Hindus must beget at least 4 children till Uniform Civil Code is implemented: Seer

Bengaluru, Jul 24: The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) commissioner on Thursday issued a public apology after "local staff" sealed the doors of two apartments with metal sheets in a building where a positive case of COVID-19 was reported in Dommalur.

Earlier on Thursday, BBMP sealed doors of two flats near Dommalur, in a building wherein a COVID-19 case was reported. A woman with two children, along with an elderly couple stayed in those flats. After the woman tweeted about the incident, BBMP officials removed steel sheets from doors.

Taking the matter into consideration, BBMP Commissioner N Manjunatha Prasad, took to Twitter to express an apology for "over-enthusiasm" of his officials.

He tweeted, "We are committed to address any issues that result in stigma. Apologies for the over enthusiasm of the local staff."

He also said the BBMP is committed to treating all citizens with dignity. "I have ensured removing of these barricades immediately. We are committed to treat all persons with dignity.

The purpose of containment is to protect the infected and to ensure uninfected are safe," he tweeted.

Bengaluru, Jan 15: The on-going process to select a new Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president is likely to drag on for few more days with former CM and opposition leader Siddaramaiah making a strong pitch for former minister MB Patil over DK Shivakumar for the post.

Siddaramaiah, who met AICC president Sonia Gandhi and other senior Congress leaders in New Delhi on Tuesday, reportedly argued in favour of Patil, saying his elevation would help the party win Lingayats to the fold.

“Yediyurappa, the undisputed leader of the Lingayat community, is almost at the end of his career and it is an opportunity for the Congress to gain the confidence of the community. Being a leader from North Karnataka, Patil fits the bill perfectly,” Siddaramaiah reportedly told Sonia.

Siddaramaiah is said to be backing Patil over Shivakumar as he is worried about losing his hold over the state unit, given Shivakumar’s popularity. While Sonia did give the former CM a patient hearing, she is said to have told him that he should obey and cooperate with whatever decision high command takes.

The high command is looking to evolve consensus on the new state president. “Sonia’s meeting with Siddaramaiah is part of this exercise. She wants to keep everybody in the loop,” said a functionary.

Siddaramaiah also met senior leaders Ahmed Patel and AK Anthony. He is expected to meet former AICC president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday.

However, some including Mallikarjun Kharge and Shamanur Shivashankarappa have expressed reservations against Patil’s elevation, pointing to his role in the controversial separate Lingayat religion issue which dented the Congress’ prospects in the 2018 assembly polls.

“He has a very bad name among Lingayats and making him president would prove counter-productive. Moreover, it is difficult to win back Lingayats as long as Yediyurappa is active in politics,” said a senior Congress leader.

Another functionary said a majority of state functionaries — and even some in the high command — favour Shivakumar as he is not only “resourceful”, but also has momentum. “With HD Deve Gowda and HD Kumaraswamy losing popularity among Vokkaligas, the possibility of the community backing Shivakumar is high. This may land him the top job,” the functionary said.