BJP opposed to Cong govt's guarantee schemes as they give economic, social strength to people: CM
Hubballi (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday alleged that the BJP was opposed to guarantee schemes of the Congress government as they give economic and social strength to all sections of the society.
He said BJP wants the poor and weaker sections to remain as they are so that it can "misuse" them.
"BJP is opposed to guarantee schemes, it is because the government is economically and socially giving to all sections of the society through guarantee schemes. We want to empower people through social justice to ensure that backward communities come to the mainstream," Siddaramaiah said.
Speaking to reporters here, he said: "BJP doesn't want equality, they want inequality and the poor to remain as they are. So we call them anti-poor. BJP misuses poor and people who don't have strength in the society. When you get strength, how can they misuse you? So BJP doesn't want people to get strength economically and socially."
The CM's assertion over his government's schemes comes amid a spat between Congress and BJP leaders, both at state and national level, following Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Wednesday indicating about revisiting one of the schemes -- 'Shakti' -- which provides free bus travel for all women domiciled in the state.
Siddaramaiah said the Congress government is waging a fight to get justice from the Centre.
Noting that the 16th finance commission that has been constituted had recently visited Karnataka, he said, "We (Karnataka) faced injustice from the 15th finance commission. We (state) are giving more than Rs 4.50 lakh crore as tax per year, what we get back is Rs 55,000-Rs 65,000 crore. Is that right?"
No BJP leader is speaking against injustice happening to Karnataka, he claimed.
"Has Pralhad Joshi (union minister), Basavaraj Bommai and Jagadish Shettar (both MPs and former CM) ever spoken on injustice happening to Karnataka? What should we say, if talking about injustice happening to Karnataka is called political?"
He, however, noted that despite injustice to Karnataka by the 15th finance commission, it had recommended special grants of Rs 5,495 crore, Rs 3,000 crore each for peripheral ring road and for development of lakes, totaling Rs 11,495 crore.
"Did the central government give it? Did Joshi (Pralhad Joshi) ask about it? Let him say if the Centre has given, if given I will quit politics, if not will Joshi quit?" the Chief Minister said.
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2 Indian nationals part of crew of luxury cruise ship that reported hantavirus outbreak
London (PTI): At least two Indian nationals are part of the crew of the Dutch vessel MV Hondius which reported a hantavirus outbreak with five confirmed cases and three deaths so far, according to the BBC.
The luxury cruise ship, operated by Oceanwide Expeditions, began its journey on April 1 from Argentina’s Ushuaia and is expected to arrive in Spain’s Canary Islands on May 10.
About 150 passengers and crew from 28 countries were initially aboard the luxury cruise, but dozens disembarked on the island of St Helena on April 24, according to the report.
Of the 28 nationalities onboard, 38 are from the Philippines, 31 from the UK, 23 from the US, 16 from the Netherlands, 14 from Spain, nine from Germany, six from Canada, and two crew members from India, among others, the BBC reported.
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The World Health Organization said on Thursday that five of the eight suspected hantavirus cases had been confirmed.
A 69-year-old Dutch woman, confirmed to have the virus, has died; her Dutch husband and a German woman were also among the fatalities. Their cases are being investigated.
The UN health agency has said the outbreak is not the start of a pandemic.
Maria van Kerkhove, an infectious disease epidemiologist at WHO, told a news briefing that the situation is not the same as six years ago with Covid-19 because hantavirus spreads through “close, intimate contact”.
Van Kerkhove said “this is not Covid, this is not influenza, it spreads very, very differently”. She said authorities had asked “everyone to wear a mask” on board the MV Hondius.
Those in contact with or caring for suspected cases, she added, should “wear a higher level of personal protective equipment”.
Hantavirus typically spreads from rodents - but in the latest outbreak the transmission between people was documented for the first time, the WHO said.
Meanwhile, health authorities are racing to trace dozens of people who have recently disembarked from the Dutch vessel MV Hondius.
Oceanwide Expedition said 29 passengers, of at least 12 different nationalities, had left the MV Hondius in St Helena, the British Overseas Territory.
It also said the body of one deceased person—now known to be a Dutch man - was taken off the vessel.
Seven of those who left the cruise liner were British nationals.
