Cong ministers are corrupt... Cong ministers will join BJP: Nalin Kateel

Bengaluru, Jun 9: Two grassroots level workers of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday filed their nominations for the Rajya Sabha elections from Karnataka, Chief Minister and senior BJP leader BS Yediyurappa said.

"Eranna Kadadi and Ashok Gasti have filed nominations for the Rajya Sabha elections from Karnataka. It is only in BJP that grassroots level workers are given recognition," Yediyurappa told reporters here.

The elections to fill the vacant 18 Rajya Sabha seats from seven states are scheduled to be held on June 19. Elections to four Rajya Sabha seats will be held in Karnataka.

"The core committee of the party had recommended a few names. Afterwards, the party's all-India president consulted with me. Finally, these two names were finalised," Yediyurappa said.

The nominations will be scrutinised on Wednesday and the last date for withdrawal of nomination is June 12.

Notably, the Janata Dal (Secular) on Monday announced that party supremo and former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda has decided to contest the forthcoming Rajya Sabha elections.

Bengaluru, Jul 3: Opposition leader in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly and former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday opined that there is no other option left but to resort to 'Jail Bharo' agitation to expose the ruling BJP government's indulge in 'Corona Corruption' which runs into more than Rs 2000 crore.

Siddaramaiah said that according to a submission to the Karnataka High Court the government has submitted that it has incurred Rs 3,392 crore expenditure for Corona in the State so far. While the market price for equipment purchased will not exceed Rs 1163 crore and it clearly shows that the corruption is to the tune of Rs 2,000 crore.

Siddaramaiah speaking to a private TV channel here on Friday said the chief minister B S Yediyurappa-led State government should come out with a White Paper on the money spent for purchases made facilities provided to patients. 

According to submission to the Court, the Government has purchased 1000 Ventilators by paying Rs 120 crore, while the market price is Rs 40 crores at Rs 4 lakh for each Ventilator. Why is Rs 120 crore more paid, does it not lead to doubt the government's claim. For purchase of kits, mask, gloves etc. it amounted to Rs 1,500 crores but paid by the government was Rs 9,000 crore."

Mangaluru, Jan 10: Two members of a notorious honey-trap gang that used to lure rich men using women and then extort money from them by staging fake police raid have been arrested by the Dakshina Kannada district police.

Lohith, a resident of Kushalnagara, and Sharif from Vittal, were arrested in connection with a honey-trap case registered in Uppinangady police station. Jamal, Jeevan and Naushad, who were also involved in the case, are absconding.

Police said they received information that a few people under the guise of being Kerala police, were planning to raid a resort near Uppinangady where two couples were staying.

They were informed that they would threaten and try to extort money from them. The police were tipped off about the same by their counterparts in Kerala.

Police said the accused are experts in setting honeytraps, and were involved in similar crimes since a long time. Their modus operandi was to use two women from Mangaluru to lure their intended targets.

Once they trap their target, the woman and victim are sent to resorts. They then raid the resort posing as police officials, and click pictures in compromising positions of the victim with the woman.

They threaten to release the pictures on social media or TV channels, if they fail to pay up.

Police said the accused demanded Rs 10 lakh from each victim, but they denied to pay up. Irked by this, the accused took away the victims’ belongings such as phone, money and car.

The victims who believed that the accused were police personnel, asked them to take them to the police station. Instead of taking them to the police, the accused took them to a secluded place, where they claimed that they were putting the victims under house arrest. Police have seized an SUV from the accused.