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Bengaluru, Apr 21: Hardline BJP leader and Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya, who had deleted some of his old sexist tweets while contesting for Lok Sabha polls, yesterday deleted deleted his ugly remarks against Arab woman after it went viral and triggered sharp response from  many quarters, including from the Arab world.

In 2015, before Surya became an MP, he had said in a tweet, "95% of Arab women have never had an orgasm in the last few hundred years! Every mother has produced kids as an act of sex and not love. @Tarek Fatah."

The old tweet was picked up some influential members in the Arab community. Many intellectuals and various members of the royal families too have over the past few days condemned the attacks on Muslims in India and called out instances on Islamophobia. They have been highlighting derogatory comments about the Arab community purportedly made by supporters of the ruling BJP. It was then that a few found that even present day recognised leaders like Tejasvi had made similar comments in the past.

As the outrage grew, Tejasvi deleted the old tweet. A lot of BJP supporters on Twitter then started pointing out that Tejasvi Surya had merely quoted Canadian journalist Tareh Fatah, known for his anti-Islam comments. But by then someone had archived the tweet and Tejasvi's response to it in 2015.

Dear @Twitter , this Indian politicians @Tejasvi_Surya has racially slurred Arab women, I wonder how is his account still active? Is it not against Twitter's official policy? Please act as Arab sentiment has been badly wounded. pic.twitter.com/JAM3hnDEjN

— المحامي⚖مجبل الشريكة (@MJALSHRIKA) April 19, 2020

Pity Ur upbringing @Tejasvi_Surya that respect for women couldn’t be instilled in U despite India having some great female leaders .Please note if someday the govt bestows a foreign ministry to you, avoid travelling to Arab lands. You are not welcome here. This will be remembered pic.twitter.com/KJJlqJL5tR

— Noora AlGhurair (@AlGhurair98) April 19, 2020

In a thread to the same tweet, responding to criticism, Surya had said that these were not his opinion but attributed to Tarek Fatah. He also said that he agrees with Fateh's position that 'Islamofascism was a threat to all civilsations'.

Prime Minister ..
An Indian Member of Parliament accuses Arab women, and we Arabs are asking for his membership to be dropped !!@narendramodi@PMOIndia pic.twitter.com/aQl4XayWZU

— عبدالرحمن النصار (@alnassar_kw) April 19, 2020

Surya could not be reached for a comment.

However, a source close to Surya, said, "This is a 2015 tweet where Tejasvi Surya was quoting Tarek Fatah from an interview. It is being wrongly attributed to him with malicious intent. The main issue being addressed in the interview was about the barbaric and inhuman practice of genital mutilation of women. If there's any person to comment on it, it has to be Tarek Fatah."

Tejasvi Surya had landed in a similar controversy soon after his nomination as a candidate just ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

His deleted Tweet recorded a video

تغريدته المحذوفة تم رصدها بالفيديو @narendramodi@PMOIndia pic.twitter.com/cTrIkaGosf

— عبدالرحمن النصار (@alnassar_kw) April 19, 2020

Surya could not be reached for a comment.

However, a source close to Surya, said, "This is a 2015 tweet where Tejasvi Surya was quoting Tarek Fatah from an interview. It is being wrongly attributed to him with malicious intent. The main issue being addressed in the interview was about the barbaric and inhuman practice of genital mutilation of women. If there's any person to comment on it, it has to be Tarek Fatah."

Tejasvi Surya had landed in a similar controversy soon after his nomination as a candidate just ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

More islamophobic gems from @Tejasvi_Surya : @alnassar_kw @MJALSHRIKA @AlGhurair98 https://t.co/wktXi8fzhM pic.twitter.com/Rk2cEyRqWl

— شخص (@falana_shakhs) April 20, 2020

The Congress also stepped in to criticise Surya and the BJP, national spokesperson Sanjay Jha said in a tweet, “The BJP gives tickets to Pragya Singh Thakur and #TejasviSurya etc because it helps popularise their hardline bigoted political profile. But the chickens usually come home to roost. Today, India stands embarrassed, humiliated.”

Bengaluru, Jul 3: Karnataka Health Department on Thursday permitted District Health Departments to appoint doctors with MBBS, on a contractual basis with permission of concerned District Health Officers and Commissioners, a statement said.

The state government has also hiked the salary of contractual doctors from Rs 45000 to Rs 60000 per month.

Earlier in the day, Karnataka Health Minister B Sriramulu urged contract doctors to continue offering their services amid their demand for regularisation of services.

"I request the contract doctors with folded hands to continue offering their services. With regard to their two demands, one of salary hike and the other being permanency, I assure all of them that I stand with them and their requests will definitely be fulfilled," said Mr Sriramulu.

The Chief Minister had also discussed about the two issues yesterday and agreed to facilitate the pay hike, he added.

Bengaluru,  Jul 21: The salaries of doctors under the National Health Mission (NHM) has been hiked to Rs 45,000 in Karnataka, according to Medical Education Minister Dr K Sudhakar.

Addressing the media on Monday, Dr Sudhakar said that the state government will bear the cost of the hike in salaries of the doctors and added that ASHA workers too will get a hike in their pay soon.

Regarding the COVID-19 management in the state, he further said that testing will be increased in the containment zones.

During a meeting chaired by Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa, the Education Minister said that it had been decided that booth level committees will conduct door to door survey for early detection of influenza-like illness (ILI) and severe acute respiratory infections (SARI), and vulnerable persons.

He also implored private hospitals to admit and treat COVID-19 patients and asked them to not be hesitant in admitting pregnant women.

Karnataka on Monday reported 3,648 COVID-19 cases taking the tally to 67,420, informed the state health department.

According to a bulletin issued by the department, the state recorded 72 more deaths due to COVID-19 with the toll at 1,403 while six patients who tested positive for the infection have died due to non-COVID causes, as of Monday. There are 42,216 active cases in the state.