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The Hindu
01-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
DKS warns BJP against disrupting rallies
D.K. Shivakumar, Deputy Chief Minister and KPCC president, warned the BJP against disruption of its rallies and events. 'In a democracy, everyone has a right to protest. But the BJP is resorting to cheap tactics like infiltrating our party rallies and raising insulting slogans. If the BJP does not mend its ways, we will give it an appropriate political response,' he said, at the 'Save Constitution, Save Nation' rally in Hubballi on Thursday. AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge advised Congress leaders to forget personal differences and fight against divisive forces. 'It is time for us to forget minor individual differences and fight unitedly against the authoritarian rule of the Union government and their non democratic functioning,' he said.
The Hindu
01-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
If Centre does not start caste census in three months, it means it is disinterested, claims Kharge
If the Union government does not begin caste census in three months, it means that it is disinterested in doing it, AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge claimed in Hubballi on Thursday. 'We wholeheartedly welcome the Union government's decision to include caste in the next census. But we want no delay in it. We would like to see it happen immediately. If the work does not start in three months, it means that the Centre is not serious about it and the announcement lacks any meaning,' Mr. Kharge said. He was addressing a Save Constitution, Save Nation rally organised by the Congress. He also demanded that the Union government should collect all data related to various communities, conduct a caste census every 10 years and remove the 50% cap on reservation. 'Karnataka government plans to increase the total reservation quota but the Union government is not permitting it,' he said. 'Some BJP leaders are always criticising us. They speak scornfully against our party leaders. They criticize everything they do. When we were demanding caste census, they abused us saying we are trying to divide society and the country. They did not listen when we said a caste census is essential for the country's development,' he said. 'But now, the Union government has bowed down before people pressure. Some leaders, including a Union Minister, criticised Rahul Gandhi's views on caste census. They used unparliamentary words against him. They said that he was trying to create hatred between communities. Now that their own government has announced plans for a caste census, what will they say?'' Mr. Kharge asked.
The Hindu
29-04-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Siddaramaiah raising hand at policeman is an unfortunate incident, says Hebbalkar
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah raising his hand at a police officer during the Save Constitution, Save Nation rally in Belagavi on Monday is an unfortunate incident. It should not have happened, Minister Laxmi Hebbalkar said in Belagavi on Tuesday. To a query, she said that the gesture by Mr. Siddaramaiah was an impulsive action and did not reflect any generalised disrespect towards officers by him. 'He might have done so at the spur of the moment. I would say it is accidental and should not have happened. Mr. Siddaramaiah is a senior leader and is respected across the State. He too has great respect for officers and has treated them with courtesy all through his decades of public life. He also protects all good officers. It was one isolated incident,' she said. And, Minister M.B. Patil told reporters in Vijayapura on Tuesday that he did not believe the Chief Minister's gesture was to strike at any officer. 'I think it was to point towards the officer and direct him to control the commotion,' he said.
The Hindu
28-04-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
BJP is anti-poor, says Shivakumar
'People of the State have seen through the BJP's conspiracy of raising prices and blaming it on the other parties. It is facing a backlash from the people for its anti-poor policies,' Deputy Chief Minister and KPCC president D.K. Shivakumar said in Belagavi on Monday. 'When the BJP leaders come to you telling lies about how the Congress is responsible for the price rise, you should not only not believe them but also tell them to go away. You should tell them on their face that you know who is responsible for the price rise and that their lies will no longer work. You should send them back,' he said. He was speaking at a Save Constitution, Save Nation rally. 'Some BJP leaders have been speaking against our guarantee schemes. But they are so hypocritical that they are announcing the same guarantee schemes in all their election manifestos. BJP governments in various States have implemented the same schemes. However , they should realise that our success cannot be limited to guarantee schemes alone. We have taken up or ensured several development works and long-term investments in infrastructure, irrigation and industry,' he said. He claimed that at least ₹40 crore worth of road construction was taken up in each Assembly constituency. Efforts are being made to build power supply infrastructure to ensure round-the-clock power supply, filling of tanks and lakes and major irrigation projects like Yettinahole are being taken up. 'We hope to bring water to Chikkaballapur by 2028,' he said. Full support to Centre He said that the Congress has strongly condemned the terror attack in Kashmir. 'We are not playing politics over it. We are in full support of the Union government's anti-terror measures. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has announced ₹10 lakh compensation to the tourists from Karnataka who lost their lives in Pahalgam,' he said. He compared the prices of food, fuel and other commodities to the tenures of Manmohan Singh as Prime Minister and Narendra Modi. AICC general secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala said that there are only models before the people of this country, the loot and hike prices model of the BJP and support the poor and introduce guarantees model of the Congress. The people know who to choose in the coming elections, he claimed. 'While the BJP government is taking away money from your pockets, the Congress is placing money in your bank accounts. Who do you choose? The answer is obvious,' he said. He said that the Centre has collected over ₹5,000 crore by hiking fuel prices by two rupees per litre in the recent months from customers in Karnataka alone. On the other hand, the Congress government has directly transferred ₹80,000 crore to the people of Karnataka in the last two years. It is only because the Congress is pro-people while the BJP is anti-poor. The BJP only wants its corporate friends to be happy while the Congress wants all the people, including the poor, to be happy,' Mr. Surjewala said.
The Hindu
28-04-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
CM blames BJP for price rise
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah launched an attack on the BJP accusing it of raising prices of essential commodities only to help its corporate friends make profits while neglecting the poor. What is more, it is misleading the people of the country by blaming the Congress governments in the States for the price rise. It is also destroying the spirit of the Constitution by dividing society on the lines of caste and religion, the Chief Minister said in Belagavi on Monday. He was speaking at a Save Constitution, Save Nation rally against the Union government. 'It is the BJP that has been raising prices of fuel, food items and other commodities since it came to power 11 years ago. Its policies are wrong and are aimed at benefitting the rich and are clearly anti-poor. However, it is blaming the Congress to cover its mistakes,' he complained. 'The people of the State should know who is truly responsible for price rise, who is cheating them and betraying their mandate,' Mr. Siddaramaiah said. He questioned why petrol, diesel and domestic gas prices have not halved despite international crude oil prices dropping from 120 USD to 62 USD per barrel, in the last decade. 'When fuel prices increase, they have a cascading effect on the prices of other commodities. The BJP leaders are going around lying about the causes of price rise. That is why we began organising these rallies, to tell the people the truth,' he said. 'I want to the tell the BJP, you have no moral right to take out rallies against price rise. You have raised prices, but you are trying to blame it on us. We are not afraid of your plans. We have the power to face you publicly,' he said. 'The BJP has no moral right to hold rallies against price rise when it is their wrong economic policies that have burdened the common man,' he asserted. 'They raised prices and now blame us, but we are not afraid of their tactics. We will confront them publicly. We are not afraid of the BJP and RSS tactics,' he said. The Chief Minister accused the BJP of exploiting religious and caste divisions for political gains. 'The BJP thrives on dividing society, but the people have seen through their game,' he said. He also targeted the BJP's past political strategies saying that the party has never come to power on its own strength but through dirty political games like Operation Lotus. 'They entered through the backdoor, but the people defeated them and brought us back to power,' he claimed. He claimed that the Congress will come back to power in the next elections. The Chief Minister branded the BJP as 'anti-poor, anti-farmer, anti-Muslim, anti-Dalit and anti-women', while questioning its achievements. 'What has the BJP really done for the people? They only know how to spread hatred and increase hardships of the poor,' he said. 'The BJP is dividing society on the basis of religion and caste. But we will not bow down to the BJP-RSS's big threats. We have the power to confront you with all our might,' he said. He said that some BJP activists tried to disrupt the rally on Monday. 'However, we will not be silenced. We will continue to speak against the injustice committed by the BJP against the people,' he said. 'When Manmohan Singh was the Prime Minister, there was a 30% tax on corporates. After Modi came to power, you reduced this tax to 22%. However, they increased the tax on the poor and middle classes. Aren't you ashamed of taking such anti-poor measures?' he asked BJP leaders. 'Shouldn't the people question the BJP's rule against the poor and the middle class? How many more years will they continue to lie to us Indians?' he asked. 'The BJP protested against the price rise of ₹4 per litre of milk that we did to help farmers. It is because it is anti-farmer and is worried only about urban dwellers. Even after the hike, milk prices are the lowest among our neighbours. Even bus fare, water tariff and power rates are the lowest in Karnataka compared to our neighbours. If I begin to talk about the wrong economic policies of the Centre, they target me. But they should understand that Siddaramaiah is not afraid of such threats and propaganda,' he said.
