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.
coastaldigest.com web desk
January 27,2020

Mangaluru, Jan 27: No power can now stop Kashmiri Pandits from going back to Kashmir, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Monday, forcefully defending the NDA government’s decision to reorganise Jammu and Kashmir and abrogating its special status under Article 370.

Addressing a massive pro-CAA, NRC rally organised by the Bharatiya Janata Party at Gold Finch city, Kuloor, on the outskirts of the city, the Defence minister also sent a strong message to Pakistan and said India will not let anyone live in peace if it is harmed.

"We will not touch anyone, but if someone bothers us, then we are not going to let them live in peace," he said.

Referring to the exodus of a large number of Kashmiri Pandits from the Valley in the late 1990s at the height of militancy, Singh said no power now can stop them from returning to their homes.

On the Citizenship Amendment Act, the minister said it is not a law to hurt the sentiments of any religion but to give relief to victims of religious persecution.

Mahatma Gandhi had told Nehru to give citizenship to minorities like Hindus and Sikhs if they come to India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi has fulfilled that vision by bringing in the law, Singh said.

On several non-BJP states refusing to implement the CAA, the defence minister said it it is a central law and everyone should follow it.

Accusing the Congress of misleading people on the issue, he said the party should not forget its duty towards the nation just because it is in opposition.

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
March 2,2020

Bengaluru, Mar 2: Killing an Indian porcupine and inviting his TikTok followers to view it proved costly for a 25-year-old man from Kalaburagi. Forest department officials tracked him down and arrested him on Sunday morning.

Manjunath Biryalhissa, a resident of Jewargi taluk, was famous for his various TikTok videos and for lifting heavy stones in his village and neighbouring areas.

According to forest officials, on Friday, Manjunath and his friends caught a porcupine in Sindagi range, Vijayapura and stoned it to death. Later, they fried and cooked it. Manjunath then made an 18-second video, where he spoke about the porcupine hunt and slaughter, besides inviting his followers to like the video and join him in the feast.

The video was on TikTok and Facebook. Wildlife activists who found the video alerted forest department officials.

“Porcupine comes under schedule four of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. Keeping this video as evidence we were able to trace him through his Facebook account, where he had shared details of his hometown,” said forest officials.

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 3,2020

Bengaluru, Apr 3: Four people, including three who attended the Tablighi Jamat meet in Delhi, tested positive for coronavirus on Friday, taking the total number of the affected in the state to 128, the Health department said here.

The three men from Belagavi had attended the Tablighi- Jamaat congregation from March 13 to 18 at Delhi, while the other case was that of a 75-year-old man, who is a resident of Bagalkote.

A detailed investigation was underway to ascertain how he got infected, the department said in a bulletin.

It said that till date, 128 COVID-19 positive cases have been confirmed in the state, including three deaths and 11 discharges.

"With 128 cases we are in ninth position in the country in number of cases.Today four new cases were confirmed, of which three were those who attended Tablighi-Jamaat congregation," Primary and Secondary Education Minister Suresh Kumar told reporters, giving details about the bulletin.

He said 187 of the total of 288 samples collected from those who attended the congregation had tested negative and only 13 had turned positive so far.

"Out of 288 samples collected, we have got report for only 200 cases and are awaiting reports for 88," he added.

Though Kumar did not give any figures on the total number of people who went from Karnataka to attend theDelhi meet, the health department on Thursday had said nearly 1,000 people (including 19 foreigners) linked to Tablighi Jamat had been screened and swab samples of more than 200 people had been collected, while efforts are on to find out others.

Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Friday held a meeting with Muslim leaders and MLAs even as the government stepped up efforts to track those who might have travelled to the state after taking part in the meet in Delhi last month, which has turned out to be the hotbed of COVID-19 spread in the country.

After the meeting, the Chief Minister said Muslim MLAs agreed to provide details of those who attended the Jamaat's congregation to the government and also convince them to undergo COVID-19 tests, along with quarantining themselves.

Out of total of 114 active cases in the state so far, 111 patients (including 1 pregnant woman) are in isolation at designated hospitals and are stable, while three are in ICU (one on oxygen and two on Ventilators).

Seven of the 128 cases detected and confirmed were transit passengers of Kerala, who landed at airports in Karnataka and are being treated in the state.

Among the 128 positive cases, 51 were reported from Bengaluru, 21 from Mysuru, 10 from Bidar, nine from Dakshina Kannada, eight from Uttara Kannada, seven from Chikkaballapur, five from Kalaburgai, four from Ballari, three each from Davangere, Belagavi and Udupi, and one each from Kodagu, Tumakuru, Bagalkote and Dharwad.

Those discharged include nine patients from Bengaluru and two from Kalaburagi and among the deceased are one each are reported from Kalaburgari, Bengaluru and Tumakuru.

The Chief Minister held a series of meetings to review the measures taken to control the spread of COVID-19 and implementation of lockdown in the state.

He asked the labour department to deposit an additional Rs 1,000 from the Construction Workers Welfare Fund to the accounts of 15 lakh labourers in the sector.

The government has already deposited Rs 1000 to their accounts (amounting about Rs 150 crore) in the first round.

During the meeting the shortage of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Kits for Doctors and health care professionals was discussed.

"Work order has been issued for 1 lakh PPE kits, and the Chief Minister has issued directions for the supply of 2 lakh more PPE kits," Kumar said.

Yediyurappa also chaired a meeting with Ministers from Bengaluru on steps to be taken to control spread of COVID-19, as the city has more than half the confirmed cases in the state.

He also decided to covene a meeting of city legislators in this regard on Saturday morning.

Kumar said it was also decided not to provide food free of cost at the state run Indira Canteens as concerns were raised about the quality and misuse that was happening during the Chief Minister's meeting with ministers today.

"We have decided to stop free food supply...we are providing foodgrains to poor through ration already," he said.

However, the Canteens will continue to provide subsidized food- breakfast at Rs 5 and lunch and dinner at Rs 10.

The government last month had decided that Indira Canteens would provide food packets free of cost to the poor and needy in the wake of the lockdown.

Meanwhile, in view of COVID-19, emergency Additional Chief Secretary, H&FW Department ordered extension ofservices of Medical and Para-medical staff, Clinical and Nonclinical staff retiring in April and May this year, to June 30.

Amid reports of lack of co-ordination between Medical Education Minister K Sudhakar and Health and Family Welfare Minister B Sriramulu, Chief Minister Yediyurappa has tasked Suresh Kumar to brief the media on COVID-19 related daily bulletins, official sources said.

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.