All southern states see dip in COVID-19 cases
Chennai: All of southern states on Monday saw a dip in their daily COVID-19 numbers, as Tamil Nadu cured over 2.02 lakh persons and recorded a 76 per cent recovery rate while Karnataka's infections slipped below the 5,000 single-day mark for the first time in 10 days.
Incidentally, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh are behind Maharashtra in the national tally with high caseloads.
On Monday, Tamil Nadu reported 109 deaths, the first-ever such score of fatalities so far. It recorded 5,609 fresh cases, 266 lesser than Sunday, taking the overall infection count to 2,63,222, a health department bulletin said. The death toll mounted to 4,241, it said.
A total of 5,800 people were discharged, eclipsing the new cases and taking the total recoveries to 2,02,283. Active cases stood at 56,698, the bulletin said.
Karnataka's COVID-19 daily count dropped below the 5,000 mark for the first time in 10 days on Monday, while it saw 98 deaths, taking the toll to 2,594. The state recorded 4,752 cases, taking the total number of infections to 1,39,571, while 4,776 patients were discharged after recovery, the health department said.
As of August 3, cumulatively 1,39,571 COVID-19 positive cases have been confirmed in the state, which includes 2,594 deaths and 62,500 discharges, the health department said in its bulletin. The state had clocked 5,532 cases on Sunday.
Kerala reported 962 fresh cases, down from the 1,169 on Sunday, while the total infections touched 26,867 with the latest additions. The death toll climbed to 84 with two more fatalities.
As many as 11,484 people are presently under treatment and 15,278 have recovered, including 815 discharged today, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan told reporters. In the last 24 hours, 19,343 samples have been tested.
Andhra Pradesh added 7,822 fresh cases on Monday, taking the tally to 1,66,586. Today's numbers were lesser by 733 as compared to Sunday's 8,555.
While 5,786 patients had recovered and been discharged from hospitals across the state, another 63 succumbed to the pandemic in the last 24 hours, a government bulletin said. With a total of 88,672 recoveries so far, the number of active cases now stood at 76,377 and the total fatalities increased to 1,537, the bulletin added.
Telangana reported 983 new COVID-19 cases, taking the tally of positive cases in the state to 67,660. With 11 more deaths, the coronavirus toll in the state rose to 551, a state government bulletin said on Monday, providing data as of 8 pm on August 2. The state's Saturday tally was 1,891 positive cases.
Puducherry Union Territory, after reporting its highest single-day spike of 200 cases on August 2, witnessed 178 fresh cases on Monday. The 178 new cases took the overall tally in the union territory to 3,982 of which 1,515 (including 273 in home isolation) were active, Health Minister Malladi Krishna Rao said at a virtual press conference. He further said as many as 2,411 patients had been treated and discharged so far.
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Appointment based on performance: K'taka BJP chief Vijayendra rubbishes "dynasty politics" charge
Bengaluru: Rubbishing criticism, especially from within the party, that he is a product of 'dynasty politics', Karnataka BJP President B Y Vijayendra said he has been appointed to the post based on his performance and commitment, and not just because he is the son of veteran leader B S Yediyurappa.
His primary objective as the party president is to consolidate BJP's base pan-Karnataka, he said as he also asserted that people want to see Narendra Modi as the Prime Minister for the third term, and no factors including Congress government's guarantee schemes will come in the way of this.
"I would have agreed with Eshwarappa or Yatnal's statements, if I had been appointed as the party President by Yediyurappa himself, but I'm president because of the decision of the national leadership, not by Yediyurappa," Vijayendra told PTI in an interview.
Responding to senior party leaders K S Eshwarappa and Basangouda Patil Yatnal's repeated attacks on him accusing him of being a product of "dynasty politics", he said, "So they have to understand this fact."
"Appointing me as the party president was decided six months after the assembly election (May 2023). Lot of thinking process has been undertaken before taking the decision." Vijayendra said his selection has got nothing to do with Yediyurappa.
"I'm proud to say that I'm the son of Yediyurappa. Today my party cadres are happy to see me as their president. I'm travelling across the state. If the party has appointed me it is based on my performance, my commitment towards the party in the last 12 years. I have not been elevated just because I'm the son of Yediyurappa. Everyone should understand this," he said, adding that when the central leadership has appointed him, repeatedly discussing this issue is not going to help the party.
Asked whether ensuring a BJP sweep in Lok Sabha polls is key to consolidating his position and to silence critics, Vijayendra said, his aim is not just limited to parliamentary elections or the next zilla panchayat elections.
"My main aim is to expand the party, and I will continue to do that."
"My mandate or instructions to me or my aim is to expand my party base in Karnataka. Because once upon a time it was a bastion for BJP among southern states, but for some reason, we have lost that space. So my primary objective or aim as the party president is to consolidate my party base pan-Karnataka, especially in the old Mysuru region and Hyderabad (Kalyana) Karnataka," he said.
Noting that for 30-40 years, Yediyurappa was an undisputed leader of Karnataka BJP and his reach cannot be matched, as he was a mass leader, Vijayendra responding to a question about party facing dearth of leaders said, quite naturally that nobody can fill in that space, and now is the time where young leadership has to be nurtured.
"That's the reason why the party has given me the opportunity. It is my duty to ensure that more and more (youngsters) come to the front and take lead in the party. I will ensure it at all the levels, it is a collective leadership."
"It is a new phase for state BJP, minus Yediyurappa's leadership, is a big challenge, it is a big task, we have to grow along with this," he added.
The state BJP chief said that the high command will decide on taking action against senior leader Eshwarappa, who has rebelled against the party and is contesting as independent candidate from Shimoga, against his brother B Y Raghavendra.
"Party workers are questioning Eshwarappa today. He is contesting in Shimoga because his son couldn't get a ticket from Haveri. Candidates for all the constituencies were decided by the national leadership based on performance of sitting MPs, opinion of 'Karyakartas' through NaMo app."
"Based on various parameters, high command has decided. It is not Vijayendra or Yediyurappa who have decided the candidates," he said.
"Raghavendra, who is a sitting MP, and is known for development, will win with a margin of over two lakh votes," he added.
Expressing happiness that all the differences within the party over candidate selection have been resolved and cadres are working for the official nominees, Vijayendra said, it is quite natural to have more aspirants when the party is bound to come back to power. "BJP had more than 6-8 aspirants in almost every Lok Sabha constituency. That is the amount of confidence people have in Modi's leadership."
To hide their failures Siddaramaiah is blaming the central government, he said. 'They accuse the central government of not releasing (drought relief) funds, but when there was floods during Yediyurapps's (as CM) term he did not wait for central funds, he paid from the state's exchequer (for immediate relief)."
"CM (Siddaramaiah) is doing injustice and insulting people of Karnataka."
"Everything is in black and white -- tax devolution, grants -- Karnataka has received. State government is in fact stalling the central projects fearing credit will go to Modi," he alleged.
