Mangaluru: Tension in Bengre as BJP workers returning from Amit Shah event clash with locals

Bengaluru, Jul 21: Leader of Opposition and former Chief Minister of Karnataka Siddaramaiah on Monday attacked the ruling government and said press conference of Health Minister B Siramulu was more like an exercise to hide facts than presenting proof with accurate data.

"Got to know about the press conference addressed by B Siramulu and Dr Ashwathnarayan CN to clear accusations of corruption. It looked more like an exercise to hide facts than presenting proof with accurate data," Siddaramaiah tweeted.

"It is still unclear about the points presented in the press conference. They have not answered any of my questions which were raised earlier. I will respond in detail once I receive the written explanation from the govt. Minister has claimed that both Health & Medical education department together have spent Rs323 Cr. But the data presented by them does not even add up to Rs100 Cr. What happened to the rest of the money?," asked Siddaramaiah.

He said that Centre has procured ventilators at Rs4 lakh per unit under PM Cares. But only in our state, the ventilators are procured at Rs12-Rs18 lakh per unit

"Prime Minister's Office has procured ventilators at Rs4 lakh per unit under PM Cares. But only in our state, the ventilators are procured at Rs12-Rs18 lakh per unit. Why do we see such a huge difference in price? Ministers, in the press conference, have told that quality & technological capabilities are the reasons for huge price difference. Does it mean ventilators under PM Cares lack quality? Why did they not present the technical specifications to justify the same?" he asked.

"Not just about the procurement of medical equipment, I had even asked data about food kits, PDS distribution, beds procured, quarantine centres & isolation wards. Where is the data for that?" he asked in a series of tweets. 

Alappuzha, Jan 9: The houseboat of Nobel Laureate Michael Levitt was blocked in the backwaters here for some time by trade union activists, who were on a nationwide strike against the Centre's "anti-labour" policies on Wednesday.

Michael Levitt, an American-British-Israeli biophysicist and a professor of structural biology at the Stanford University in the United States, said the incident sent a bad message to tourists.

Levitt, who was in Kerala as a state guest, also said he felt as if a bandit had stopped his wife and him at gunpoint. Police said Levitt, who received the 2013 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, was in Alappuzha with his wife and they were stopped by the protesters near Kainakary.

"Being stopped by criminals on the backwaters sends a very bad message to tourists. It is as if a bandit stopped us at gunpoint and delayed us under the threat of force for one hour," Levitt wrote in an email to his tour agent at Kottayam.

In the email, which was later released to the media, he also said the person who blocked them "ignored all arguments that tourists were exempted" from the strike.

"This person, who did this, ignored all arguments that tourists were exempted and that I am a VIP guest of the Kerala government. He was obviously acting, knowing that he was safe from prosecution. Sadly, this makes me fear that India is sinking into lawlessness," Levitt wrote in the email.

The police registered a case after the houseboat owners filed a complaint in this regard.

Reacting to the incident, state Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran said the government would take strong action. "Strong action will be taken against those anti-social elements who stopped the boat. Levitt was here as a guest of the state government. The government had made it clear that the tourism industry was exempted from the strike," he said.

Trade union leaders had also announced that the strike would not affect the tourism industry.

Ten trade unions, including the INTUC, the AITUC and the CITU, had called for the nationwide strike to protest against the labour reforms, FDI, disinvestment, corporatisation and privatisation policies of the Centre and press for a 12-point demands of the working class, relating to minimum wage, among others.

Shivamogga, Jun 13: Senior BJP leader and Karnataka Minister for Rural Development and Panchayat Raj, K S Eshwarappa on Saturday opined that during the selection of candidates to the legislative council, the party needs to take into consideration those who helped the party in formation of government in the State.

Speaking to media persons on the sideline of a programme here, he said the party high command would give another surprise while issuing tickets during the MLC election.

Mr Eshwrappa said that party high command will take a call on selecting candidates, but priority should be given to the leader who won on Congress and Janata Dal and then jumped to BJP which helped to form govt under the leadership of B S Yediyurappa.