Cabinet clears pay hike for 1 cr govt employees, pensioners

Bengaluru, Mar 11: Did Congress party’s Man Friday, DK Shivakumar, not rise up to the occasion and save the situation for the party, whose rebel MLAs were flown into Bengaluru to unsettle the Kamal Nath-led government in Madhya Pradesh? Shivakumar told The New Indian Express on Tuesday, “So far, I have not got any clear direction on what has to be done. But I am in touch with the central leaders. The party does not want to antagonise them... They are our own MLAs.”

He said that the Tenth Schedule, which makes defections illegal, is very strong. “It is not so easy for them once they are expelled. There are courts and then they have to get re-elected. It is not easy to get minister’s post after getting re-elected,” he added.

When pointed out that rebels from the Congress and JD(S) who joined the BJP have got re-elected and become ministers, he said, “There are other issues here.”

Asked about Digvijay Singh, who is at the centre of the controversy in MP and who was AICC general secretary in-charge of Karnataka, not being able to prevent the rebellion in his home state, Shivakumar said, “I do not want to comment on any of our national leaders.”But he was confident that the Congress government would be saved in MP. “I am aware of the developments and keeping track of them,” he said.

Congress leaders seemed wiser after the event.

One of them, who wished not to be identified, said the party clearly did not see the writing on the wall. “Jyotiraditya Scindia supported the BJP at the Centre when it scrapped Article 370. Later too he was not in line with the Congress position on several issues. But during the recent Delhi violence, he criticised the BJP, sending confusing signals,” he added.

Bengaluru, Jun 23: Police have nabbed two foreign nationals who were drawing money from ATMs of various banks by using fake ATM cards after collecting details of the card including code while customers used to withdraw money.

Police on Tuesday said that the arrested were identified as Felix Kisiibo (25), Present address Kogilu, Yelahanka, Bengaluru Native address BUGOBERO Village, Khabutoola sub-county, Manafwa District, Uganda and Khairun Abbdulla (32), Present address Kogilu, Yelahanka, Bengaluru Native address House Uzini Zanzibar, Mkele urban, Tanzania.

The duo by inserting Skirmish machine into ATM used to collect details of ATM cardholders, balance and code and then by using fake ATM cards used to withdraw the money without the knowledge of customers.

Hubli, Jun 12: An inspector of Hubli Rural police station on Friday was suspended for delaying the submission of a charge sheet in the matter relating to sedition charges against three Kashmiri students for making a video with pro-Pakistan slogan.

A second Joint Magistrate First Class (JMFC) court in February sent the three students, identified as Basit Ashik Sophi (19), Talib Majid (19) and Amir Mohiuddin (23), to police custody till February 28.

The Kashmiri students are under judicial custody since February 17 following their arrest for raising pro-Pakistan slogans and posting a video of the same on social media on the night of February 16.