One of the richest men in Karnataka, former minister and mining baron G Janardhan Reddy, who was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation earlier in the day over his alleged role in the illegal mining scam, will spend the first night at his cell as an ordinary prisoner.
Tapal Ganesh is a well-know name in the mining circles in Bellary. He is one of the first men to have taken on the mighty Reddy brothers single-handedly and life has not been easy for him since then.
In a threatening tone, indicating that it had reached the end of its patience with the Bharatiya Janata Party and its aggressive style of politics, the Congress warned the top BJP leadership that if it did not change its style of politics and stop its 'personalised attacks' on Congress leaders, the party 'could retaliate and this could prove costly for the BJP.'
Ramesh Gowda accused Reddy and a KAS officer of mentally torturing him.
"Sonia Gandhi remained in the ICU for 24 hours and has thereafter been moved out. Her family has expressed gratitude on her behalf for all the messages and good wishes that have been sent to her," Congress media department head Janardhan Dwivedi said in a statement on Saturday.
In an apparent snub to party General Secretary Digvijay Singh whose recent statements led to controversies, the Congress has come out with an order asking party leaders to restrict to their area of responsibility while interacting with the media or speaking publicly.
The point of contention is that the three ministers are holding office of profit being the ministers in the state cabinet.
Janata Dal-Secular leader and former Karnataka chief minister H D Kumaraswamy expressed confidence on Friday that the Bharatiya Janata Party rebels will align with him and vote against the state governmment during the crucial floor test on October 11.
On Sunday, the Bharatiya Janata Party overturned its decision on inducting the controversial Sri Ram Sene chief Paramod Muthalik, and a day later, it was the Congress' turn. Dinker Shetty, an accused in the infamous Mangalore pub attack incident had joined the Congress, had his membership cancelled and his induction put on hold.
Following the Cabinet reshuffle in Karnataka, a major revolt has broken in the Bharatiya Janata Party with the powerful Reddy brothers terming Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa a "betrayer''.
"The Bhartiya Janata Party wants to use the Joint Parliamentary Committee as the political tool. It's the issue of ego. It's a political demand so the Congress is not agreeing to it," says Janardhan Dwivedi, chairman of media cell of the Congress, while talking exclusively to rediff.com about why Congress is not agreeing to a JPC to look into allegations related to the allotment of 2G spectrum.
Congress leaders say that controversies like the one triggered by Janardhan Dwivedi could be damaging for the party in the run up to the 2014 Lok Sabha election.
Karnataka ministers G Janardhan Reddy and G Karuanakar Reddy, under pressure over allegations of illegal mining, today paid an unscheduled visit to New Delhi and met senior BJP leader Sushma Swaraj and Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa, after which they dismissed all the charges against them.
'Let anyone in Karnataka come forward and show that we have the licences to even a single square foot of land in the state,' challenges C V Nagesh, the Reddy brothers's lawyer.
Karnataka minister for tourism and mining magnate Janardhan Reddy has decided to hang his boots as an industrialist for good.
With Sonia Gandhi putting her seal of approval on his name, Harish Rawat was elected on Saturday the Congress Legislature Party leader in Uttarakhand, paving the way for Haridwar MP's swearing in as new chief minister of the hill state.
The Central Empowered Committee (CEC) appointed by the Supreme Court on environment and forest, in its preliminary report submitted to the apex court has confirmed that prima facie there was illegal mining beyond the limits of leased lands, in violation of the forest conservation act by Reddy's companies.
The Telugu Desam Party, along with its Left allies, will raise the "mining mafia" issue in the forthcoming session of Parliament.
Karnataka Tourism Minister Janardhan Reddy, who has been leading the campaign to oust Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa, left for Hyderabad on Friday afternoon to meet his MLAs and discuss the proposal put forth by the party high command. The sources added that it appeared that Reddy had blinked and was ready to sit down and work out a compromise formula with the Yeddyurappa faction.
The Congress has issued a directive to its leaders not to speak out of turn, in an apparent snub to party general secretary Digvijay Singh, but the party on Wednesday said it was done for the sake of discipline.
Armed with documents before a crowded press conference in Bangaluru, Reddy said it is the Congress leaders "who are the kings of the mining scam" and he is being accused so that they can cover up their crime.
Tough negotiations between the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party for the coming Assembly elections in Maharashtra were said to be on amidst indications NCP might settle for less than what it had contested in the previous polls.
The Congress on Wednesday suggested that Jaswant Singh has been handed out poetic justice by the Bharatiya Janata Party, which expelled him today in the wake of his controversial book, projecting Mohammad Ali Jinnah as greater than Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. "We had rejected the contents of the book. The BJP has rejected the author himself," All India Congress Committee general secretary Janardhan Dwivedi said.
The condition of two of the eight injured, referred to Nagpur, is critical, the official said.
The Congress ministers from Telangana in Andhra Pradesh on Monday said they will not take back their resignations until the party high command sets a time-frame for the formation of a separate state."We won't take back our resignations till the high command acts within a time-frame for the formation of a separate state of Telangana and clarifies doubts over the second statement of Home Minister P Chidambaram made last week," said AP Civil Supplies Minister J Krishna Rao.
The Congress welcomed the resignation of Andhra Pradesh Governor N D Tiwari in the wake of a sting operation that purportedly showed him in a compromising position with three women.
The Crime Branch of the Andhra Pradesh police has arrested a man in connection with the attack on senior Telugu Desam party leader Dr Nagam Janardhan Reddy at the Osmania University campus on Thursday.
There appears to be no solution in sight to the ongoing crisis in the Karnataka unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party with the Reddy brothers -- comprising state Tourism Minister G Janardhan Reddy and Revenue Minister G Karunakara Reddy, who are spearheading a faction to oust BS Yeddyurappa from the CM's chair -- refusing to settle for anything less than a leadership change in the state.
The Telegu Desam Party, which had threatened to resign en masse from the state assembly unless the Centre initiated proceedings for the creation of a separate Telangana state, has decided to play it safe. TDP Members of Legislative Assembly from the Telangana region have decided to resign from the assembly only if Congress MLAs from the region do so first.This decision by the TDP has put the pro-Telangana movement on the back-foot.
Anjadhiru is a well-made remake of Mysskin's Tamil hit Anjaathe. Veteran actor Dwarakish, Aadi Lokesh, newcomer Muralidhar shine in their roles. Prashanth and cute Shubha Poonja have given their best. Director Janardhan has extracted best work from his technicians to make this one an engrossing thriller.
The Andhra Pradesh high court on Monday stayed a Central Bureau of Investigation's inquiry into the alleged illegal mining by the Obulapuram Mining Company, owned by Karnataka Tourism Minister G Janardhan Reddy and his family.
The 14 days old Karnataka crisis is finally over. Terming the truce a birthday gift to L K Advani, Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa and the 'rebel' Janardhan Reddy said at a joint press conference -- that the crisis is over and they are returning to Karnataka to work for the flood-relief victims.
A Sports Ministry source said that 'the minister (Kiren Rijiju) is set to start an inquiry.'
We asked readers what they would do if they had only three years to live life to the fullest? While the contest closes on November 23, here are some more interesting responses.
Deccan Engineering Enterprises (DEE) , a specialty automobile body-building unit based at Hyderabad, is now looking to specialise in bullet proofing vehicles.
Senior Congress leader and spokesperson Satyavrat Chaturvedi has denied that he has been removed from his post or asked not to hold media briefings.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Monday thanked the media persons of the national press by asking party spokesperson Janardhan Dwivedi to host a grant lunch for them at the convention hall of Ashok Hotel in New Delhi.
The Congress may proudly claim that the party has given the country its first woman speaker in Meira Kumar, but sources tell rediff.com that the Bihar MP was in fact a last-minute choice for the august office.
Heavy rains on Wednesday morning caused water-logging in many areas and massive traffic jams in Hyderabad, leading to people stuck on the roads.
"Only time will tell," was the cryptic reply from Congress general secretary Janardhan Dwivedi to a question from media-persons at the end of a three-hour meeting of the Congress Working Committee. Asked if Patil offered to resign at the meeting, Dwivedi quipped, "I have not heard the question."
