Tag: Siddaramaiah

  • Odisha train crash: Karnataka CM deputes minister-led team to ensure safety of people from state

    By PTI

    BENGALURU: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday deputed a team led by Labour Minister Santosh Lad to ensure the safety of people from the state in the aftermath of the Odisha train accident.

    He sought reports from the Chief Secretary and discussed with the officers concerned by directing them to visit the spot to ensure the safety of people from the state, and provide all necessary support to them, the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) said in a release.

    A team headed by Minister Lad, accompanied by Manoj Rajan, Commissioner, Disaster Management and other officers has already left for Balasore where the accident occurred, it said.

    Helpline numbers 1070, 080-22253707, 080-22340676 have been opened for the convenience of citizens at the State Emergency Operations Centre (SEOC).

    ALSO READ | Odisha train crash: Toll rises to 261, rescue operations complete

    At least 261 people have been killed and over 650 injured in the crash in Balasore district of Odisha on Friday involving the Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express, the Shalimar-Chennai Central Coromandel Express and a goods train.

    ALSO READ | Railways launches high-level probe, says anti-train collision system wasn’t available on route

    BENGALURU: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday deputed a team led by Labour Minister Santosh Lad to ensure the safety of people from the state in the aftermath of the Odisha train accident.

    He sought reports from the Chief Secretary and discussed with the officers concerned by directing them to visit the spot to ensure the safety of people from the state, and provide all necessary support to them, the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) said in a release.

    A team headed by Minister Lad, accompanied by Manoj Rajan, Commissioner, Disaster Management and other officers has already left for Balasore where the accident occurred, it said.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    Helpline numbers 1070, 080-22253707, 080-22340676 have been opened for the convenience of citizens at the State Emergency Operations Centre (SEOC).

    ALSO READ | Odisha train crash: Toll rises to 261, rescue operations complete

    At least 261 people have been killed and over 650 injured in the crash in Balasore district of Odisha on Friday involving the Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express, the Shalimar-Chennai Central Coromandel Express and a goods train.

    ALSO READ | Railways launches high-level probe, says anti-train collision system wasn’t available on route

  • With Kharge at helm, Congress looks to consolidate its Dalit vote base in poll-bound Karnataka

    By PTI

    BENGALURU: The political impact of Mallikarjun Kharge’s election to the post of Congress President is being keenly watched in his poll-bound home state of Karnataka with the party hoping to reap dividends to consolidate its Dalit vote base.

    The veteran leader is also expected to use his good offices in unifying the faction-ridden party in the state, ahead of Assembly elections just six months away.

    Kharge is only the second leader, after Jagjivan Ram, to be the Congress President from the Dalit community, which constitutes about 24 per cent of the population across more than 100 caste groups in the state.

    According to some party insiders and political observers, Congress’ strong support base among Dalits has shrunk over the years, due to various factors including a section of it shifting towards BJP in recent years, attracted by the strong leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his push for a development agenda.

    Also, the grand old party’s inability to resolve the differences between left and right sects among the Dalits, concerning internal reservation, has also led to it losing the support of the Left, who have considerable presence in the state.

    Kharge belongs to the Dalit right, and his ability to win over the left, who have by and large moved towards the BJP, is crucial, and will determine whether things will turn in favour of the Congress or not, political analysts say.

    There is anger among a large section of the community, over the fact that Congress, which enjoyed their support for long, did not make a Dalit as the state’s Chief Minister.

    Kharge himself had lost out from the chance of becoming the Chief Minister, after having come very close to it, a couple of times.

    Political analyst A Narayana from Azim Premji University said, “Overall, it (Kharge’s elevation) is an advantage for the Congress (in Karnataka), but to what extent it will turn into an electoral or political capital, we do not know and have to see.”

    Noting that Dalits harbour “a little bit” of anger against the Congress which sort of affected its prospects last time (in 2018 polls), he said there is still a feeling in the community that they were not given their due.

    “Ultimately, that dissatisfaction will be addressed only when a Dalit becomes the CM, but it is a distant possibility, given the political realities of the state today. In the meantime, to address this discontent to an extent, it seems to be a good argument for the Congress to say that the top post of the party has been given to a Dalit, and we respect the Dalit sentiments,” he added.

    Further, pointing out that in Karnataka, Congress’ problem with Dalits is a more specific one, where the left sect of the community is angry with the party more than the right, Narayana said it remains to be seen if the elevation of Kharge, a Dalit on the right will help the party to placate the other side.

    “It depends on how much they (Congress) try to leverage, whether Kharge will make any impact in that direction, and how they address the discontent that the left wing has particularly regarding the implementation of the Sadashiva Commission report among other things,” he added.

    The Justice A J Sadashiva Inquiry Commission, which looked into methods of equitable distribution of reservation facilities among Scheduled Castes (SCs), had recommended internal reservation among the castes by broadly reclassifying all the 101 castes into four groups.

    Senior Congress leader and former Chairman of Legislative Council V R Sudarshan said Kharge becoming the Congress President is a matter of pride for Karnataka and it will certainly strengthen the party affairs in the state, both politically and socially.

    He said, “It is an opportunity to consolidate (Dalits) in favour of the party. However, Kharge personally has never played his Dalit identity card, even when there was a circumstance for him to become the CM. He has always been a committed Congressman and gone by his performance and loyalty.”

    With Kharge’s elevation, there are also talks in political circles as to whether it would create one more ‘power centre’ within the Karnataka Congress which is deeply divided, and amid growing political one-upmanship between state President DK Shivakumar and Legislature Party leader Siddaramaiah, who are nursing chief ministerial ambitions.

    Amid this situation, there are talks whether the new AICC chief will be able to rein in all the factions and unite the party for the elections.

    There are also discussions in the party, whether it will be ‘disadvantage’ for Siddaramaiah (who had joined the Congress from JDS) with Kharge at the helm as his preference may be towards old-time party loyalists on matters relating to ticket distribution and leaders among others.

    However, Narayana responding to this said, “Yes, there will be another power centre in Karnataka, but will it affect the possibility of Siddaramaiah becoming or not becoming CM, I don’t think so, because Kharge is appointed keeping in mind the 2024 (Lok Sabha) election.”

    BENGALURU: The political impact of Mallikarjun Kharge’s election to the post of Congress President is being keenly watched in his poll-bound home state of Karnataka with the party hoping to reap dividends to consolidate its Dalit vote base.

    The veteran leader is also expected to use his good offices in unifying the faction-ridden party in the state, ahead of Assembly elections just six months away.

    Kharge is only the second leader, after Jagjivan Ram, to be the Congress President from the Dalit community, which constitutes about 24 per cent of the population across more than 100 caste groups in the state.

    According to some party insiders and political observers, Congress’ strong support base among Dalits has shrunk over the years, due to various factors including a section of it shifting towards BJP in recent years, attracted by the strong leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his push for a development agenda.

    Also, the grand old party’s inability to resolve the differences between left and right sects among the Dalits, concerning internal reservation, has also led to it losing the support of the Left, who have considerable presence in the state.

    Kharge belongs to the Dalit right, and his ability to win over the left, who have by and large moved towards the BJP, is crucial, and will determine whether things will turn in favour of the Congress or not, political analysts say.

    There is anger among a large section of the community, over the fact that Congress, which enjoyed their support for long, did not make a Dalit as the state’s Chief Minister.

    Kharge himself had lost out from the chance of becoming the Chief Minister, after having come very close to it, a couple of times.

    Political analyst A Narayana from Azim Premji University said, “Overall, it (Kharge’s elevation) is an advantage for the Congress (in Karnataka), but to what extent it will turn into an electoral or political capital, we do not know and have to see.”

    Noting that Dalits harbour “a little bit” of anger against the Congress which sort of affected its prospects last time (in 2018 polls), he said there is still a feeling in the community that they were not given their due.

    “Ultimately, that dissatisfaction will be addressed only when a Dalit becomes the CM, but it is a distant possibility, given the political realities of the state today. In the meantime, to address this discontent to an extent, it seems to be a good argument for the Congress to say that the top post of the party has been given to a Dalit, and we respect the Dalit sentiments,” he added.

    Further, pointing out that in Karnataka, Congress’ problem with Dalits is a more specific one, where the left sect of the community is angry with the party more than the right, Narayana said it remains to be seen if the elevation of Kharge, a Dalit on the right will help the party to placate the other side.

    “It depends on how much they (Congress) try to leverage, whether Kharge will make any impact in that direction, and how they address the discontent that the left wing has particularly regarding the implementation of the Sadashiva Commission report among other things,” he added.

    The Justice A J Sadashiva Inquiry Commission, which looked into methods of equitable distribution of reservation facilities among Scheduled Castes (SCs), had recommended internal reservation among the castes by broadly reclassifying all the 101 castes into four groups.

    Senior Congress leader and former Chairman of Legislative Council V R Sudarshan said Kharge becoming the Congress President is a matter of pride for Karnataka and it will certainly strengthen the party affairs in the state, both politically and socially.

    He said, “It is an opportunity to consolidate (Dalits) in favour of the party. However, Kharge personally has never played his Dalit identity card, even when there was a circumstance for him to become the CM. He has always been a committed Congressman and gone by his performance and loyalty.”

    With Kharge’s elevation, there are also talks in political circles as to whether it would create one more ‘power centre’ within the Karnataka Congress which is deeply divided, and amid growing political one-upmanship between state President DK Shivakumar and Legislature Party leader Siddaramaiah, who are nursing chief ministerial ambitions.

    Amid this situation, there are talks whether the new AICC chief will be able to rein in all the factions and unite the party for the elections.

    There are also discussions in the party, whether it will be ‘disadvantage’ for Siddaramaiah (who had joined the Congress from JDS) with Kharge at the helm as his preference may be towards old-time party loyalists on matters relating to ticket distribution and leaders among others.

    However, Narayana responding to this said, “Yes, there will be another power centre in Karnataka, but will it affect the possibility of Siddaramaiah becoming or not becoming CM, I don’t think so, because Kharge is appointed keeping in mind the 2024 (Lok Sabha) election.”

  • Siddaramaiah questions celebration of 1 billion COVID vaccinations

    By PTI

    BENGALURU: Senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah on Friday questioned the celebration over administration of one billion COVID-19 vaccine doses in the country when only 21 per cent of the people have been fully vaccinated so far.

    In a series of tweets, the Congress stalwart hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP for not yet vaccinating the entire eligible population.

    “‘1 billion doses’ sounds fancy number but the devil is in the details. Only 29 Cr people out of 139Cr are fully vaccinated, which means only about 21% are fully vaccinated. What are @BJP4India leaders celebrating for? For vaccinating just 21% of the population?” Siddaramiah asked in a tweet.

    According to the Congress veteran, only 29 crore people have received two-doses and 42 crore have got only one, leaving 62 crore without any single dose of vaccine. “With just 29 Cr (21%) people fully vaccinated, India’s position is still in danger. Are @BJP4India leaders celebrating India’s vulnerability?” he asked.

    The leader of opposition in the assembly also claimed that India still needed about 106 crore doses to fully vaccinate the target by December 31, which means 1.51 doses have to be administered everyday.

    He asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi whether India is prepared to administer 106 crore doses by December end and ensure all Indians are fully vaccinated by this year.

    Siddaramaiah noted that 56 per cent of the population in the US is fully vaccinated, in China it is 70 per cent and in Canada 71 per cent. “But India’s vaccine coverage is just 21%. Mr. @narendramodi, let us raise the bar before celebrating!!” the former Chief Minister took a jibe.

    Pointing out that there may be a need for booster dose too, Siddaramaiah said, “With even first doses and second doses pending for large population, can we even think of booster dose? Mr PM @narendramodi, Let us put celebrations on hold & concentrate on vaccinating everyone.” The total vaccine doses administered in the country crossed 99.

    54 crore on Wednesday, according to the data from the Co-WIN portal, with around 75 percent of all adults having administered the first dose and around 31 percent having received both doses.

  • Two more Congress MLAs back Siddaramaiah as CM candidate in next Karnataka polls

    By PTI
    BENGALURU: Two more Congress MLAs on Tuesday favoured projecting Siddaramaiah as the party’s chief ministerial candidate for the next Assembly election, which is two years away.

    Earlier, B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan and Raghavendra Hitnal had pitched for the Leader of Opposition in the Assembly and former Chief Minister.

    And now they are joined by Kampli MLA J N Ganesh and Bhima Naik, who represents Hagaribommanahalli Assembly segment.

    Ganesh told reporters that “When people are dejected with the BJP government, they are looking up to Siddaramiaah. His work as Chief Minister had helped every section of the society. If a gentle person like him becomes chief minister, it will help the entire state.”

    He maintained that he will go by the decision of the high command, but said “the party leaders know under whose leadership the election should be fought in the state as people want Siddaramaiah to be the chief minister again.”

    Naik echoed Ganesh’s sentiments.

    “In the five years of Siddaramaiah’s term, we spent huge money on irrigation projects and various social welfare schemes. People know the contribution of Siddaramaiah,” Naik told reporters reacting to calls in some quarters favouring projecting Siddaramaiah as the CM face.

    According to him, “Karnataka youth feel that they committed a mistake by voting for BJP and everyone’s wish to see Siddaramaiah as the chief minister again after winning the 2023 assembly elections”.

    Reacting to the statements by a few MLAs, Siddaramaiah said they were personal views of the individuals and not the opinion of the party.

    When asked about Raghavendra Hitnal backing him, Siddaramaiah said he is not bothered about what he says.

    He said he had never asked Hitnal to bat for him.

    “Did I ever say that I will be the chief minister or has the party decided it? No. Such discussions have not taken place in the party. So, there is no need to give credence to such issues and it is not a matter of discussion,” Siddaramaiah told reporters in Ballari.

    The statement of the Congress MLAs came on a day when the party’s state President D K Shivakumar called on party leader Rahul Gandhi in Delhi.

    According to the sources close to him, Shivakumar told Rahul Gandhi about “the mischief of projecting Siddaramaiah as chief minister when there was no such need for it because the elections are still two years away”.

    Earlier, Shivakumar had said that the party will go to polls under a collective leadership and everyone has been asked to “stay within limits”.

  • Reconsider decision to allow private hospitals charge Rs 250 per vaccine: Siddaramaiah

    By Express News Service
    BENGALURU: Former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ensure that every Indian is vaccinated against Covid-19 for free. “Many countries across the world, including Brazil, Canada, the US and the UK, have made vaccines free of cost and that is the right approach,” Siddaramaiah stated in a letter addressed to the PM. 

    Urging Modi to reconsider the decision to allow private hospitals to charge Rs 250 for the vaccine, the former chief minister said allowing private healthcare centres to charge Rs 250 for administering vaccine will adversely impact the efforts to ensure immunity to everyone and to contain the spread of Covid-19. “More than 70% of the population will find it difficult to afford the vaccine and (the price) may prevent them from accessing it. This will act as a deterrent for our fight against the pandemic and return to normalcy,” he said.

    Siddaramaiah said vaccination drive in India was slow as only 0.5% of the population was vaccinated so far. “Whereas other countries have been making huge strides to increase immunity among its people. Israel has vaccinated 36 per cent of the population, the US six per cent, and the UK four per cent. India can progress only when the vaccines are widely available at zero cost to the population,” the former CM stated. 

    Siddaramaiah said collaborating with private institutions in the vaccination drive is the right approach and the State and Union governments should take the burden to reimburse.