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‘FIR on Vishweshwar Bhat amounts to abuse of power, should be withdrawn’: SM Krishna

Agencies
May 29, 2019

Bengaluru, May 29: Condemning the intolerance of the Karnataka government towards the media, BJP leader S.M. Krishna on Wednesday urged Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy to withdraw the FIR filed against a Kannada editor over an article criticizing the Chief Minister's son Nikhil.

"The FIR against 'Vishwavani' editor Vishweshwar Bhat should be withdrawn as it amounts to abuse of power and interference in the freedom of press," Krishna said in a statement in Bengaluru.

The FIR was booked on Monday after Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) General Secretary Pradeep Kumar filed a complaint at a police station against Bhat for reporting on May 25 that Nikhil blamed former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda for his defeat in the Lok Sabha election.

"I don't understand the need for a Chief Minister to make his crony file a complaint and order the police to book a case against the editor of a leading Kannada daily instead of refuting the news story and clarifying what actually transpired between his son (Nikhil) and his father (Gowda) on the phone," said Krishna in the statement.

According to the article, which Bhat claimed was based on reliable sources, an inebriated Nikhil had shouted at Gowda senior at the latter's residence for not ensuring his victory from Mandya and failing to prevent Congress leaders from campaigning for the Independent (Sumalatha Ambareesh) and voting in favour of her.

Multilingual South Indian actress Sumalatha won the high-profile Mandya seat by a margin of 1,25,876 votes in the otherwise JD-S bastion, about 100 km southwest of Bengaluru in the old Mysuru region.

Noting that the authoritarian act of the police at the behest of the Chief Minster was a sign of frustration over the ignominious defeat, Krishna said the "undemocratic and dictatorial attitude" was dangerous to the independent functioning of the media.

Krishna, 87, who hails from Maddur in Mandya district, joined the BJP in March 2018 after quitting the Congress in January 2018. He campaigned for Sumalatha.

Nikhil was a joint candidate in Mandya where the politically powerful Vokkaliga community to which the Gowda clan belongs is a dominant force.

Of the 28 Lok Sabha seats in Karnataka, a resurgent BJP won 25 while the JD-S and Congress won only one each to retain Bangalore Rural and Hassan, where Nikhil's cousin brother Prajwal Revanna defeated BJP's A Manju.

Comments

Hasan Zain
 - 
Thursday, 30 May 2019

Why is Mr SM Krishna so uncomfortable. He was a chief minister of the state. If the accused has committed any crime then Law of the land will take its course. If SM krishna think the accused has commited some crime and government wants to pordon him then SM Krishna is encouraging crime which is dengerous for our state. 

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News Network
April 27,2020

Thiruvananthapuram, Apr 27: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Sunday said the issue of return of Non-Resident Keralites (NRKs) to the state has been taken up with the Centre and the state government is awaiting a favourable response.

Vijayan said this in a meeting with Non-Resident Keralites over steps taken by the state government for those wishing to return to the state from foreign countries.

The Chief Minister announced that the Department of Non-Resident Keralites Affairs has opened online registration for such NRKs.

"Those returning should undergo screening at airports. All those returning should undergo mandatory home quarantine for 14 days.

Arrangements of isolation wards will be provided for those unable to go home," said Vijayan.

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News Network
March 18,2020

Karnataka, Mar 18: Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) has asked its administrative staff to work from home until further order amid coronavirus outbreak.

KSCA has taken various measures to mitigate the risk of spreading coronavirus. The association had already closed down all section of the sports centre and also given off to all the sports centre staff from March 14.

"Ksca had already closed down all section of the sports centre and also given off to all the sports centre staff w.e.f 14th March 2020. Further to that, now it is decided that most of the KSCA administrative staff will be working from home until further orders," KSCA Treasurer and official spokesperson Vinay Mruthyunjaya said in a statement.

"All the KSCA employees have been advised strictly to be at home and should not travel and be available on phones and mails. However skeleton staff will be deputed at KSCA to make sure ongoing works like grounds maintenance, regular maintenance etc., is not affected," he added.

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Agencies
February 7,2020

Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 7: Making a scathing attack on the Central government, Kerala Finance Minister Thomas Issac on Friday said the BJP-led NDA government was "strangulating" the southern state by denying funds.

Presenting the 2020-21 budget of the Pinarayi Vijayan led-LDF government, he alleged the centre has been "helping" corporates rather that the common man.

"The Centre has been strangulating Kerala by denying funds for the state and has been moving on a self-destructive path by corporate-friendly policies and privatisation. The GST implementation has not been beneficial for the state," he said.

"The government proposes 2.5 lakh water connections in the upcoming financial year. We will also construct one lakh houses under Life Mission," the finance minister said.

The budget has allocated Rs 90 crore for Pravasi Welfare Fund and the government proposes power projects with a capacity of 500 MW.

"The government proposes Kochi development plan with a fund of Rs 6,000 crore. The city will get an unified travel card and Metro project will be extended," Issac said.

The state government has increased all welfare pension funds by Rs 100, allotted Rs 40 crore to paddy farmers and Rs 10 crore for startups in the state.

The local self-governments have been allotted Rs five crore for waste management, Rs 20 crore has been set apart for 1,000 food stalls under hunger-free Kerala, where meals will be made available at Rs 25. 

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