Savarkar a murderer, says Siddaramaiah
Mangaluru, Oct 18: Calling Veer Savarkar a murderer, former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah slammed the BJP on Friday for its plan to bestow Bharat Ratna to him posthumously.
He said Savarkar was one of the accused in the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi, but the charges could not be proved due to lack of evidence and he was freed.
"The murderer of Mahatma Gandhi is getting Bharat Ratna! Those who conspired to eliminate Gandhiji are getting Bharat Ratna!
Should BJP be allowed to gain a foothold in Mangaluru, known as a land of intellectuals?" Siddaramaiah asked party workers at a meeting here.
The Maharashtra BJP unit had said in its election manifesto that the party would ask the Centre to confer the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian award, on Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, popularly known as Veer Savarkar.
Claiming that the accused in 90 out of 100 cases are acquitted, Siddaramaiah alleged that Savarkar was part of the conspiracy to assassinate Gandhi.
"Now they have moved ahead to bestow Bharat Ratna to him! What will happen to the nation? That's why somebody said you give it (Bharat Ratna) to(Nathuram) Godse too.
Godse was the one who assassinated Gandhiji," he said.
Alleging that RSS and Hindu Mahasabha never took part in the freedom struggle, the former chief minister said they all had ganged up with the British.
The Congress leader charged that the Sangh Parivar, including BJP, diverted peoples attention from real issues in the last Lok Sabha elections.
He conceded that the Congress could not convince people of their achievements to counter the 'communal campaign' of the BJP government at the Centre.
Siddaramaiah alleged that the country was facing an economic crisis due to demonetisation and irrational implementation of GST.
He predicted that the BJP government in Karnataka would not survive beyond the assembly by-elections in December.
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Separate nodal officer in all districts to prevent female foeticides in Karnataka: Minister
Belagavi (PTI): Accepting that the female foeticide has not stopped in the state, Karnataka Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao on Tuesday said that the government is taking strict measures to prevent it.
The minister said the government is appointing separate nodal officers in all districts and tightening measures to prevent foeticide, which he called a "social evil".
He also assured that the government will consider strengthening legislation to control such activities.
The minister was responding to a question by BJP MLC C T Ravi in the Legislative Council.
"Female foeticides have certainly not stopped. If you look at the sex ratio, there is a lot of difference. I accept that this is happening," Rao said.
"Foeticides are not happening under pressure; voluntarily, it is happening, for not wanting a girl child. These things are happening based on the sex determination of the foetus at some hospitals. Sex determination is illegal, but with the advancement in technology, portable ultrasound machines have been developed, which can be easily carried anywhere, and scans and tests can be done. This needs to be controlled. We will bring it to the notice of the central government," he said.
In some districts and in a few hospitals, a higher number of male child births is happening. It is found with the help of intelligence input, the minister said.
"Information is being gathered on the taluk in which the male-female ratio is worsening, what is happening in which hospital, and appropriate action is being taken to crack down on such a network, after proper evaluation."
Decoy operations have been done at seven places in the last two years, to identify those involved in illegal activities linked to female foeticides, and actions have been taken against officials and hospitals involved, he said, adding that more needs to be done on priority.
Responding to a question by Ravi about whether any stringent legislation is being brought, Rao said, the government will consider strengthening the legislation and making it stricter to control this.
"Some amendments have been made to the existing laws in the last two years....advanced technology and the internet is being used to carry out such things, also oral medicines for abortions are available over the counter.
We need to look into bringing legislation to control them. The Food and Drug Administration has issued instructions to pharmacists that the sale of such drugs should be documented."
The minister also said that measures are also being taken for the effective implementation of the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PC & PNDT) Act, and awareness is being created against the identification of female foetuses and female foeticide.
