Marathi-speaking people in Belgaum.

The policies of Karnataka Government with regard to the border dispute will be criticized during the convention. The convention will also serve to register the protest of Marathi-speaking people to the Karnataka Government’s decision to hold a legislature session in Belgaum.

The MES has been holding meetings to ensure maximum attendance at their rally to send a strong signal to the Karnataka Government that they will not yield to the pressure tactics on the border dispute.

Reacting to MES plans to hold a Maratha rally in Belgaum on the first day of the “historic” legislature session convened by Karnataka Government, which is incidentally the first legislature session to be held outside Bangalore, Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy warned the Maratha groups against hurting the sentiments of Kannadigas.

He, however, said the Maratha convention would not have any impact of the legislature session convened by Karnataka in Belgaum.

Meanwhile, Governor T N Chaturvedi’s refusal to address the joint session of Karnataka Legislature in Belgaum has given a new twist to the controversy. A Raj Bhavan communiqué citing the inability of the Governor to address the joint Legislature session in Belgaum due to his pre-occupations with engagements in Hyderabad, has infuriated pro-Kannada organizations.

The pro-Kannada organizations have demanded the resignation of Governor T N Chaturvedi for “hurting” their sentiments by refusing to address the historic Legislature session in Belgaum.

Shahrukh Khan launches cancer drug

Taking a break from his shooting schedule, Bollywood heartthrob Shahrukh Khan launched a new cancer drug developed by biotechnology major Biocon in Bangalore on Sunday evening.

Along with Biocon Managing Director Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, Shahrukh Khan unveiled BIOMAb-EGFR, a drug developed over a four-year period and designed to specifically target and block the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), which causes cancer cells to spread.

At the launch, Shahrukh Khan brought up his own smoking habit and confessed he was ashamed about it. The actor said he had been desperately trying to kick the habit for the sake of his children. “I am inviting this disease by smoking. I am ashamed of it. But, I am trying to kick the habit for the sake of my children. I have already reduced it to a great extent, bit is a weakness and requires time to give up”, he said.

The Bollywood heartthrob also shared with the gathering why cancer relief is so close to his heart. “I probably would not have been here had I not witnessed the death of my father due to cancer in 1981. It is not just endorsing a product. It is something, which has importance for me as I have seen the suffering of people dear to me from close quarters”, he said. Even Shahrukh Khan’s mother had died of a similar disease in 1991.

Expressing concern over the increasing number of cancer patients, Shahrukh Khan hoped the rapid advances in science would eliminate the disease. He also said people should have a healthy lifestyle and quit habits that lead to diseases like cancer. “Do whatever it takes to prevent it, have regular check-ups. Do not have the attitude that it will not happen to me. It can happen to the best of us”, he cautioned.

Managing Director of Biocon Ms Shaw said the drug is the first of its kind to be clinically developed in India and is the first anti-EGFR humanized monoclonal antibody for cancer to be made available anywhere in the world.

The cancer drug developed by Biocon is designed to treat solid tumours of epithelial origin such as head and neck cancers. According to Shaw, head and neck cancers accounted for 30 per cent of all cancer cases in India, where the incidence of cancer is one for every thousand.

Karnataka to appoint ambassadors of industry abroad

The Karnataka Government is planning to appoint “ambassadors of industry” by choosing leading Non Resident Indians (NRIs) in Middle East, US, Europe and East Asian countries to help attract investment to Karnataka.

Speaking to reporters, Karnataka’s Minister for Industries Katta Subramanya Naidu said there was a lot of interest among businessmen and entrepreneurs all over the world to invest in Bangalore and different parts of Karnataka. “The Government will identify ambassadors from among the NRIs in these geographic regions to promote investment in Karnataka”, he said.

Naidu, who was part of a high-level delegation led by Deputy Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa that toured the US for ten days recently, said the issue of appointing the ambassadors of industry will be finalized soon after holding discussions with Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy. “We will not be paying any salaries or perks to these ambassadors”, Naidu said in response to a question.

Several multinational companies based in the US had evinced keen interest to invest in the booming Information Technology (IT) sector in Bangalore. The Government had received inquiries even in areas like IT-enabled services, hardware industry and medical tourism, he said. “Proposals worth Rs 20 billion will be finalized soon”, Naidu said.

Starting next week, several US business delegations would be visiting Bangalore to interact with the Government and work out the investment modalities. “Our delegation visited Intel headquarters at Santa Clara. Intel will be investing Rs 50 billion on software parks in Bangalore and Mysore in the next two years”, he said.

Several prominent medical doctors of Karnataka origin in the US had shown interest to invest in medical facilities in Bangalore.

According to Naidu, Governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger will be visiting Bangalore during February next year along with a business delegation. Officials representing the California Governor had conveyed Schwarnzenegger’s interest in visiting Bangalore. “We immediately extended an invitation to him. He is planning to visit us in February next year”.

However, Schwarzenegger’s visit to Bangalore will be preceded by the visits of Governor of New York State George Pataki and Governor of Maryland Robert Ehrlich this year, Naidu added.

Karnataka coalition on collision course

The coalition partners JD (S) and BJP in Karnataka appear to be heading towards a collision course on the controversial Shobha Yatra during the Datta Peetha celebrations at the hill shrine of Bababudangiri in Chickmagalur.

While the JD (S) has made it amply clear that the Government will not allow the Shobha Yatra during the celebrations, the President of BJP’s Karnataka unit D V Sadananda Gowda came down heavily on Home Minister M P Prakash, who belongs to the JD (S), for taking a “unilateral” decision in the matter.

Sadananda Gowda also criticized JD (S) supremo and former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda for stating that the Government should maintain status-quo at the disputed shrine. “Our relationship is only with Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy and we will talk only to him. Deve Gowda cannot run the Government”, the BJP leader said.

Meanwhile, Home Minister M P Prakash has already given instructions to the police not to allow any rituals or programmes that were not observed during the Datta Jayanthi celebrations held last year when the Congress-led coalition was at the helm of affairs. “We will allow only those programmes that were held last year. No new programme will be allowed this year”, he said when asked whether the Government will allow the BJP to take out the Shobha Yatra this year.

With the JD (S) and BJP adopting diverse stands on the Shobha Yatra, scheduled to be taken out on October 2, difference of opinion among the coalition partners has come to the forefront.

Latest VCD shows Chennigappa admitting to taking bribe

The bribery episode involving Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy has turned murkier with the release of yet another VCD showing Forest Minister C Chennigappa not only admitting to receiving Rs 35 million, but also accusing the Chief Minister of amassing billions of rupees and purchasing hundreds of acres of land.

The latest video tape, which had been delivered to television channels, shows an apparently drunk Chennigappa displaying his anger over receiving only Rs 35 million when more than a billion rupees had been pocketed by the Chief Minister, who had purchased about 750 acres of land.

The VCD, which runs for about four minutes, had captured Chennigappa cutting loose during an interaction with mine owners, who are not seen in the footage. The police constable-turned-Forest Minister turns belligerent during the course of his interaction. He is heard shouting that he has received only Rs 35 million. “Rs 100 crore (Rs one billion) for Kumaraswamy and only Rs 3.5 crore (Rs 35 million) for me”, he is heard as saying.

Next, Chennigappa launches a diatribe against the Chief Minister, using the choicest of expletives against his family members. Though the Forest Minister also makes references to the Chief Minister’s father and former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda, but the audio was not clear.

Soon after the VCD was released, it was brought to the Chief Minister’s office at Vidhana Soudha, where Kumaraswamy watched it in the company of Deputy Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa and Home Minister M P Prakash.

Meanwhile, pressure mounted on the JD (S)-BJP coalition in Karnataka to resign in the wake of “incriminating” revelations made in the latest VCD with the Congress party leading a delegation to Governor T N Chaturvedi yesterday.

Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) President M Mallikarjun Kharge, who held several rounds of talks with partymen at Kumarakrupa Guest House in Bangalore since the VCD was released, submitted a memorandum to the Governor on Friday.

But, Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy chose to play down the issue. “I have to better work to do than responding to this. I am sure even you have better work to do”, he told reporters, who sought his reaction.

Responding to a question, whether he would drop Chennigappa from the coalition Cabinet, Kumaraswamy stuck to his earlier stand that the Forest Minister would not be dropped.

Reddy’s CD surfaces in Bangalore, sends JD (S)-BJP coalition into a turmoil

A video CD and an audio CD, purportedly containing the image and voice of Forest Minister C Chennigappa receiving wads of currency notes, surfaced in Bangalore on Wednesday night, sending the JD (S)-BJP coalition into a tizzy.

The CD, which was beamed into millions of homes through television channels, refreshed the Rs 1.5 billion bribery charge levelled against Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy and two of his cabinet colleagues including the Forest Minister by BJP MLC Janardhan Reddy.

The CD, which was hand-delivered to various media houses in Bangalore, has a video lasting for about 12 seconds, showing a hazy picture of a smiling Chennigappa, sporting a striped shirt, sitting in front of bundles of currency notes.

BJP MLC Janardhan Reddy said the CD telecast by television channels was “genuine”. But, said he does not have a clue about how it was leaked to the media. “I have submitted them all to the court. I do not understand who is leaking them to the media”, Reddy told reporters.

Co-incidentally, the CD surfaced in Bangalore on the day Reddy’s writ petition seeking a CBI probe against the Chief Minister, Forest Minister and Home Minister M P Prakash was taken up by the High Court.

Earlier in the day, Reddy had sought the permission of the High Court to submit some audio and video cassettes containing “prima facie” evidence against the Chief Minister and two of his cabinet colleagues.

Reddy’s counsel, C V Nagesh told the court that there were a total of 14 CDs, which he would like to submit before the court. Waving a sealed cover, Nagesh said the same can be kept in the custody of the High Court. But, the Judge H G Ramesh, who was hearing the case, told the counsel to keep it with him for the moment.

Meanwhile, Forest Minister C Chennigappa put up a brave front, unfazed by the revelations in the CD. He dismissed the CDs as a “duplicate” piece of evidence that had been doctored by Reddy. “Neither have I accepted money nor asked anybody to give me money. Reddy has made use of advanced technology to create the CD”, Chennigappa said.

Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy dismissed the CD as “flimsy” and said he had better work to do than wreak his brains over a “doctored” CD. He said there was no proposal to drop Chennigappa before the Cabinet in the wake of the revelations in the CD.

However, the BJP, a partner in the ruling coalition, appeared to play it safe by seeking a probe to ascertain the veracity of the CD. BJP’s Karnataka unit President D V Sadananda Gowda said there was need for an inquiry to ascertain the genuineness of the CD as it has been released after a long delay.

“If the CD is proved to be genuine, the JD (S) will have to take action. Even though it is the internal matter of the party, the person in question is part of the coalition set up and action has to be initiated”, Sadananda Gowda said.

Karnataka to hold its next legislature session in Belgaum

The Karnataka Government has decided to hold the winter session of the State legislature in the Belgaum during the last week of September, sending a strong and clear signal to Maharashtra and the Federal Government that the border district was an integral part of Karnataka.

Announcing this in Bangalore, Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy said the legislature session in Belgaum will be a brief one that will discuss the border dispute between Karnataka and Maharashtra among other issues.

“By doing this, we will be sending a signal to the Centre (Federal Government) and Maharashtra that Belgaum is an indisputable part of Karnataka and we will do all that we can to protect our claim over Belgaum and other disputed areas in the district”, Kumaraswamy said.

The Cabinet meeting held on Wednesday has already approved the decision to hold a brief session of three to four days in Belgaum and the final schedule will be fixed after Assembly Speaker Krishna, who is abroad attending the commonwealth presiding officers’ conference, returns to Bangalore.

The Karnataka Government’s decision to hold a legislature session in Belgaum assumes significance in the wake of recent developments with respect to inter-state boundary dispute between Karnataka and Maharashtra.

Speaking to reporters, Home Minister M P Prakash described the decision to hold a Legislature session in Belgaum as a “historic” one. For, this is the first time a legislature session is being held outside the state capital of Bangalore.

Though the dates for the legislature session will be finalized after Speaker Krishna’s return, Prakash said the session is likely to be held in the last week of September. The high-level committee constituted to look into the demand for holding a legislature session in Belgaum had recommended that the assembly session be held at Kumara Gandharva auditorium and council session be held at Jawarharlal Nehru auditorium of KLE Society in Belgaum.

Government Guest Houses and hotels in and around Belgaum have been identified to accommodate legislators, ministers and officials during the legislature session, Prakash said.
By holding a legislature session in Belgaum, Prakash said the Karnataka Government had set a new precedent that will hopefully pave the way for the Federal Government to hold a Parliament session in Bangalore. A demand in the regard made by former Chief Minister Ramakrishna Hegde had been pending for a long time, Prakash said.

Bababudangiri row – Government’s no to Shobha Yatra

The coalition Government in Karnataka has decided against permitting the controversial Shobha Yatra during the Datta Jayanthi celebrations at the hill shrine of Bababudangiri in Karnataka, much to the chagrin of the BJP and Sangh Parivar outfits.

Amidst reports of grand preparations by the Sangh Parivar outfits for the Datta Jayathi celebrations to be held atop Bababudangiri hills in Chikmagalur district during December this year, Karnataka’s Minister for Home M P Prakash convened a meeting of senior police officers in Bangalore.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Prakash told reporters that the JD (S)-BJP coalition Government in the State will not permit the Shobha Yatra. He said the Government had decided to allow only those rituals that were performed last year when the erstwhile Congress-led Dharam Singh Government was in power.

“Shobha Yatra was not allowed last year. We will not allow it this year also”, said Prakash, who belongs to the JD (S). “The Government will do everything to maintain communal harmony and protect the sanctity of the shrine”, Prakash said.

The Government’s decision has come as a dampener to its coalition partner BJP and its sister organizations, which had been planning to take out a Shobha Yatra this year as the controversial procession had been banned during the Congress-led coalition’s rule last year.

Prakash, however, told reporters that the Government’s decision on disallowing Shobha Yatra would not affect the relations between the coalition partners JD (S) and BJP. “All these issues will be discussed during the meeting of the co-ordination committee of the two parties”, he said.

Referring to former BJP leader Uma Bharati’s proposed to visit to Bababudangiri shrine for the Datta Peetha celebrations, Prakash said the Government will not allow anybody to provoke people and incite communal passions. “We will take stringent action if anybody tries to fish in troubled waters”, Prakash said.

Despite Prakash’s firm no to the controversial Shobha Yatra, BJP leaders appear to be toeing a hard line over the issue. BJP MLA Sunil Kumar, who has been spearheading the preparations for Datta Jayanthi celebrations, claimed that there was no change in the BJP’s stand that Shobha Yatra should be allowed.

He said a delegation of BJP leaders will shortly meet Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy and urge him to allow Shobha Yatra along with other rituals.
But, senior BJP leaders including Minister refused to comment on the issue. Minister for Water Resources K S Eshwarappa and Minister for Small Savings and Lottery Ramachandra Gowda, both of whom belong to the BJP, refused to comment on the Government’s decision on disallowing Shobha Yatra when reporters sought their reaction.

The hill shrine atop Bababudangiri in Chikmagalur district of Karnataka has been at the centre of a raging controversy for the last several years after the Sangh Parivar lauched a campaign for Hindu rituals and appointment of Hindu priest at the shrine, which had both Muslim and Hindu devotees.

Hindu outfit’s ire over Chief Minister proposal stay at Madrassa

Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy’s proposal to stay overnight at a madrassa during his forthcoming tour of coastal Karnataka has infuriated a Hindu outfit, which has threatened to hold a protest over the issue.

Hindu Rashtriya Sena President Pramod Mutalik told reporters that their activists will stage protests throughout the State if Kumaraswamy stayed at madrassa during is tour of coastal Karnataka as planned by him.

Accusing madrassas engaged in jehadi activities, Mutalik said the Chief Minister would be legitimizing such “anti-national” activities by staying at a madrassa.
After he received a huge media attention during his overnight stay at a poor Dalit farmer’s house in Mysore taluk, the Chief Minister said he would be staying at a madrassa during his forthcoming tour of coastal Karnataka.

Three cases against Reddy in one week

BJP legislator Janardhan Reddy, who accused Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy and two of his ministerial colleagues of taking a bribe of Rs 1.5 billion from the mining lobby in Bellary, is now facing the heat of three police complaints registered against him in the span of one week.

The litany of complaints against Reddy began when the priest of an ancient Temple situated along Karnataka’s border with Andhra Pradesh lodged a complaint with Bellary rural police on September 4 accusing the BJP legislator of razing the shrine to the ground.

The second case against Reddy pertained to illegal excavation of iron-ore by Obalapuram Mining company owned by Reddy from a disputed area. Though the court had ordered a status quo in the disputed area, Reddy’s business rivals lodged a complaint against him for violating the court order.

A total of six persons involved in the transportation of iron ore from the banned area had been arrested on the basis of the complaint against Reddy’s company, police said.

The third complaint registered on Monday accused Reddy’s company of trespassing into the land of a neighbouring mine owner and excavating iron ore from there. The aggrieved mine owner T Narayan Reddy accused Janardhan Reddy’s company of trespassing into his land and excavating ore.

Superintendent of Bellary district police Amrit Paul told reporters that a total of three cases had been registered against Reddy during the last one week. Police in the district is engaged in removing the legal hurdles in the arrest of Reddy, who has already taken anticipatory bail from the court. The police has filed an affidavit in the court seeking cancellation of the anticipatory bail granted to Reddy.

Reddy has claimed that the police complaints registered against him were “politically motivated”. He sought to dismiss the police complaints as “false charges”, which had been levelled to frame him. He said the false police complaints had been registered to divert public attention from the Rs 1.5 billion bribery charge levelled by him against the Chief Minister and his ministerial colleagues

IAF to buy 126 fighter aircraft

Indian Air Force (IAF) has decided to acquire a total of 126 multi-role fighter aircraft.

Disclosing this to reporters on the sidelines of the 54th International Congress of Aviation and Aerospace Medicine in Bangalore, Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshall S P Tyagi said the Request For Proposals (RFP) to buy 126 fighter aircraft will be sent to various firms shortly.

The RFP to be issued by the Federal Ministry of Defence “will be out very shortly”, he said. The RFPs will be sent to Russian, American, French, Swedish and British companies, Tyagi said.

However, the Chief of Air Staff said the selection of the supplier will be a complex procedure. “We will evaluate the product and carry out technical and technological evaluation”, he said.

Tyagi said the IAF will only specify the type of aircraft and will not name a particular model. “There are several considerations like suitable price, technology and how quickly we can absorb that technology will also be considered”.

The Chief of Air Staff also said the process of weaponisation of indigenously development Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) had started. “The IAF had placed orders for 20 aircraft and process of weaponisation is on schedule. We are carrying out the integration of weapons on the LCA”, he said.

However, Tyagi refused to share with the media whether Indian firms or private firms had supplied the weapons, which are being integrated with the LCA. “The Ministry of Defence will take care of it”, he said.

Though Tyagi admitted that IAF was facing a shortage of pilots, he said the problem was not serious in nature as the rate of attrition was not increasing at present. He said the IAF was increasing the rate of induction of pilots.
The Chief of Air Staff also said the number of accidents involving IAF aircrafts had also come down considerably during the last 30 years. He said minimizing accidents was a continous process and the rate of accidents will be brought down further.

Temple facing an elephantine problem in Karnataka

The famous Kollur Mookambika Temple in Mangalore district of Karnataka is facing an elephantine problem. For, a rogue temple elephant, which underwent a yearlong treatment at a conditioning camp for elephants run by the forest department, is back to its rampaging ways.

Barely had the authorities of the Temple begun heaving a sigh of relief after spending a whopping Rs 1.3 million for taming its rogue elephant did the 24-year-old pachyderm stomped on a stationary Tata Sumo van. The worried temple authorities have now put the elephant back in chains and have asked the forest department to take him back.

A devotee had gifted the elephant to the Temple in 1985 when he was barely three years old. The elephant named Rajendra led a peaceful existence in the till 2004 when he started running amok in the neighbouring agricultural fields and damaging the crops.

When the elephant began going berserk frequently and even attacked two people, the Temple authorities promptly sent him to the forest department camp for treatment. After the treatment was over the forest department sent a bill for Rs 1.3 million along with a letter stating that the animal had been cured and would not cause any harm to life or property around the temple.

Though the bill was forwarded to the Karnataka Government’s Religious Endowments Department under whose control the Temple came, the authorities of the Kollur Mookambika Temple took possession of the elephant, hoping that the pachyderm would lead a peaceful life.

When the elephant resumed its rampaging ways within days after returning to the Temple, the authorities informed the Religious Endowments Department about the unsuccessful attempt to tame the rogue elephant.

“It is obvious that the elephant has not been cured completely. Therefore, we have asked the forest department to take him away”, Minister for Religious Endowments Nagaraj Shetty told reporters.

But, the forest department has defended itself by claiming that is difficult to predict the animal’s behaviour and advised the temple management to be patient till Rajendra adjusts to life around the temple once again.

Explaining why an astronomical sum of Rs 1.3 million was charged by the forest department for Rajendra’s treatment, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) A K Verma said the department provided the best possible treatment to the elephant.“A mahout was kept exclusively for Rajendra at a salary of Rs 8,000 per month along with two assistants who charged extra. The cost of feeding the animal alone was upwards of Rs 3 lakh, added to this was the veterinarians’ bill and forest guards who were used for escorting Rajendra on his daily walks,” Verma added.

But, Rajendra seemed to have unlearnt all that he was taught in the forest, the temple management argued. In no mood to take the risk of the elephant running amok on the temple premises, the authorities are in a hurry to send the animal back to the forest camp.

Telgi claims he was awake during narco-analysis

The prime accused in the multi-billion rupee fake stamp paper scam Abdul Karim Telgi gave a new twist to his sensational disclosures during the narco-analysis conducted on him three years ago by claiming he was awake and conscious during the interrogation.

“I was awake and conscious during the narco-analysis test conducted on me” said Telgi in a four-page letter written from Yerawada Central Jail, where he is presently lodged, to his advocate in Bangalore M T Nanaiah.

In the letter, whose copies were made available to the media in Bangalore, Telgi said he remembers the test to have lasted around 35 minutes. “I was conscious. I know all the questions that were asked. I pretended to be unconscious”, he said.

But, Telgi, who claims that he was shown the video tape of his narco analysis later, said he had never implicated either Maharashtra politicians Sharad Pawar, Chaggan Bhujbal and Vilas Rao Deshmukh. “They had showed me the video cassette of the test. There was no mention of either Pawar, Deshmukh or Bhujbal”, Telgi said.

He described as “1,000 per cent” fake the video cassette of his narco analysis that hit national headlines last week. He said the video tape had clearly been “fabricated”. For, there was no mention of the Maharashtra politicians.

Further, Telgi said the original video cassette of his narco analysis contains “some bigger news” and “some bigger names. “Why are they hiding that ? Why don’t they show the genuine cassette of my test”, Telgi said.

The letter throws light on the dogged refusal of Telgi to identify the persons who posed a threat to his life despite repeated prodding by interrogators during his “trance”. While the interrogators could extract the full details to certain questions, they failed in other crucial questions like the source of threat to Telgi.

Eiffel tower-like monument suggested for Bangalore

Noted space scientist K Kasturirangan has mooted the idea of symbolizing the spirit of Karnataka by creating a monument in Bangalore on the lines of either the Eiffel Tower of Paris or the Statue of Liberty in New York.

“When I think about a monument in Bangalore, it is something like Eiffel Tower in Paris and Statue of Liberty in New York, but in a different context. Maybe we should think about it”, Kasturirangan said while addressing the annual convention of Bangalore Management Association (BMA).

Kasturirangan, who is also a Rajya Sabha MP, a monument for Karnataka that symbolizes the spirit of the state, entrepreneurship, adventurism, culture and social ethos was necessary.

Pointing out that the year 2006 marks the fiftieth anniversary of the formation of the state of Karnataka, Kasturirangan said it was advisable to build such a monument to mark the occasion.

He suggested that Bangalore’s infrastructure should improve in such a way that it would cater to the requirements even after 50 years and hold good even for centuries. “We have to think locally and act globally”, he said.

BJP legislator accused of blasting 200-year-old Temple

BJP legislator Janardhan Reddy, who has levelled bribery charges against Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy, has now been accused of blasting a 200-year-old Temple in Bellary district by using dynamites.

The priest of the Temple has lodged a complaint with the rural police in Bellary district alleging that Obalapur Mines, the iron-ore mining company owned by Reddy, had razed the shrine to the ground as its presence was proving to be a hindrance to its mining activities.

The priest, who claimed to be performing pooja at the Temple for the last several years, told the police that he was shocked to find the 200-year-old shrine destroyed when he went there three days ago. “I had performed pooja the previous evening. When I went there the next morning, the Temple had been razed to the ground”, he said in his complaint to the police.

Janardhan Reddy, who has denied his hand in the destruction of the Temple, said the complaint against him was a “political ploy”, orchestrated to divert public attention from the Rs 1.5 billion bribery charge he had levelled against the Chief Minister.

He took a team of reporters to the mining sites belonging to his company on Thursday and said the destroyed Temple was located at a distance away from his mining area. “There was no need for me to blast the Temple”, he said.

Reddy argued that mining area of Obalapur Mines was situated just across Karnataka’s borders in Andhra Pradesh. Wondering how the police in Bellary could register a complaint against him when the mining area belonging to his company is situated in Andhra Pradesh, Reddy said it was nothing but a plot to nail him down.

Meanwhile, the destruction of the ancient Temple took a new turn on Thursday evening when a group of Telugu Desam Party (TDP) activists reached the mining site and laid a fresh foundation stone for the Temple. The TDP activists, who regretted the destruction of the Temple, even engaged the employees of Obalapur Mines into an argument over the issue.

But, Reddy remained unfazed and said a “false complaint” had been registered against him because of the Chief Minister’s failure to give a proper reply to his bribery charges.

Congress penalized for defacing Bangalore

The Congress party in Karnataka has been penalized by the Bangalore City Corporation for defacing the City by erecting a large number of posters and cut-outs during Congress President Sonia Gandhi’s visit last Sunday.

After assessing the full extent of violations, the Bangalore City Corporation has sent a notice to the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) for payment of Rs 1.3 million as penalty.

The Joint Commissioner of Bangalore City Corporation Nagaraj told reporters that the party had put up thousands of posters and banners in addition to the permitted limit. The violations had occurred largely on the stretch of road leading to the venue of Sonia Gandhi’s rally in Palace Grounds from the Bangalore airport.

Congress President Sonia Gandhi addressed a mammoth rally in Bangalore last Sunday to mark the merger of former Deputy Chief Minister Siddaramaiah-led All India Progressive Janata Dal (AIPJD) with the Congress.

The enthusiastic Congress workers had virtually flooded the City with banners, posters and larger-than-life-size cut-outs of the party President in various parts of Bangalore.

Bangalore City Corporation authorities said the Congress party had agreed to pay the penalty for violating rules and putting up publicity material in addition to sanctioned limit.

Congress sees JD (S) hand behind release of CD on Telgi

The Congress party in Karnataka has dubbed the release of a video tape of the multi billion rupee fake stamp paper scam’s alleged mastermind Abdul Karim Telgi’s confession during a narco analysis test as an “attempt to divert public attention” from the bribery charges levelled against Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy and his family members.

Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) General Secretary Prakash Rathod openly suspected the role of the JD (S) behind the release of the three-year-old video tape of Telgi’s confessions.

The video tape has been released at a time when Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy and his family members are finding it difficult to duck the series of charges of corruption levelled against them.

Though Telgi had named former Minister and Congress MLA R Roshan Baig during the narco analysis test along with Federal Minister Sharad Pawar and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Chhagan Bhujbal, Rathod said the Congress party had never shielded any of those involved in the scam. “In the fake stamp paper scam, it was the then Congress Government in Karnataka headed by S M Krishna, which had the scam unearthed and got Telgi arrested”, he said.

Meanwhile, R Roshan Baig said the release of the video tapes is a “political plant”. “The CBI had investigated the charges levelled by Telgi. I had appeared thrice before the investigating agencies and they could not find anything against me”, he said.

Rathod said the narco analysis test on Telgi was conducted three years ago in the wake of which the then Maharashtra Home Minister Chagan Bhujpal had resigned.

KPCC President M Mallikarjun Kharge also sought to downplay the contents of the video tape. He said the names revealed by Telgi had been already been discussed three years ago when the narco analysis test was conducted. The CBI had conducted an inquiry into it. “So, what is new about it”, he said.

The narco analysis had been conducted on Abdul Karim Telgi on December 22, 2003 at the Forensic Sciences Laboratory at Victoria Hospital in Bangalore. The doctors had injected a combination of dextrose and sodium penthanol mixed with water, which made Telgi chattier and answer various questions posed by the experts.

However, experts from the judiciary and senior police officials contend that the narco analysis report could only be used as a tool for investigation and not as evidence in the court of law.

Many forensic scientists and senior police officers agree that the confessions during a narco analysis test cannot be used as evidence. “When a person is injected with chemicals, the person becomes less inhibitive and speaks spontaneously. But, not necessarily the truth. He can manipulate things and even try to mislead”, a senior forensic expert said.

Diabetic-friendly wheat strain developed in Karnataka

Crop scientists in Karnataka have developed a high-yielding wheat variety, whose regular consumption helps control the level of sugar in diabetic patients.

According to Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR), the University of Agricultural Sciences in Dharwad in Karnataka had come out with a new strain of wheat, whose food products not only dissolve slowly in the human body, but also release fewer calories.

Released at the All India Wheat and Barley Researchers’ Meet held at Kanpur last week, the variety of wheat developed by crop scientists of Karnataka was found to have a positive impact on the blood glucose, lipoprotein, triglycerides and plasma cholesterol level.

Agricultural researchers from Karnataka had already tested the medicinal benefits of the wheat strain on 35 diabetic patients. The food products from the variety of wheat took five to six hours to completely dissolve in the human body, thereby controlling the level of sugar.

Also, compared to the normal bread, the food products from the variety of wheat newly developed contained more protein and dietary fibre.

According to a leading crop scientist from Karnataka R R Hanchinal, the new variety of wheat gives ten per cent more yield.

Kumaraswamy for fresh probe into la affair Telgi

Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy has favoured a fresh probe into the multi-billion rupee fake stamp paper scam in the wake of the claim made by its suspected kingpin Abdul Karim Telgi that he had paid a huge amount of money to politicians and policemen.

Kumaraswamy’s threat to order a fresh probe came soon after it became public that Telgi, during a narco-analysis test conducted on him during December 2003, had claimed that spent about Rs 20 billion on policemen and politicians from Karnataka as well as Maharashtra.

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) from Pune had recorded Telgi’s narco-analysis, conducted by the Forensic Sciences Laboratory at Victoria Hospital in Bangalore, in two VCDs, which had been released to a section of the press in Bangalore, including a television channel.

The VCD shows Telgi getting ready for the test, being injected with the truth serum, falling into a trance and being questioned. Apart from claiming that he had spent about Rs 20 billion on policemen and politicians from the two states, Telgi claims that politicians are “bad animals”, who cannot be trusted.

During the course of the narco-analysis, which begins minutes after he is administered the truth serum, Telgi answers all the questions with a drawling accent. He is shown being given water through soaked cotton to keep him hydrated. Telgi has named a couple of politicians, both from Karnataka and Maharashtra.

Responding to the sensational disclosures of Telgi during the narco-analysis, Kumaraswamy, who has a running feud with the Congress party over corruption charges, said politicians should hang their heads in shame. “The Government will have to think about ordering a fresh probe into the entire scam”, he said.

Karnataka High Court partially lifts ban on sale of Pepsi

In a major relief to the multinational cola giant Pepsi, the Karnataka High Court has partially lifted the ban on sale of its soft drinks in various public places in the State.

A single-judge bench of the High Court stayed the operation of the ban orders on sale of Pepsi’s aerated drinks in government offices, hospitals and hostels. But, allowed the prohibition to remain in force at schools and colleges.

The partial stay on the Karnataka Government’s ban on sale of soft drinks comes as a major relief to Pepsi, which has launched a major publicity drive to stave off the charges of high pesticide content in its products.

In his interim order, Justice D V Shailendra Kumar, however, said a partial ban on the sale of Pepsi’s products would continue in the state as the soft drinks will remain banned in schools and colleges of the state. But, they can be sold freely in hospitals, government offices and hostels.

The multinational cola manufacturer had move the High Court after the JD (S)-BJP Government had banned the sale of Pepsi’s products in Government offices, hospitals and hostels, besides schools and colleges with effect from August 14 by issuing a notification. The Karnataka Government’s move came after the Centre for Science and Environment, New Delhi, came out with a report that soft drinks manufactured by different multinational companies contained a high level of pesticide residues that were harmful to health.

But, Pepsico India Holdings, in its argument, contended that the Karnataka Government did not have powers to ban the sale of its soft drinks under the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act. Only the Federal Government had the powers to prohibit the sale of any food article.

But, the counsel for Karnataka Government claimed that the State Government had powers to impose prohibition on the grounds that it would injure public health.

After hearing the case, the judge observed that the “manner in which the State Government had issued the notification raises a question about the bonafide exercise of power. The State should have gone about in a more systematic manner in getting samples from the laboratory”.

After partially staying the Government order, the judge posted the case for further hearing on September 25.

Bail for BJP legislator Janardhan Reddy

A City court has granted bail to BJP legislator Janardhan Reddy in connection with the defamation suit filed against him by Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy for leveling charges of bribery.

Reddy, who arrived at the Additional Sessions Court in Bangalore in his BMW on Monday in response to summons from the judge, waited patiently in the court hall while his counsel C V Nagesh completed the arguments.

The court granted Reddy bail, but directed him to furnish a surety of Rs 50,000. The court had admitted a defamation suit filed by Chief Minister and Home Minister M P Prakash whom Reddy had accused of accepting a bribe of Rs 1.5 billion from the mine owners of Bellary district.

Meanwhile, Reddy’s writ petition seeking a CBI probe against the Chief Minister and his ministerial colleagues in the bribery scandal is expected to come up for hearing at the Karnataka High Court.

Reddy told reporters that he was in possession of conclusive evidence to substantiate his charges of bribery against the Chief Minister, Home Minister and Forest Minister C Chennigappa. “The JD (S)-BJP Government will not be able to complete its full term of 40 months”, he said.

He claimed he had withheld the documentary proof in his possession during the recent media conference in view of his pending writ petition in the High Court. “There is more in store for the Chief Minister and his men. The battle has just begun”, he said rubbishing Kumaraswamy’s claim that the bribery episode was a “closed chapter”.

Fake IAS officer cooling his heels in police custody

After masquerading as a senior IAS officer from the Federal Ministry of Commerce and enjoying the best of Government hospitality as a privileged guest, an imposter finally fell into the police net in Mangalore in Karnataka on Sunday evening.

The fake IAS officer identified as Subramanya Swamy from Andhra Pradesh managed to enjoy all the facilities extended to a state guest as per the official protocol in Udupi and Mangalore districts of Karnataka. He was provided the best of vehicles for travel and plush accommodation, besides security guards for two days till his bluff was called.

Subramanya Swamy’s dream run began after he, posing as an IAS officer, telephoned Udupi district superintendent of police and informed him about his arrival along with his personal assistant on September 2. The police sent an official vehicle – Toyota Qualis – to receive the “IAS officer” and had him put up at a plush hotel.

The imposter later even had the nerve to meet the Deputy Commissioner later in the day lunch with him. He toured several pilgrim centers in Udupi district before reaching neighbouring Mangalore the next day in the car provided to him by the Udupi district administration.

He called up the Deputy Commissioner of Mangalore district and sought the same facilities extended to him by Udupi district administration. He also sought additional security as he had travel in naxal-infested areas of the district. Few could suspect the identity of the imposter as he was speaking with aplomb in Hindi, English and Telugu.

But, the headquarters assistant to the Deputy Commissioner in Mangalore H G Bhat smelt a rat when Subramanya Swamy claimed he was a 1986-batch IAS officer. He alerted the Superintendent of Mangalore district police B Dayananda. Soon, the police learnt that there was nobody by Subramanya Swamy’s name in the list of IAS officers. A quick communication with senior officials in New Delhi confirmed the doubts of Mangalore police.

A team of policemen soon reached the Government Guest House, where the imposter was taking rest. After being subjected to an interrogation, Subramanya Swamy blurted out the truth. The imposter was planning to leave Mangalore by the night train and the police managed to nail him in the nick of time, police claimed. Both Subramanya Swamy and his “personal assistant” Nagaraj were arrested.

Sonia lunches with poor farmer

It was virtually a dream come true for a 56-year-old poor farmer from Koppal district in north Karnataka when he was invited by Congress President Sonia Gandhi to have lunch with her at the Kumarakrupa Guest House in Bangalore on Sunday.

Erappa had lost his only son Suresh, 24, a Congress party loyalist, who suffered a cardiac arrest when Sonia Gandhi rejected the mantle of Prime Minister after the 2004 elections to the Lok Sabha.

After Sonia Gandhi had expressed her desire to meet Suresh’s family during her visit to Bangalore, the Congress party leaders had brought Erappa for the public rally in Bangalore on Sunday. When Erappa was taken to the Kumarakrupa Guest House in Bangalore after the rally, Sonia Gandhi was having her lunch.

When she was informed about Erappa’s presence, Sonia Gandhi rushed out, startling the Special Protection Group (SPG) guarding her, and invited the poor farmer to lunch with her.

After lunch, Sonia Gandhi comforted Erappa. “It is sad that you lost your son. But, we are with you”, the Congress President told the poor farmer. Sonia Gandhi also presented a cheque worth Rs 100,000 to Erappa.

She asked Erappa the keep the cheque carefully and instructed the local Congress leaders of Koppal to arrange for his last daughter’s wedding. Erappa’s only son Suresh was the sole bread-winner of the family. His two elder daughters are already married.

Congress leaders from Koppal said Suresh, who had campaigned for the Congress party during the 2004 Lok Sabha elections, suffered a heart attack when he was watching the television beaming pictures about Sonia Gandhi’s rejection of the top post and anointment of Manmohan Singh as the premier.

He was immediately rushed to the hospital, where he died later. When Sonia Gandhi was told about the tragedy, she had sent a cheque for Rs 100,000 to Suresh’s family. About Rs 45,000 from the compensation amount went for his hospital bills.

Though Sonia Gandhi wished to meet Suresh’s father and mother, his mother Shavantramma Moolimani could not make it to Bangalore as she was suffering from an injury in her leg.

But, Sonia Gandhi made Erappa’s day by lunching with him and topping it with a cheque for Rs 100,000.

Sonia trains guns on JD (S)-BJP Government in Karnataka

Congress President Sonia Gandhi launched a scathing attack on the “opportunistic alliance” between JD (S) and BJP in Karnataka and promised that the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) will announce a special package for the flood-hit state.

Addressing a mammoth public rally to mark the induction of former Deputy Chief Minister Siddaramaiah into the Congress, Sonia Gandhi said the JD (S), which had aligned with the Congress to form a coalition Government, had sacrificed the principles of secularism to join hands with the BJP.

She said the coalition Government, which had been besieged by corruption charges levelled by a member of its coalition partner BJP, had put development on the backburner. Local politics has come in the way of the progress of Karnataka, which had made remarkable strides in the field of IT, she said.

Rejecting the JD (S)-BJP Government’s charge that UPA was discriminating against Karnataka, Sonia Gandhi said the Federal Government had given a huge financial aid to the State Government to tackle the recent floods.

Sonia Gandhi, who is also the Chairperson of the UPA, said the Federal Government was aware of the sufferings of people in flood-hit states like Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala. “The Government is planning to announce special financial package for flood-hit states like Karnataka”, he said.

Sonia Gandhi said the Congress party was hopeful that the women’s reservation bill will be passed in the Parliament soon. “Discussions are already underway among the partners of the UPA coalition. I am hopeful that it will come through”, she said.

She welcomed Siddaramaiah, who fell out with JD (S) supremo and former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda, into the Congress fold and expressed confidence that his entry will strengthen the party.

Curiously, Sonia Gandhi remained silent on the raging controversy over the border dispute between Karnataka and neighbouring Maharashtra.

A group of black flag-waving Kannada activists, who tried to gain entry into the venue of the public meeting at Palace Grounds in Bangalore, were stopped at the entrance and arrested. The Kannada activists were protesting against the Federal Government’s decision to withdraw a pro-Karnataka affidavit in connection with a case relating to the border dispute between the two states.

Meanwhile, the City of Bangalore was all decked up for Sonia Gandhi’s reception with large banners and posters put up all along her route from the airport to the Palace Grounds. An estimated 300,000 to 400,000 people from different parts of the state had converged at the Palace grounds for the rally.

Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy reacted bitterly to the Congress rally in Bangalore. “What is their achievement that was so macho that they are organizing a rally”, he told reporters.

Krishna threatens to sue retired Karnataka cops for defamation in Telgi case

Maharashtra Governor and former Karnataka Chief Minister S M Krishna has decided to initiate criminal defamation proceedings against retired police officers H T Sangliana and Sangram Singh for linking him with the alleged mastermind in the multi-billion rupee fake stamp paper racket Abdul Karim Telgi.

Krishna’s legal notices to Sangliana, who is now a BJP MP, and Sangram Singh came within hours after the duo convened a press conference in Bangalore on Saturday and claimed that Telgi’s ill-gotten cash had been used by the former Karnataka Chief Minister to raise the ransom money for the release of abducted Kannada actor Rajkumar’s from jungle outlaw Veerappan’s captivity during 2000.

Sangram Singh, who was also arrested in the Telgi case, but is now out on bail, said he saw the alleged kingpin of the fake stamp paper scam for the first time in the company of Krishna and then Home Minister M Mallikarjun Kharge. “I don’t know whether politicians sheltered Telgi till his arrest”, Sangram Singh told reporters.

Sangliana, during whose tenure as Commissioner of Bangalore City Police Telgi was arrested, said arresting Sangram Singh in the stamp paper scam is like catching a “small fly”. “Politicians and police officers, who fleeced Telgi, are roaming without fear. Telgi himself has revealed a few names and was in the process of preparing a confessional statement. We hope he will make the statement soon”, Sangliana said.

Responding to the serious allegations against him, Krishna, who now the Governor of Maharashtra, issued a press statement from Raj Bhavan in Mumbai dismissing all the charges levelled against him by the retired cops. Criminal defamation proceedings will be initiated against them for “maligning my public image”, Krishna said in the press statement.

Pointing out that Sangram Singh was himself accused in the stamp paper scam, Krishna said it was ridiculous that Sangliana, a retired IPS officer, was associating himself with an accused in case, which is being probed by the CBI.

Further, Krishna claimed that it was during his tenure as Chief Minister of Karnataka that Telgi was arrested and several cases relating to the stamp paper scam were registered against him. The former Chief Minister also claimed credit for setting up StampIT, an investigating agency meant exclusively to probe the stamp paper scam.

Meanwhile, advocates from Ashok Harnahalli Associates, representing Krishna, had issued legal notices Sangliana and Sangram Singh, charging them with defaming his client and causing “irreparable damage to his reputation”.