After Ahmed Patel’s victory D K Shivakumar emerges as a Cong hero

coastaldigest.com news network
August 10, 2017

Bengaluru, Aug 9: Vokkaliga strongman D K Shivakumar, who indirectly played a key role in the decisive victory of Congress veteran Ahmed Patel in Rajya Sabha elections from Gujarat, has now emerged as a hero among Congress leaders at national level.

The Energy Minister of Karnataka, who had to face the wrath of Centre’s ruling BJP in the form of I-T department raids, has also consolidate his position in the party ahead of looming Assembly polls.

Shivakumar is understood to have received a pat on his back from the Congress top brass, including AICC president Sonia Gandhi and her political secretary Ahmed Patel, for his efforts in hosting the Gujarat Congress MLAs at a resort near Bengaluru. Both Sonia and Patel are learnt to have called up Shivakumar on Wednesday and congratulated him. Ahmed Patel was the party candidate in the election.

Shivakumar took up the responsibility of safeguarding the Gujarat MLAs when there was a threat of them being poached by the BJP in Gujarat. Though he was away in Singapore, Shivakumar cut short his tour, rushed to Bengaluru and assumed charge of the MLAs. He, along with his brother and Congress MP D K Suresh, ensured that MLAs are safe despite Income Tax department raids on him for three days.

In fact, Shivakumar has proved himself as a crisis manager for the party on many occasions in the past. He had hosted around 70 Congress MLAs from Maharashtra during a political crisis in 2002. In 2014, Shivakumar ensured the victory of the party candidate in Bellary Rural Assembly constituency, which was considered the fiefdom of Ballari Reddy brothers. He is also credited with the party’s victory in the recently held byelection to Gundlupet Assembly constituency.

Ever since senior leader S M Krishna quit the Congress, Shivakumar has been trying to position himself as the Vokkaliga face of the party.

Speaking to reporters, Shivakumar charged the BJP with trying to woo Gujarat MLAs during their stay in Bengaluru. But all their efforts were in vain. He also said he has details of how efforts were made to poach the MLAs and that he would disclose them at the right time. “Ups and downs are common. The party leaders, including Sonia Gandhi and Chief Minister (Siddaramaiah), and the workers stood with me,” he added, referring to the I-T raids.

Comments

salam Bava
 - 
Thursday, 10 Aug 2017

we have to understand congress and DKS are up against Mr Modi, Mr Shah. And they think differently, they act differently, and if congress is not flexible in its approach, they will become irrelevant.
This is right time to Congress to recognize that India has changed. "Old slogans don't work, old formulas don't work, old mantras don't work. India has changed, the Congress party has to change.

So act of DKS is 100% justified

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Agencies
February 6,2020

New Delhi, Feb 6: Unemployment rate in the country as per a new survey was 6.1 per cent in 2017-18, the government informed Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.

Minister of State for Labour Santosh Gangwar said the government is conducting a new Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) with new parameters and bigger sample size, and its results cannot be compared with previous surveys in this regard.

"As per the new Periodic Labour Force Survey being conducted by the government, the labour force participation is 36.9 per cent and the rate of unemployment for 2017-18 is 6.1 per cent," he said.

Replying to supplementaries during the Question Hour, the minister said the report of this survey is very different than the surveys conducted in previous years.

This survey is not comparable to previous surveys, he said, adding it was an attempt to provide authentic data with the new survey conducted through the Ministry of Statistics.

"We are focusing on infrastructure development and ease of doing business and India's position in the world has improved. India has improved its position to 63rd rank now in 2019 against 196 in previous years," he said.

"Our government is very conscious of creating employment opportunities and is running such programme which generates employment.

"The way our government is functioning, employment opportunities are being created and the youths are getting jobs also," the minister said.

Gangwar said the government has stopped the previous survey as the sample size was low and an attempt is being made to improve the data by adding various parameters and provide more authentic data.

The minister said it will take time for collection of data as households have to be visited on the ground for authentic data collection in rural areas also.

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News Network
June 27,2020

Bengaluru, Jun 27: Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Saturday emphasised on giving a new dimension to the city by strengthening the infrastructure and improving various other sectors including health and housing.

He was speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony of the 108-feet-tall bronze statue of Kempe Gowda, the founder of Bengaluru, at the Kempegowda International Airport near here. The statue would be built at a cost of Rs 66 crore in one-and-half years.

Yediyurappa said Bengaluru has earned the fame of Garden City and Silicon Valley of India. Noting that the state capital was one of the fastest-growing cities in the world and internationally acclaimed hub of information technology and biotechnology, he said, "We need to give a new dimension to this city and strengthen the infrastructure. We have to focus on health, housing, pollution control, traffic management. Our government has taken various measures to develop the city," the chief minister said.

On Kempe Gowda, Yediyurappa said though the city did not have a perennial river, he built hundreds of lakes and interconnected them. His water management reflects on his foresightedness, he added.

"Kempambudhi, Dharmambudhi, Sampaniram and Halasuru lake are among the major lakes gifted to the people of Bengaluru. He had set up the markets called Chickpet, Akkipet, Balepet, Kumbarpet, are still the major trade hubs," Yediyurappa said.

Former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda, Union Minister of State for Railways Suresh Angadi, deputy chief ministers Govind Karjol, Dr C N Ashwath Narayan, Laxman Savadi and many other ministers were present on the occasion. The event was organised on the 511th birth anniversary of Kempe Gowda. Kempe Gowda was a chieftain of Vijayanagara dynasty who founded Bengaluru around 550 years ago.

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News Network
July 30,2020

Bengaluru, Jul 30: As the protest by Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) workers entered the 20th day, Karnataka Health Minister B Sriramulu on Wednesday assured them that he would take up their demands with Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa.

The ASHA workers are sitting in protests with a number of demands that include a minimum salary of Rs 12,000 per month.

Assuring that their matter will be taken up, Karnataka Health Minister B Sriramulu said while speaking to reporters, "We know how hard ASHA workers have been working as frontline warriors in the fight against COVID-19. I will discuss with CM about their demand for a minimum wage of Rs 12,000 per month and the final decision will be taken soon."

"We went to the police to allow us to protest. Officials then took us to the CM. During the meeting, he demanded some time to sort out our issues. 

We told him we are protesting for the past 20 days and that it was he who needs to call a meeting with us. Only then will he know the problems being faced by ASHA workers," an ASHA worker said clad in her signature pink sari.

"When asked as to why salaries of ASHA workers were not hiked, while it was done for doctors and other healthcare officials, the CM requested for time to look into the matter. 

We are not much happy now, but will if he comes in front of the media and promises to sort out our issues, then we will listen to him", she added.

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