Inspired by Jignesh Mevani, many activists in Karnataka set to entre poll fray

News Network
February 6, 2018

Bouyed by the triumphant win of Dalit activist Jignesh Mevani in recent Gujarat polls, many social activists in Karnataka have shown keen interest in testing their luck in the upcoming state legislative elections.

Ravi Krishna Reddy, an anti-corruption activist who is associated with Aam Aadmi Party; C S Dwarakanath, an advocate and former chairperson of Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes; V Nagaraj, a Dalit activist; Linge Gowda, an anti-liquor activist; and K S Puttannaiah, a farmers’ leader and incumbent MLA, are among those who are readying themselves for the polls.

Among them Mr Reddy and Mr Gowda have completed over two-and-a-half-months of door-to-door campaign in Jayanagar Assembly segment in Bengaluru and Maddur constituency in Mandya, respectively.

“We may be known to 50 lakh people across the State, but what matters is people who vote in a particular constituency, where we never concentrate and work,” said Mr. Reddy. He learned this lesson in the three earlier polls he had contested, and lost.

Even though the upcoming elections in Karnataka is likely to be a hotly contested election between the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress, these independent voices believe that there is hunger for alternative politics among people and social activism must articulate that alternative, argue activists.

A senior leader from Swaraj India, a political party formed out of Swaraj Abhiyan led by Yogendra Yadav, said they have identified over five candidates — all activists working in Chitradurga, Koppal and other districts. The list will be finalised soon.

On the other hand, many activists are also urging caution as they are worried that they will only cause votes to split, benefiting the BJP. They also say that it will be difficult to recreate Mr Mevani’s win in the absence of ground work in specific constituencies.

Noor Sridhar, a former left-wing extremist who is now part of the mainstream, said while alternative politics must be strengthened, forces must also strategise in such a way that they don’t end up benefiting communal forces and splitting votes.

“Activists must contest only in places where they have a social base and are sure of a win,” he said. Brushing aside the possibility of contesting polls he said that his contribution would be only in strengthening social movements.

(With inputs from The Hindu)

Comments

Khasai Khane
 - 
Tuesday, 6 Feb 2018

Congress wins, SIddaramiah becomes CM again, we're all happy.

 

BJP wins, congratulations you have set the stage for Karnataka to be the Next UP. This happens and we will all suffer, which is a good thing, Equal Opportunity. I mean people of Karnataka contributed to the loss that this PM (Pakoda Man) has caused to the country. You ignored that bloody background of Modi and made him PM, just becuase those killed were muslims. You sold your dignity of being Kannadigas, by following Sanghis. You deserve worse than this.

 

shaji
 - 
Tuesday, 6 Feb 2018

My humble request to all of you not to contest separately thereby splitting the votes and helping communal party to win.  We need to save our constitution from the hands of anti nationals and wicked political party.   They want to rule our land even on our dead body and hence are doing politics on dead bodies  We should unite and fight the most anti national and communal party.

Suresh Kalladka
 - 
Tuesday, 6 Feb 2018

Activism just for publicity and political benefits. All are doing the same.

Indrajit P
 - 
Tuesday, 6 Feb 2018

Activism these days is a fashion for the some and a profession for the rest. For semi intellectuals like Jignesh Mevani and Kanhaiya Kumar activism is a means to fool the innocent people who are frustrated of misrule of NDA. By, following their footsteps activists can become leaders like them but they cannot contribute anything to social change. 

Vinod
 - 
Tuesday, 6 Feb 2018

Independent candidates wont win in karnataka, that also BJP

Danish
 - 
Tuesday, 6 Feb 2018

Free Thinkers, intellectuals and activists should come front for our country. If not then Modi will make India upside down by his foolish acts

Sandesh
 - 
Tuesday, 6 Feb 2018

Mevali will become autocrat in future. His attitude like that

Hari
 - 
Tuesday, 6 Feb 2018

Mevali became inspiration for many. Good

Ramya
 - 
Tuesday, 6 Feb 2018

True.. If leaders are not good, not doing anything to society then forget the leaders and party. 

Kumar
 - 
Tuesday, 6 Feb 2018

Now people should change themselves to vote for good cause. They have to forget specific favourite polical party

Ganesh
 - 
Tuesday, 6 Feb 2018

Great.. These move is giving more hope

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
May 15,2020

Mangaluru, May 15: Dakshina Kannada Superintendent of Police on Friday warned those who are opposing quarantine to either go for it or face legal action under Epidemic Diseases Act.

In a release here on Friday, Mr B M Laxmi Prasad said that schools and hostels have been identified for quarantining those who arrive from other states. Those, who return, will be quarantined in the respective Gram Panchayat/local bodies’ jurisdiction. The public should not panic over the quarantine facility.

The quarantine facility has been introduced in the interest of the general public. If anyone opposes or protests against such facility, then legal action will be initiated against them, he warned.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
April 29,2020

Kasaragod, Apr 29: Kasaragod's General Hospital on Tuesday discharged the last of its 89 COVID-19 patients, who were admitted since the outbreak of the disease last month.

The patient discharged on Tuesday is a native of Anankur in Kerala. He was under treatment for 27 days following his return from Dubai. He was given a warm send-off at 12 noon by the doctors and hospital staff.

Of the 175 positive cases in Kasaragod district, only 12 are under treatment in other hospitals in the district now. Of them, seven had come from the Gulf and the remaining five were those in contact with them.

During a press meet, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, while referring the Kasaragod General Hospital's success story, congratulated the doctors, nurses and medical staff for the achievement.

According to Health Department, in spite of treating the highest number of COVID-19 patients in the state with meagre infrastructural facilities and even without the support of a medical college in the district, there have been no deaths.

According to the district administration, Kasaragod has conducted 4,112 tests so far, out of which 3,104 tested negative and the results of 833 are awaited.

The team of doctors, nurses and other staff numbering 250 is led by Dr Rajaram K Kandiyil, Superintendent of the Kasaragod General Hospital.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
Agencies
April 19,2020

French Nobel prize winning scientist Luc Montagnier has sparked a fresh controversy by claiming that the SARS-CoV-2 virus came from a lab, and is the result of an attempt to manufacture a vaccine against the AIDS virus.

In an interview given to French CNews channel and during a podcast by Pourquoi Docteur, professor Montagnier who co-discovered HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) claimed the presence of elements of HIV in the genome of the coronavirus and even elements of the "germ of malaria" are highly suspect, according to a report in Asia Times.

"The Wuhan city laboratory has specialized in these coronaviruses since the early 2000s. They have expertise in this area," he was quoted as saying.

The theory that Covid-19 virus originated in the lab is making rounds for quite some time.

US President Donald Trump last week acknowledged Fox News report that the novel coronavirus may have been accidentally leaked by an intern working at the Wuhan Institute of Virology in China.

The Fox News, in an exclusive report, based on unnamed sources has claimed that though the virus is a naturally occurring strain among bats and not a bioweapon, but it was being studied in Wuhan laboratory.

The initial transmission of the virus was bat-to-human, the news channel said, adding that the "patient zero" worked at the laboratory. The lab employee was accidentally infected before spreading the disease among the common people outside the lab in Wuhan city.

Professor Montagnier was awarded the 2008 Nobel Prize in Medicine for the identification of AIDS virus, with his colleague professor Franeoise Barre-Sinoussi.

His fresh claim on coronavirus, however, received criticism from scientists, including his colleagues.

"Just in case you don't know. Dr Montagnier has been rolling downhill incredibly fast in the last few years. From baselessly defending homeopathy to becoming an antivaxxer. Whatever he says, just don't believe him," tweeted Juan Carlos Gabaldon.

As per a recent Washington Post, two years ago, the US embassy officials in China raised concerns about the insufficient biosafety at the Chinese government's Wuhan Institute of Virology where deadly viruses and infectious diseases are studied.

Though the institute, located quite close to the Wuhan wet market, is China's first biosafety level IV lab, the US state department had warned in 2018 about "serious shortage of appropriately trained technicians and investigators needed to safely operate this high-containment laboratory".

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.