Not afraid of any probe into phone tapping: Kumaraswamy
Former Karnataka Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy on Monday said he was not afraid of any probe into phone tapping allegations, as he accused the BJP government of running a “transfer business” in the State.
The JD(S) leader’s statement triggered a war of words with chief minister B. Yeddiyurappa’s son B.Y. Vijayendra saying it was not appropriate to make “baseless allegations.”
Mr. Yediyurappa, however, said he was not going to react to the charges. “Why do you want to put words in my mouth? May God bless him. The whole world knows what he has done,” he told reporters.
Days after phone tapping allegations during the previous Congress-JDS coalition government surfaced, Mr. Yediyurappa on August 18 said he will order a CBI probe citing demands by several political leaders including from the Congress.
- PTI.
Renounce anti-reservation mentality, BSP chief Mayawati tells RSS
Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati on Monday asked the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) to “renounce” its “anti-reservation mentality,” a day after its chief Mohan Bhagwat said there should be a conversation in a harmonious atmosphere between those in favour of quota and those against it.
“The RSS saying that there should be an open-hearted debate on the issue of reservations of SC/ST and OBC creates a deadly situation of suspicion, which is not necessary,” said Ms. Mayawati on Twitter.
The former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister said reservation was a humanist constitutional system, and tampering with it was “inappropriate and injustice.”
Her comment came in response to the statement by Mr. Bhagwat that those who favoured reservation should speak keeping in mind the interests of those who were against it and those who opposed it should do vice versa.
J&K move correct, economy needs to be corrected: Swamy
Bharatiya Janata Party MP Subramanian Swamy at Indian School of Business in Hyderabad on Saturday.
BJP lawmaker Subramanian Swamy has said the withdrawal of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status was correct but the state of economy “needs to be corrected” as this issue is also important for national security and nation-building.
The Rajya Sabha MP told reporters Sunday the “wrong policies” adopted during former finance minister Arun Jaitley’s tenure were responsible for the economy slowing down. He also criticised ex-Reserve Bank of India governor Raghuram Rajan for raising interest rates.
“I think the wrong policies adopted during the tenure of Arun Jaitley, which are still in force, such as levying high taxes are some of the reasons for the slowdown... Increase in interest rates by former RBI governor Raghuram Rajan was one of the reasons (for the slowdown),” said Swamy.
He was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an event in Pune.
- PTI
Karnataka cabinet expansion tomorrow
After nearly 20 days, Karnataka will get a full-fledged cabinet tomorrow. Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa said, "The cabinet expansion will take place between 10:30 and 11:30 am tomorrow. I have already written a letter to the Governor in this regard. I have asked Chief Secretary to make all arrangements."
Amid pressure from within, opposition parties, the Congress and JD(S) too had hit out at the BJP over the delay in cabinet expansion, and had even raised questions about the government’s “existence“.
The Congress had even said that Yediyurappa’s one-man cabinet administration “resembled President’s rule.”
Modi-led govt to be in power for next 25 years: Sawant
Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has claimed that the Modi-led government will continue to rule the country “for another 25 years“.
Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant. File
In the coming days, the BJP-led central government will take “many decisions” which are in the pipeline and after that, “no one will be able to replace” the dispensation led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Sawant said addressing a convention of BJP workers here on Sunday evening.
“The BJP’s membership drive has been getting tremendous response. The people of the country have realised that the Modi-led government is here to stay for another 25 years. In fact, people from Jammu and Kashmir to Kanyakumari have decided that this government will stay for another 25 years,” Mr. Sawant claimed.
J.P. Nadda hits out at Congress for not supporting abrogation of Article 370
BJP Working President J.P. Nadda has hit out at the Congress for not supporting abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, alleging the party always indulged in vote bank politics though they knew the Article was not in the national interest.
J.P. Nadda
“Modi ji has realised one nation, one legislation, one “nishan” (symbol)...But why does the Congress oppose it? The party says it (Article 370) was temporary. If 370 was so good, why you did not make it permanent? You had more than 400 MPs at one time, why did you not make it permanent?” he asked.
“Because you knew deep within that Article 370 was not in the national interest. You indulged in vote bank politics... vote is above the country for you....” he said, addressing a BJP public meeting here on Sunday.
Nadda said after partition, people who came to cities like Hyderabad from Pakistan became leaders, but those who made Jammu and Kashmir their home could not become even a councillor.
Now with the abolition of Article 370, there would be Scheduled Caste and tribal seats, he said.
- PTI
RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat calls for dialogue on reservation
There should be conversation in a harmonious atmosphere between those in favour of reservation and those against it, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat said on Sunday.
RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat speaks at Gyanotsav, an event organised by RSS-affiliated Shiksha Sanskriti Utthan Nyas at the Indira Gandhi National Open University in New Delhi on August 18, 2019. Photo: Facebook/@ShikshaSanskriti
He was speaking at the concluding session of Gyanotsav, a programme on competitive exams organised by the RSS-affiliated Shiksha Sanskriti Utthan Nyas at the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) in New Delhi.
He said those who favoured reservation should speak keeping in mind the interests of those who were against it, and similarly those who opposed it should do the vice versa.
Amit Shah flays appeasement politics
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday blamed the “politics of appeasement” for the “evil practice” of triple talaq till this year.
He was speaking at a public lecture on “Abolition of triple talaq: correcting a historic wrong” at an event organised by the Syama Prasad Mookerjee Research Foundation in New Delhi.
Mr. Shah defended the law criminalising triple talaq, saying it was going to benefit Muslims, and not other communities.
The Home Minister said it took several decades to end this practice because of the Congress.
