Siddaramaiah is the first CM in India to fulfil all the poll promises: Ghulam Nabi Azad

Mohammed Asif | coastaldigest.com
May 11, 2018

Ghulam Nabi Azad, the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, recently hit the campaign trail in different parts of Karnataka which will go to polls on May 12. Before boarding a Delhi-bound flight, the former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir spent an hour at Mangaluru International Airport speaking to Mohammad Asif. He gave zero mark to Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led NDA government at the Centre and full marks to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah-led Karnataka government. Excerpts:

CD: As the Leader of the Opposition you have been observing Prime Minister Narendra Modi from close quarters. How would you describe four years of Modi government?

Azad: Well, the Modi government has miserably failed. The economy has collapsed. The social fabric of the country is totally disintegrated and shattered. The PM has not fulfilled any of the promises he made to the people of India. He cheated the farmers and youth of the country by making false promises. He promised two crore jobs to Indian youth every year. But, even 2% of this promise hasn’t been fulfilled. He promised the poor people of India that there will be no price rise. Unfortunately, the price rise is 200% during his time. The devaluation of the rupee is highest during his period. The instances of ceasefire violations in Jammu and Kashmir are the highest ever. Maximum number of civilians and security personnel were killed after Modi took over as PM. The safety and the security of the women have been compromised. Almost after every hour there is the rape across the country. Even elderly women and small children are being raped. But the PM has neither taken any necessary steps to stop this menace, nor held meetings with the chief ministers of the state to tackle it. In total, the NDA government at the Centre led by Narendra Modi is a disaster.

CD: What’s your opinion on Mehbooba Mufti led J&K government’s handling of Kathua rape and murder case?

Azad: Unfortunately she miserably failed to take the action. This particular episode took place in the month of January and for two months she did not taken any action. It was my party which raised the issue in the Assembly session and subsequently other opposition parties too joined us. Shockingly, they did not allow the Assembly to function for one week. After that only she started enquiring into it. I must congratulate the people of India who respective of their religion, caste and creed rose to the occasion. The entire country was on the roads and there was a huge pressure on the governments of India and Jammu and Kashmir. Such a pressure forced them to act finally. 

CD: Kashmir has always been a poll issue for BJP in South Indian states too. How Congress would counter this in coming days? 

Azad: Who is responsible for the state of affairs in Jammu and Kashmir? Kashmir was nearly normal. No infiltration was taking place. The militancy had come to minimal. It was almost zero percent. Today we are witnessing the highest ever militancy because the contradiction of the union government and the state government of J&K because of the way they are directly poking their nose in the local affairs of the state. The people of the J&K don’t like it. So the Union government should be held squarely responsible for the mess up.

CD: Any comments on chief minister Siddaramaiah and the Congress government in Karnataka under his leadership?

Azad: Siddaramaiah ji is equally popular in North India too. He is rated as the first class gentle man, a secular man and capable man and an honest man across the country. I am sure that the Congress will be forming government in Karnataka after the May 12 polls, because Siddaramaiah ji is probably the first chief minister in the history of Independent India to fulfil almost all the pre-poll promises. On the other hand, the BJP government at the Centre has hardly fulfilled one percent of its pre-poll promises. People have seen the development works carried out by Siddaramaiah government. They also have realised that the promises made by Narendra Modi and his party were mere jokes.

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
February 4,2020

Bengaluru, Feb 4: Taking the state government to task, the Karnataka High Court on Monday opined there was a need to rehabilitate or compensate migrant workers whose homes in Tubarahalli and Kundalahalli were demolished by a BBMP engineer last month.

On January 19, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) assistant executive engineer at Marathahalli had taken up a demolition drive stating that the migrant workers residing in the area were “illegal Bangladeshis”.

A division bench led by Chief Justice Abhay S Oka was hearing a petition by the People’s Union for Civil Liberties which contended that the evacuation of the workers was illegal. Stressing the need for relief, the court directed the state government to come clean on its stance and adjourned the hearing to February 10.

Advocate General Prabhuling K Navadgi submitted that the Union government had issued a circular last year to ascertain the presence of illegal Bangaladesh migrants. “On the basis of this circular, the BBMP officials had written a letter to Marathahalli police sub-inspector on January 18. Based on this letter, the residents in huts were evicted in a civilised manner,” he stated.

The bench, however, differed with the submission. “Who identified them as Bangladeshis before the eviction? Which is the competent authority to do so? Which police officer took up the inquiry?” the bench questioned.

The court also asked whether the government would take up similar eviction drives against illegal buildings of the rich. It also expressed displeasure over the action taken against the BBMP engineer.

“Instead of sending him home, you say you have transferred him. We can’t be mute spectators,” the bench said.

The court did not mince words as it castigated the authorities for failing to act judiciously. “The police and the BBMP are blaming each other. Your action appears to be dangerous. Going by the state of things, it seems that everything is not in order,” it said.

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 7,2020

Thrissur, Mar 7: A local temple in Kerala is at the centre of a social media storm after the picture of a ''Brahmins-only toilet'' outside its main campus went viral on online platforms, prompting the management to remove the signboard.

The picture of three toilets, with signboards showing "Men", "Women" and "Brahmins", at the Kuttumukku Mahadeva Temple in Thrissur, has gone viral with many social media users viewing it as an unethical practise that can portray the progressive state in a bad light.

However, temple officials said the toilets were located outside the main campus and the board was brought to their notice only now.

Kannan, an official of the temple committee, said the board was placed nearly two decades ago and nobody raised any complaint against it so far.

"That particular toilet was being used by priests and other temple employees. We didn't even notice that board... As soon as we came to know about it, we removed it and affixed a staff-only board," he told PTI.

Also a CPI-M functionary and ward councillor, Kannan said the shrine and it's management was against all kinds of unethical customs.

The temple official said they were planning to pursue legal measures against the man who posted the photo of the toilets on social media.

"We suspect that he did it deliberately to create issues during the time of the festival and to tarnish the shrine's reputation. Not only that, the photo he shared was an old one though he claimed that it was taken during the time of the festival, " he said.

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 30,2020

Bengaluru, Mar 30: The total number of COVID-19 cases in Karnataka has climbed to 88 on Sunday after five more persons tested positive for the lethal infection.

"Five more COVID-19 cases reported in Karnataka taking positive cases in the state to 88," said the State health department.

Of the five, one is a close contact of an earlier confirmed patient and the others are workers of a pharmaceutical company in Mysuru, from where a person had tested positive, the department said.

The country is under a 21-day lockdown to prevent the spread of coronavirus, which according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, has infected 1,071 people so far.

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.