Guj Congress dispatches 44 MLAs to Karnataka to avert poaching attempts

News Network
July 29, 2017

Bengaluru, Jul 29: With three more of its MLAs resigning from the Gujarat assembly, and threat of more desertions looming large, a rattled Congress dispatched a plane-load of its MLAs to party-ruled Karnataka, to fend off more poaching attempts.Guj

Sources in Bengaluru said that 46 party MLAs landed at Kempegowda airport late on Friday evening and were spirited to a nearby resort by Karnataka minister D K Shiva Kumar who has handled similar situations for Congress in the past.

Party circles in Ahmedabad, however, put the number of MLAs ensconced in the Karnataka capital at 40.

The panic response was triggered by the resignations of three more party MLAs, taking the number of MLAs who have quit the party in the last 24 hours to six.

Sources said that more MLAs had seemed set to resign, setting off alarm bells and leading the party managers to herd them to Bengaluru. Sources said they will return to Gandhinagar only on the eve of polling on August 8. Sources indicated that senior MLAs like Shaktisinh Gohil and Shailesh Parmar stayed put in Ahmedabad.

The three who resigned on Friday are Chhanabhai Choudhary, Mansinh Chauhan and Ramsinh Parmar. Parmar is the chairman of Amul Dairy

Congress strength in Gujarat House drops from 57 to 51

Sources in Ahmedabad said that the three MLAs had planned to resign on Saturday, and more resignations would have followed, the daily routine of desertions jeopardising the chances of party nominee Ahmed Patel, Sonia Gandhi's political secretary, in the Rajya Sabha polls.

The battle had assumed importance because of Patel's proximity to the Congress chief and because a setback for him in the RS polls may not augur well for the morale of the party when it is heading for assembly elections due by year-end.

The party had 57 MLAs in the 182-man assembly till the exodus began on Thursday. A spate of resignations has reduced the strength to 51.

The mobile phones of at least a dozen party MLAs were switched off and attempts by the leadership to get in touch with them proved futile, leading the party managers to pen the stock.

If all the 182 MLAs (BJP has 121) were to vote in the Rajya Sabha elections, any candidate getting 46 votes stands to win. However, with the spate of resignations, this magical figure is likely to come down, creating an opening for BJP to bag the third seat too.

The party, after ensuring that the required number of votes are cast in favour of Amit Shah and Smriti Irani, can transfer surplus votes to its third nominee, Congress rebel Balwantsinh Rajput, besides giving him second-preference votes in ballots which are cast in favour of Shah and Irani.

Congress's hopes of the support of two NCP MLAs remain intact, but the lone JD (U) MLA, Chhotu Vasava, looks doubtful, given the sudden development in Bihar.

Jitters in Congress over the threat of defections led it to attack BJP in Parliament and outside. The Rajya Sabha witnessed an uproar as Congress MPs forced repeated adjournments of the House alleging that the Gujarat police had "abducted" an MLA in the state.

The House was adjourned four times in the morning session as Congress members trooped into the well, raising anti-government slogans and charging the BJP with "stealing" MLAs to help its candidates bag berths in the Upper House.

Crying foul, Congress leaders in Ahmedabad alleged that bribes of Rs 5 crore to Rs 10 crore were being offered to each MLA to cross over.

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News Network
March 31,2020

Mangaluru, Mar 31: With the Dakshina Kannada district administration relaxing the lockdown from 6 am to 3 pm to purchase essential commodities, panic-stricken citizens rushed to the shops early in the morning itself.

The citizens had formed a serpentine line in front of shops and supermarkets in different parts of Mangaluru and on the outskirts of the city to purchase their requirements.

As a precautionary measure, many were seen wearing masks.

“In spite of waiting in a long queue to purchase, we are not able to get the required essential commodities. Why can’t the district administration ensure enough stock of commodities in the shops and supermarkets,’’ asked a customer who had stood in a queue outside a supermarket at Chilimbi.
People were seen crowding outside markets at Kankanady, Mallikatte, Urwa and Central Market, violating the purpose of social distancing.

Consequently, vegetable prices have increased in the markets and shops. This is despite abundant stocks being available in these markets.

Trucks had unloaded the vegetables at Central Market on Sunday, according to sources. The prices of onions are skyrocketing yet again and is sold from Rs 50 to Rs 55 while a kg of carrot costs Rs 100.

"Why can’t the authorities check the rise in the price of vegetables and ensure that the poor are not inconvenienced," asks Lakshmi, a housewife.

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News Network
January 30,2020

Bengaluru, Jan 30: There are around 3 lakh Bangladeshis across Karnataka and around 3,000 of them left Bengaluru following the recent crackdown, according to Bhaskar Rao, Bengaluru city police commissioner.

It's the first time a high-ranking official has put a number to Bangladeshis in Karnataka following the debate over the new citizenship law.

At a conclave on 'Construction Workers Safety, Health and Welfare' organised by the labour department and IIMB here, he said the estimate was arrived at based on information sourced from Bangladeshis deported recently.

There's been no study to ascertain the Bangladeshi population in the state, Rao said, adding that most illegal Bangladeshis in Bengaluru are victims of human trafficking.

"They come to Bengaluru for employment. Unlike other cities, Bengaluru has a lot of job potential and pays good salaries too. There are a lot of Bangladeshis working in the construction industry," Rao said.

Workers from Bangladesh demand lower wages. While other labourers demand around Rs 500 to Rs 600 per day, Bangladeshi workers don’t complain about being paid around Rs 100-150,” Rao said, adding that this has encouraged human traffickers to increasingly bring in Bangladeshis.

Suresh Hari, chairman, Confederation of Real Estate Developers Association of India, however, said they’re not aware of the nationality of their workers as contractors bring workers registered for tasks. “It’s difficult to say where they are from as there’s also construction work outside Credai’s purview,” Hari said.

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News Network
June 23,2020

Bengaluru, June 23: A frustrated chartered accountant has committed suicide after killing his wife and mother-in-law in two different cities of India.

The murder-murder-suicide came amid acrimonious divorce proceedings that might have also involved a property dispute, police said.

Amit flew to Bengaluru last weekend to kill his estranged wife at her Whitefield residence before returning to Kolkata, where he shot dead his mother-in-law and then killed himself at an upscale residential complex in North Kolkata on Monday evening.

Amit and his wife Shilpi Agarwal, who is also a CA, had been living separately since last the two years after their marriage turned sour.

Amit took his 10-year-old son from Bengaluru with him on Monday and dropped him at his uncle’s house before heading to his in-laws’ place Phoolbagan, police said.

Neighbours told cops they heard arguments “appeared to be” over some property documents that Amit wanted his in-laws — 70-year-old Subhas and 62-year-old Lalita Dhandhania — to sign.

The first gunshot was heard a little before 6.30pm, following which Subhas ran out of his flat, bolted the door from outside and took refuge inside his next-door neighbour’s apartment. Police arrived a few minutes later to find Amit and his mother-in-law dead. Police found a suicide note from the flat.

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