BJP leaders tried to lure me Rs 30-cr cash plus ministerial berth: Lakshmi Hebbalkar

Bengaluru, Feb 22: The Hindu Mahasabha has decided to carry out a 'cleaning ceremony' by using 'gau-mutra' (cow urine) to purify Freedom Park, where pro-Pakistan slogans were shouted as a protest against the CAA, NRC and NRP.

On Thursday, an 18-year-old girl Amulya Leona hadraised slogans of 'Pakistan Zindabad,' after the organisers of the event under the banner of 'Save Constitution' invited her to address the gathering. AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi soon rushed and tried to snatch away mic from her hand.

Amulya, who was arrested by the police soon after the event on charges of Sedition, was remanded to 14-day judicial custody.

Associates of Amulya insisted that she was trying to make a point that nobody in the anti-CAA rallies would hail a ‘long Live Pakistan’ slogan while they would do so for a ‘Long Live Hindustan’ chant.

“She is not dumb. She knew exactly what she was saying. She had a clear narrative in mind, but was interrupted before she could complete it. Her half-comments are now being taken out of context,” said Sujnan, another student-activist. 

“In the end, the campaign is not involved with whatever she said or intended to say. It falls on her to explain herself,” said a protest organiser.

Bengaluru, Mar 15: The Karnataka government on Saturday said it would advice IT companies to allow employees to work from home as most coronavirus  affected patients or their relatives were from this sector.

"If anybody (IT companies) asks (employees to work in the office),I will speak to them through the deputy chief minister so that they take steps to issue a definite order. We have very clearly said, Stay Home, stay safe," medical education minister Dr K Sudhakar said. He recalled that the chief minister himself had issued a strict advisory to allow employees work from home.

The minister said the IT sector understands the gravity of the situation because they are educated, have travelled abroad and have more exposure to information world. "No action," he said to a question on what action would be taken against companies who do not follow the instructions.

"There is no action to be taken. We have not promulgated any law. It should be a kind of a cohesive approach from the government and the responsible citizen," he said.

The minister said he had also acted on the advice of Infosys Foundation chairperson Sudha Murty, who had told him that all areas where public and students gather, including malls, theatres, schools and colleges, should be closed.

Sudhakar claimed that the woman whose husband had tested positive for cornavirus here, had flown straight to Delhi from the city and had not come out of Bengaluru airport. He said the newly-wed couple came to Bengaluru airport on March 8 night and early on March 9, she flew alone to Delhi. From there she travelled to Agra by train. She did not come out of the airport, said the minister.

To a question on legal action being contemplated against her, the minister said he would take a call said he was not thinking of legal action at present and would take a call only after the woman, who has also tested positive for the virus, comes out of isolation. He insisted that the purpose of getting details was not to scare people.

On the preparedness in Kalaburagi, where the first Coronavirus death in India was reported, he said the administration had 'clamped down" the entire district. Meanwhile, the deputy commissioner of Ballari district ordered cancellation of tourists' entry to the world heritage site of Hampi from March 15 to 22 to prevent further spread of the virus.

Tumakuru, Jul 7: Coronavirus is spreading at the community level in Karnataka, said minister, JC Madhuswamy on Monday.

"Medical condition of eight infected with coronavirus admitted in Tumkur COVID Hospital is critical. There is no guarantee of their lives as per the information. We somewhere feel we are worried that coronavirus is spreading at the community level," Madhuswamy, Tumakuru district-in-charge minister, told reporters here.

"We have reached a point where it is difficult for the district authorities to restrain it, even though we are trying to restrain it. Somewhere the situation is going out of hand," he said.

The minister confirmed that the cumulative toll in the district due to COVID-19 rises to 9.

Earlier, Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa, Deputy CM Ashwath Narayan, Medical Education Minister Dr Sudhakar have denied of community transmission of coronavirus in Karnataka.

According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, there are 23,474 coronavirus cases in Karnataka including 13,255 and 372 deaths.