C M Ibrahim’s unopposed election to Council a boost for Cong’s morale

News Network
August 22, 2017

Bengaluru, Aug 22: He brings alive drab political speeches in public with wit, sarcasm as well as Basavanna's vachanas and Sanskrit shlokas.

The unopposed election of Congress candidate C M Ibrahim to the Karnataka legislative council (formal announcement of his election will be on August 24) from the assembly set at rest speculation of his quitting the party as the JD(S) and BJP were reportedly trying to woo him.

"When the bride is good-looking, there are many suitors for her,'' he said, after his name was cleared by the Congress high command for the council seat.

After he filed his nomination papers, he was asked whether the 10-month tenure as MLC would be enough to implement his plans. Ibrahim quipped: "Many things happen in nine months.''

The vacancy to the council was caused following the death of BJP MLC Vimala Gowda, whose tenure was to end in June 2018.

Ibrahim, a confidant of chief minister Siddaramaiah, finished his schooling and has been with the Congress and undivided Janata Parivaar since 1978. He became an MLA in 1978 on a Janata Party ticket, joined the Congress in 1980 and quit but only to rejoin in 2008.

His proximity to former PM H D Deve Gowda peaked in 1996, when he became the second in command in the latter's cabinet as minister for civil aviation.

His induction into the Union cabinet was Gowda's thanksgiving as Ibrahim was one of the contributors of the Janata Parivaar victory in the assembly elections with Gowda becoming the CM in 1994.

A few years later, Ibrahim fell out with Gowda and in 2008 rejoined the Congress. Ibrahim's first mentor was former CM S Nijalingappa, who is said to have spotted him at an election meeting as a 12-year-old boy giving election speeches for his father's friend contesting on a Congress ticket from Bhadravati in 1967.

In 1969, when the Congress split, Nijalingappa entrusted Ibrahim to former chief minister Veerendra Patil with whom he stayed till his death.

Apart from his oratory, Ibrahim is also remembered for the Rolex watch controversy. Acording to Ibrahim, he visited Dubai as food and civil supplies minister in Gundu Rao's cabinet.  

He was presented a steel Rolex watch which then cost Rs 1,000. Although it was declared at customs, Ibrahim said former MLC A K Subbaiah had made an issue of it.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
coastaldigest.com web desk
July 23,2020

Mangaluru, July 23: Lavanya Ballal, national co-coordinator for social media department of Indian National Congress, has accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of destroying the nation by misleading the youth.

In an interview with a regional Kannada news paper, the Dakshina Kannada based activist, lamented that instead of using social media for the welfare of the nation, BJP leaders used it to spread lies for their political gains. 

On one hand BJP fooled people through false promises and colourful dialogues, while on the other hand it misled crores of youth by spreading fake news, twisted facts and false information, she said.

Ms Ballal went on to accuse BJP of following the footsteps of the British. “BJP is following all the methods employed by the British invaders to divide the people of India and make them hate each other,” she said.

She said that Congress always used the social media for the benefit of the country. If the new generation realises this fact, the country will once again turn its direction towards development, she asserted.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
coastaldigest.com news network
July 8,2020

Manjeshwar, Jul 8: Manjeshwar police arrested a man with 10 Kg of Ganja while fleeing away from a checkpoint at Battippadavu last night.

The police said on Wednesday that since the vehicle did not stop they had to chase it and after going some distance the driver lost control over the steering and it met with an accident.

The police immediately arrested the accused and the ganja was found concealed in a gunny bag.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
March 16,2020

New Delhi, Mar 16: Reliance Group Chairman Anil Ambani has been summoned by the ED in connection with its money laundering probe against Yes Bank promoter Rana Kapoor and others, officials said on Monday.

They said Ambani was asked to depose at the Enforcement Directorate office in Mumbai on Monday as his group companies are among the big entities whose loans went bad after borrowing from the crisis-hit bank.

The officials said Ambani, 60, has sought exemption from appearance on some personal grounds and he may be issued a new date.

Ambani's group companies are stated to have taken loans of about Rs 12,800 crore from the bank that turned NPAs.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had said in a March 6 press conference that the Anil Ambani Group, Essel, ILFS, DHFL and Vodafone were among the stressed corporates Yes Bank had exposure to.

Officials said promoters of all the big companies who had taken large loans from the beleaguered bank which later turned bad are being summoned for questioning in the case to take investigation forward.

Ambani's statement will be recorded under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) upon deposition, they said.

Kapoor, 62, is at present in ED custody after he was arrested by the central probe agency early this month.

The ED has accused Kapoor, his family members and others of laundering "proceeds of crime" worth Rs 4,300 crore by receiving alleged kickbacks in lieu of extending big loans through their bank that later turned NPA.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.