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Bengaluru, Feb 28: “Those who struggle to come up can understand people’s problems better. Yediyurappa is one such leader who has reached this position after a struggle,’’ said former chief minister Siddaramaiah, in praise of Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa, who celebrated his 78th birthday on Thursday in Bengaluru.

Siddaramaiah was the only non-BJP leader on the dais, who not only attended the event, but was present throughout. He released a coffee table book, ‘A Leader who Saw Tomorrow’, on Yediyurappa’s life and achievements, compiled by The New Indian Express.

Dwelling on the political spectrum and human relationships, Siddaramaiah said, “Our ideologies are different, but that is limited to politics. Politics should not come between personal relationships.’’ Recalling his association with Yediyurappa, Siddaramaiah said that in 1983, he and Yediyurappa had entered the Assembly for the first time.

“Yediyurappa did not become chief minister just like that. It took years of struggle and hard work. We both have many similarities — neither of us came from political backgrounds. We came up through struggle and those who come from such backgrounds understand people,’’ he said.

Siddaramaiah said that it was Yediyurappa who first became chief minister, and he had reached the post only five years later. “I am five years younger than him, maybe that is the reason,’’ he said on a lighter note. Yediyurappa has become chief minister four times, but I have been chief minister only once, he added. He also spoke about how Yediyurappa had played an important role in bringing the BJP to power in the state, the party’s first government in South India. “Very few leaders know the pulse of the state and Yediyurappa is one among them,’’ he said.

Bengaluru, May 1: As Mumbai link surfacing in some COVID-19 cases in Mandya district in Karnataka, JDS leader and former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy on Friday blamed the district administration for the situation, accusing it of not quarantining 7,000 labourers who 'returned' from the Maharashtra capital.

"The information we have is that there are about 16,000 labourers from Mandya were working in Mumbai of which 7,000 people reached the district. None of them was quarantined properly," Kumaraswamy told reporters in Bengaluru.

He claimed the district, a stronghold of JDS, was staring at a major spurt in cases due to the careless attitude of the district administration. "Government should initiate action against those who are responsible for the laxity," he said.

However, he did not specify when the 7,000 workers returned to Mandya. When asked about Kumaraswamy's claim, officials said they have to verify it. Of the eight cases reported from Mandya on Friday, three had a travel history to Mumbai, a major COVID-19 hotspot in the country, officials said.

A Health Department official said four of the fresh cases were contacts of a patient who tested positive on April 8 and admitted to a hospital. After weeks of coming in contact with him, the four were confirmed for COVID-19, an official said. The Three people with travel history to Mumbai had, in fact, brought the body of a man who died of a heart attack there on April 24, the official added.

Mangaluru, Jun 13: Around people from Bhatkal, who were stranded in United Arab Emirates due to months of covid lockdown, finally reached their hometown today. A charter flight carrying these passengers took from the Ras Al Khaimah International Airport at 11:20 PM (UAE time) yesterday and landed at Mangaluru International Airport at 4.20 am today.

After completing all the formalities, they were taken to Bhatkal in five buses arranged by Bhatkali Jamaatul Muslimeen, Mangaluru. Two hotels and a college hostel have been booked for the institutional quarantine of the returnees. 

The passengers were received at the airport by Majlis E Islah wa Tanzeem executive members, Bhatkali Jamaat Ul Muslimeen executive members, and Bhatkal Muslim Youth Federation executive members. 

Ateequr Rahman Muniri, vice president of Majlis-e-Islah wa Tanzeem and owner of UAE based Nuha General Trading LLC, had taken the initiative of sending stranded citizens of Bhatkal and surrounding regions to back home from UAE.

“After we came to know about the problems of the NRIs stranded in UAE plans were made to charter flights to send them home. I received huge support from the Bhatkal community leaders and youth here in Dubai, who gave their complete cooperation and helped with their efforts in successfully chartering the first flight," Muniri said.