I wear a burqa when I travel alone, reveals Mallika Sherawat

Bengaluru, Apr 15: The Opposition Congress in Karnataka on Wednesday accused the BJP government, headed by Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa, of showing discrimination in distribution of relief material to those affected by the lockdown, clamped to check the spread of Novel Coronavirus, by favouring constituencies represented by the ruling BJP Legislators.

Despite that, the party intends to extend full cooperation to the government during this hour of crisis without indulging in politics, it urged the administration to be “transparent”.

''We have had our (Congress) Task Force meeting today, during which we discussed several matters. There is a lot of difference between the government's talk and its deeds,'' KPCC President D K Shivakumar said.

Madikeri, Apr 22: The quality of water in the River Cauvery in Kodagu district has improved significantly following the nationwide Lockdown.

The discharge of effluents from home stays and resorts situated on the banks of the river in the district has stopped due to lack of visitors. The discharge of waste water had made the river impure all these years.

The suspension of boat ride in Dubare has reduced the pollution from diesel motorboats in the river. For the last few years, the water quality of the river had reached 'C' category from 'B' category during the summer.

Lucknow, Apr 13: Muslims in Uttar Pradesh are now worried that the intense communal profiling of the Corona patients by the official agencies could lead to lynching incidents once the lockdown is lifted.

Muslim scholar and former SP spokesman, Abdul Hafiz Gandhi, on Monday said, "The manner in which the government agencies are identifying persons belonging to Tablighi Jamaat in the list of Covid-19 patients is now translating into intense communal profiling which has been prohibited by the World Health Organization and the central government. A very small percentage of Muslims subscribe to the Tablighi Jamaat ideology but the impression going around is that the Muslim community, in general, is spreading coronavirus."

He said that there was a strong possibility of Muslims, in general, being attacked after the lockdown is lifted.

"This is exactly what happened on the cow slaughter issue. Even a small rumour led to people being lynched by mobs across the country. Corona is a pandemic and should be treated like one. We should fight against the virus together instead of creating a communal divide. Every day, the government spokesman lays down the number of Corona positive cases and then goes on to say how many of them are from Tablighi Jamaat," he explained.

Amir Haider, a social activist and also a veteran Congress leader, echoed similar sentiments when he said, "We strongly condemn the Tablighi Jamaat for ignoring the protocols and holding the congregation but why is the state government repeatedly harping on the religious angle. Shia and Sunni clerics are repeatedly asking the people to adhere to government guidelines and follow safety protocols.

He said that efforts to create a communal divide on the corona issue could have dangerous ramification after the lockdown is lifted."

A retired IAS officer, who did not wish to be named, said, that people have already started objecting to taking home deliveries from Muslim employees.

"My neighbours refused to take delivery of groceries from a Muslim boy. This is just the beginning of the narrative that is being drilled into the minds. We must check this before it explodes into something very dangerous," he said.