Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has accused the RSS of "majority communalism" over an article published in an RSS mouthpiece regarding the Catholic Church's property holdings in India. The article, which has since been removed from the website, called for the government to acquire the church's land, claiming it was illegally leased during the British era. Vijayan said the article reveals the "true mindset" of the RSS and its alleged plan to "target minority groups one by one and destroy them step by step." The Leader of the Opposition in the Kerala Assembly, V D Satheesan, echoed Vijayan's concerns, stating that the article shows the RSS's intent to target the Church's property. He also claimed that the article's publication coincides with the passing of the Waqf Bill in Parliament, suggesting a pattern of targeting religious communities. Meanwhile, the BJP state president, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, denied the article's accuracy and stated that the article was removed after it was found to be untrue. He also emphasized that owning land is not a crime, and countered allegations that the Congress and Waqf have illegally acquired land in Karnataka. Archbishop Joseph Pamplany of Thalassery, however, expressed confidence that the Church is not afraid of any "Church Bill", as its properties have been earned through hard work. He said the Church will take legal action if necessary.
The Enforcement Directorate on Thursday continued its searches at places linked to Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara as part of the probe into alleged gold smuggling-linked money laundering case against Kannada actress Ranya Rao and others, official sources said.
In the wake of threats by some outfits to organise protests on Valentine's Day, the Centre on Thursday asked the Karnataka government to take "preventive and punitive" action to ensure law and order.
If the exit polls in Karnataka are to be believed, the Congress will manage to scrape through and get a thin majority in the state assembly when the votes are counted on Wednesday. But the party may have a tough time in selecting a chief minister as senior leaders Dr G Parameshwar and Siddaramaiah are both eyeing the coveted post.
Asserting that his government still enjoyed a majority even after 13 Bharatiya Janata Party Members of Legislative Assembly announced their resignations, Karnataka Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar on Sunday said he was ready to face a No-Confidence Motion moved by the opposition. "I have majority. There is no threat to the government. I am ready to face a No-Confidence Motion if the opposition moves it," he told reporters.
Karnataka has stopped releasing Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu since Sunday evening, Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar told the assembly on Monday.Shettar said the government had filed a review petition in the Supreme Court on its recent directive and challenged the Cauvery Monitoring Committee order.
A controversy has erupted in Mysuru over the ownership of Chamundi Hill, home to the Chamundeshwari Temple, ahead of the Dasara festival. Pramoda Devi Wadiyar of the erstwhile Mysuru royal family criticized Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar's statement that the hill is not the property of Hindus alone, leading to a heated exchange and raising questions about the nature of the upcoming Dasara celebrations.
Karnataka Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar on Wednesday criticised Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for the September 19 order of the Cauvery River Authority, headed by the PM, on release of water to Tamil Nadu, and said it had no basis and was an "injustice" to the state.
The on-again, off-again political crisis time in Karnataka continued on Friday when nine ministers loyal to former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa resigned from the state Cabinet.These include Jagadish Shettar, considered to be the chief-minister-in-waiting, Yeddyurappa's close aide Shobha Karandlage and seven others including Basavaraj Bommai, V Somana, Renukacharya, C M Udasi.
'What has been done by the police officers of Karnataka (in the arrest of Akhtar) is an example of the violation of the rule of law', Nitish said in a strongly-worded protest letter to the Karnataka chief minister on Saturday. 'There should be no apprehension in the mind of any visiting police officer of any state about professional integrity and commitment of senior police officials available in Darbhanga', he said in a strongly worded letter to his Karnataka counterpart.
The Janata Dal-Secular leader also said that he may move the confidence of motion on May 24.
The power struggle within the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in Karnataka intensified with sulking former Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa on Tuesday taking a dig at his successor D V Sadananda Gowda, saying luck propelled him to the post.
Congress leaders Siddarmaiah and G Parameshwara are likely to leave with a host of other senior leaders to meet with party high command in New Delhi to hold discussions about the Karnataka elections.
A Member of Parliament, representing the Udupi Chikmagalur constituency, Gowda was pitch-forked into the reckoning as a chief ministerial candidate following the resignation of B S Yeddyruppa as he was seen as a non-controversial candidate.
Karnataka Lokayukta Justice N Santosh Hegde on Saturday issued a notice to Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa on a complaint against him about denotification of lands.Earlier on Saturday, the Lokayukta expressed regret over his decision to withdraw his resignation over the government's inaction about the massive corruption in the state. While addressing the media at Bengaluru on Saturday, Justice Hegde said that he cannot now undo what has been done and he cannot resign again.
Senior BJP leader B Sriramulu has invited K N Rajanna, recently sacked as minister from the Congress government, to join the party. This comes as a state minister and some ruling party legislators met with Rajanna, signaling potential political shifts in Karnataka.
Some of the worst-affected areas include Manyata Tech Park, BTM Layout, Ejipura Junction, HSR Layout 5th and 6th sectors and Silk Board Junction.
Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa on Wednesday charged the Maharashtra government with raking up the Belgaum boundary issue to 'cover up' political differences between the ruling alliance partners Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party in the neighbouring state. "The Maharashtra government is raking up the boundary issue to cover up the differences between Congress, NCP in the state and divert the public attention," Yeddyurappa alleged.
Vijay, despite the loud message from his delayed arrival at the road-show/stampede venue, and more so his continued inaccessibility for fans-turned-cadres after graduating from a super-star to a political party leader with electoral ambitions, refuses to change. Or, so it seems, observes N Sathiya Moorthy.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis warned against violence and linguistic chauvinism related to the Marathi language, emphasizing constructive promotion and legal action against those taking the law into their own hands.
The decades-old boundary dispute between Karnataka and Maharashtra over Belagavi has again flared up as both the State governments are readying for a legal battle.
Asked whether this was being done to "shield" the chief minister who is facing a probe in the Mysuru Urban Development Authority site allotment case, Patil said: "On CM there is a court order for Lakayukta probe, so there is no such question."
The Supreme Court expressed serious concern over the Enforcement Directorate summoning advocates for offering legal advice or representing clients during investigations, calling for guidelines on the matter.
There has been speculation within state's political circles, especially within the ruling Congress, for some time now about the CM change later this year, citing the power-sharing agreement involving incumbent Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar.
In yet another step to implement the truce deal with the dissidents to end the crisis in his government, Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa on Tuesday rescinded the transfer orders of some officials, two weeks after he had shunted them out to strike at the rebels gunning for his removal.
Jayalalithaa was disqualified following her conviction in the Rs 66.66 crore disproportionate assets case by a trial court in Bengaluru on September 27
The death of his wife four years ago under mysterious circumstances has returned to haunt Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa, with a local court ordering a fresh probe. The order by a magistrate came on a petition filed by advocate Sheshadri, alleging that the evidence was fabricated and that there had been a conspiracy to murder Mythra Devi.Yeddyurappa was the leader of the Opposition at the time of the incident.
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar met senior Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, fueling speculation about a leadership change in the state. The meeting occurs amid reports of Shivakumar pressing for the chief minister's post.
Additional Superintendent of Police Narayan Baramani, who faced Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's anger during a Congress rally in Belagavi, said he was 'attending to his duty'. This comes after reports that he sought voluntary retirement from service after the incident.
However, he claimed that this was a fight to save the party and its ideology and to make Narendra Modi Prime Minister once again.
Shivakumar said, "Mahayuti leaders should visit my state to see how Congress' welfare guarantees are benefiting people."
A strike by Karnataka's state-owned transport corporation employees has severely disrupted bus services across the state, leaving passengers stranded and impacting school, college, and office attendance. The strike persists despite a court stay, as unions demand wage revision and payment of salary arrears.
A 10-year-old boy died and several others were injured in a suspected cylinder blast in Bengaluru. The Chief Minister has announced compensation for the victim's family and medical assistance for the injured.
Making it clear that his government will not allow people to take the law into their hands, Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa has said he will discuss the issue of banning Sri Ram Sene, the outfit accused in the pub attack case, in the state cabinet. "We will discuss it with the police officers and I will discuss it with the cabinet," he told NDTV while replying to a question on the issue of banning the outfit.
Outgoing Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Wednesday said the 'inability' of the Congress to decide on the new chief minister early, despite having a complete majority, reflects on the internal situation of the party.
The letter said suicide bombers will blow themselves up at a Bangalore hotel and the chief minister's residence.
Karnataka CM's claim that several border villages in Maharashtra once sought to be become part of his state has triggered a row.
The chief minister tried to soothe frayed nerves by hailing doctors for their invaluable and tireless service in saving lives.
The 10-month-long timeline in the hijab ban case.
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar said his statement on 'Shakti scheme' was distorted and presented as if the Congress government in the state wanted to withdraw it.
