Belagavi, Dec 12: Senior Legislator K Pratapchandra Shetty of Congress was unanimously elected as Karnataka Legislative Council Chairman here on Wednesday during the ongoing Winter Session at Suvarna Vikas Soudha.
Mr Shetty was the lone candidate who had filed his nomination papers yesterday. The senior leader from Udupi has been a four-time MLA and three time MLC.
Senior member of the house and former Minister S R Patil and Allam Veerbhadrappa, both from Congress proposed Mr Shetty's name.
Bhopal, Mar 18: Rebel Congress MLAs from Madhya Pradesh who are staying at a resort in Bengaluru, on Wednesday said they went there voluntarily.
Issuing video messages, the rebels said they didn't want to meet senior party leader Digvijay Singh who was briefly detained near the resort this morning.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath and other leaders of the Congress have been claiming that the rebel MLAs were being held in captivity by BJP.
High drama unfolded this morning near the resort, as Singh, a two-time Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister, staged a protest accusing the police of not allowing him to meet the legislators, following which he was detained briefly and released later.
Singh, along with Karnataka Congress chief D K Shivakumar, is meeting police top brass seeking opportunity to meet the MLAs.
Singh hit out at Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa, accusing them of trying to block their efforts to get in touch with the legislators.
"We have come here voluntarily on our own wish; we have got to know from some people that a few leaders from Madhya Pradesh including Digvijay Singh and some MLAs have come here. We don't want to talk to anybody," Congress rebel MLA from Sumawali Aidal Singh Kansana said in a video message.
"We have tried enough to speak with every one for the last one year, when they did not hear us for one year, what they will hear us in one day? We want to say only this that we have come here as per our wish and go back as per our wish," he added.
Another rebel MLA Govind Singh Rajput too said they have come voluntarily and don't want to meet anybody.
"We got to know that Digvijay Singh has come with a few Ministers and leaders. Unnecessarily at the gate they are saying they want to meet us. When no MLA wants to meet him, they should not be doing this. All MLAs have sent in their resignation," he said in a video message.
Currently, 22 rebel MLAs are said to be camping in the city.
These videos were shared by former Congress leader Pankaj Chaturvedi, a close confidante of BJP leader JyotiradiyaScindia.
In a video message, Bisahulal Singh (Anuppur) said Digvijay Singh had fooled them for 40 years.
"My seniority was neglected. We recognised Digvijaya Singh as our leader for 40 years but he only fooled us. We have come here voluntarily," he said.
"Rahul Gandhi had told us that my name, along with Aidal Singh Kansana (Congress MLA from Sumawali), had figured in the list of state Cabinet but they were struck off due to nepotism," he added.
Pohri MLA Suresh Dhakad said they received information on Digvijay Singh's visit on Wednesday through television channels.
"The present crisis was caused due to Digvijay only. We don't want to meet him," he said.
Karera MLA Jasmant Singh Jatav also blamed Digvijay Singh for the plight of Congress in Madhya Pradesh.
Dimni MLA Girraj Singh said they all have already resigned.
The MLAs who have issued video messages also included Manoj Choudhary (Hatpipalya), Kamlesh Jatav (Ambah), Raghuraj Kansana (Ambah), Brijendra Singh (Mungaoli), Raksha Santram Sironiya (Bhander), Munnalal Goyal (Gwalior East), Rajyavardhan Singh (Badnawar), OPS Bhadoriya (Mehgaon), Ranvir Singh Jatav (Gohad) and Hardeep Singh Dang (Suwasara).
Former ministers Tulsi Silawat (Sanver), Mahendra Singh Sisodia (Bamori), Imarati Devi (Dabra), Pradyumn Singh Tomar (Gwalior), Govind Singh (Surkhi) and Prabhuram Choudhary (Sanchi) also issued videos.
The resignations of these six former ministers were accepted by Assembly Speaker NP Prajapati while those of 16 others are on hold.
The rebel Congress MLAs held a press conference on Tuesday and claimed that 20 more party MLAs want to join them. The rebels also said that they were thinking of crossing over to the BJP in the days to come.
The Congress-ruled Madhya Pradesh has been in a political turmoil since the MLAs resigned on March 10 following the suit of Scindia, who joined the BJP on March 11.
Bengaluru, Jan 1: Elaborate security arrangements have been made in view of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's two-day visit to Karnataka on January 2 and 3, officials said.
The Special Protection Group officials had a meeting with state government officials, especially the police regarding the security arrangements.
During his stay in Tumakuru, drones will not be allowed and anybody violating the direction will face stringent action, said a notification issued by Deputy Commissioner of the district Dr Rakesh Kumar.
According to the tour itinerary, the Prime Minister will reach Bengaluru on January 2 and fly to Tumakuru by a helicopter to visit Sri Siddaganga Math.
PM Modi will later take part in the Krishi Karman Awards function at the Junior College grounds where he will address a gathering and distribute fishing equipment, a government press release said.
The same evening he will return to Bengaluru to visit the Defence Research and Development Organisation. He will stay at the Raj Bhavan.
The next day, the Prime Minister will inaugurate the 107th Indian Science Congress at the Gandhi Krishi Vignana Kendra Campus at the University of Agricultural Sciences in Bengaluru, before flying to New Delhi in the afternoon.
To oversee the arrangements, Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa visited Tumakuru on Tuesday and held a meeting with officials.
Speaking to reporters later, Mr Yediyurappa said PM Modi will reach Siddaganga Math at 2.15 p.m where he will pay his obeisance to the seer there.
He will be in the town till 5.30 p.m on January 2, he added.
"Later, he will take part in the Krishi Karman and Krishi Samman Awards function which about 1.5 lakh people are likely to attend. He is going to give awards to 28 progressive farmers from 21 states," said the Chief Minister.
Mumbai, May 13: Members of the Muslim community helped in performing the last rites of their 72-year-old Hindu neighbour in Sewri area here after the deceased's relatives could not reach for his funeral due to the lockdown.
Pandurang Ubale, who was paralysed since the last few months, died at his residence in Zakaria Bunder area of Sewri on Monday. He had been staying there along with his wife and son since some decades.
After his death on Monday, his relatives staying in suburban Mulund, Belapur in adjoining Navi Mumbai and Alibaug in neighbouring Raigad district could not come over to his place in the wake of the coronavirus-induced lockdown.
As Ubale's wife and son were unable to make all arrangements for the funeral, they informed their neighbours, who came forward to help and even prepared the bier.
A neighbour, Asif Sheikh, who attended the funeral, said, We knew Ubale uncle since a long time. He always participated in our festivals and we used to be a part of their festivities. We all came forward to bid him a farewell and helped in performing his last rites."
Last month also,some Muslim men carried the body of a Hindu neighbour in suburban Bandra on their shoulders to the cremation ground after the deceased's relatives were unable to attend the last rites due to the lockdown.
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CONGRATULATIONS AND ALL THE BEST ON THE OCCASSION OF ELECTED KARNATAKA SPEAKER.
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