PFI, SDPI will be banned; party hopper MLAs who joined BJP will be awarded: K S Eshwarappa

Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 7: Kerala government led by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Friday has come under the spotlight for depicting the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi on the cover of the state finance budget 2020-21 document.

Issuing clarification on the same, Issac justified that it is a political statement.

"Definitely, it is a political statement, the cover of my budget speech. It is a painting by a Malayalam artist of Mahatma Gandhi's murder scene. We are sending out a message that we will not forget who murdered Gandhi."

He also alleged that history is being re-written and National Register of Citizens (NRC) is being used to divide the country on communal lines.

"This is important at the times when history is being re-written. There is an attempt to erase some popular memories and use NRC to divide the population on communal lines. Kerala will stand united."

NRC is an official record of those people who are legal citizens of India. The dossier includes demographic information about all those individuals who qualify as citizens of India as per the Citizenship Act, 1955.

The register was first prepared after the 1951 Census of India and since then it has not been updated until recently.

Bengaluru, Apr 18: Karnataka Congress president DK Shivakumar on Saturday appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to deposit at least Rs 10,000 in bank accounts of people belonging to the unorganised sector.

"The unorganised sector comprises barbers, dhobi, cooks, carpenters, sweepers, drivers and autorickshaw drivers. Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not mention anything about giving subsistence to these people," Shivakumar, told ANI, referring to the Prime Minister's address earlier this week.

Modi had announced the extension of the ongoing nationwide lockdown till May 3 in order to curb the spread of coronavirus.

"I appeal to Prime Minister Modi to register the members of the unregistered sector under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) or deposit at least Rs 10,000 to the bank accounts of each of the members of unorganised sector to help them survive the lockdown," he added.

Though the Congress party will continue the central government and state government's fight against coronavirus, he said, both the governments need to help people who are part of the unorganised sector.

"The farmers have told me that due to the lockdown they are ready to sell the vegetables, which once used to be sold at Rs 100 per kg, at even Rs 5 per kg," he said.

Speaking on the suggestions he made to Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa, Shivakumar said, "I requested the Chief Minister to send a team to do a videograph and make an assessment of the on-ground situation. However, till now, no one has gone."

Bengaluru, Apr 4: Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa has appealed to employers not to cut salaries of their maids, servants and drivers who are unable to attend work due to the current lockdown situation in the country.

He said compassionate gesture of employers will support the poor and needy.

"I request all the employers not to cut salaries of their maids, servants, drivers etc., who are not able to work due to social distancing. Your compassionate gesture will support the poor and needy to overcome this hard time. FightBackKarnataka CoronavirusPandemic," the Chief Minister said in a tweet.