Despite defeated by Sonia in Ballari, Sushma strengthened BJP in Karnataka

coastaldigest.com web desk
August 7, 2019

Newsroom, Aug 7: Bharatiya Janata Party stalwart and former external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj, who passed away last night, had a strong Karnataka connection. She had played a key role in the rise of the saffron party in this south Indian state. 

It all started in 1999, when Sonia Gandhi contested the Lok Sabha election. She filed her nomination from two constituencies—Ballari in Karnataka, and the Gandhi family seat of Amethi in Uttar Pradesh. The BJP fielded Swaraj, the in-house orator and poster child for the “adarsh bharatiya nari"—an ideal Indian woman. The contest was a fiery one and soon became a battle between the ‘swadeshi beti’ and ‘videshi bahu’ thanks to the media.

Even though Swara miserably lost the battle, her rigorous campaign helped the saffron party to strengthen presence in Karnataka. 

Sushma’s campaign laid the foundation for a tectonic shift as the BJP breached the Congress citadel in 2004. Her campaign was managed by the three Reddy brothers. 

For nearly 15 years since 1999, Sushma had made it a point to celebrate Varamahalakshmi festival every year in Ballari. When BJP came to power in Karnataka, she became the political mother of Reddy brothers of Ballari. However, this relationship did not last long.

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Shodhan Prasad
May 14,2020

Dubai: The father of a 16-year old girl who came on a visit visa to the UAE to visit him is desperate for help as she has been hospitalised, even as he has been rendered jobless.

On February 6, Amber D’Couto flew into Dubai from Mangaluru, India, along with her older sister, Alison, 19. The girls wanted to visit their dad Vivian D’Couto who was working in an automobile company at Jebel Ali.

The father was overjoyed to meet his girls until things took an ugly turn.

Two months into her stay, Amber fell seriously ill, even as D’Couto was served a termination letter by his company.

D’Couto said his daughter, a Grade 10 student, was perfectly healthly but suddenly developed high fever and began vomiting. She was rushed to a private hospital in Qusais which could not accommodate her because of the ongoing COVID-19 situation.

On April 30, she was admitted to another private hospital in the same area. After testing negative for COVID-19 thrice, she was diagnosed with acute pancreatis and Rheumatoid fever.

While the girl remains in hospital, the bill has spiralled to over Dh50,000, D’Couto said, adding that without a job now, he had no means to pay the huge amount.

“Amber is a very sweet child and a very bright student. She was living a very healthy life prior to coming to Dubai. But she is so ill now and under round-the-clock vigil in the ICU. The treatment for her condition is very specific and costly.”

A worried man, he said: “My daughter was on a visit visa and she had no insurance. We appeal to compassionate people to help us out in this difficult hour. Due to the current situation, I have lost my job and I am unable to pay for her medical expenses. Her condition has not stabilised yet and I am taking each day as it comes. I trust the doctors to help her recover, and we hope to be repatriated to India at the earliest so she can get further medical care.”

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News Network
March 7,2020

Bengaluru, Mar 7: Customs officials intercepted a Guatemalan national at Kempegowda International Airport here on March 2 and recovered cocaine.

The accused confessed that she had swallowed 150 cocaine capsules and concealed a tube-like structure in her vagina.

The passenger egested the total 1.385 kg of cocaine (150 cocaine capsules) over a period of two days, under medical supervision. She has been arrested.

Further, an investigation is underway.

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News Network
January 8,2020

Mangaluru, Jan 8: A 23-year-old youth has been booked under the POCSO Act on charges of abduction and sexual abuse of a minor girl.

Police said on Wednesday day that the accused identified as Aneesh Dias, a resident of Chikkamadnur has reportedly gone absconding. The victim, who hails from Puttur, is a I PU college student.

The victim's parents had filed a missing complaint with Puttur Rural police as their daughter did not return home after leaving home for college. The police investigating the complaint traced the girl.

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