Congress to hold statewide protest to save Panchayat Raj system: DK Shivakumar
Bengaluru: KPCC President D K Shivakumar has said that the Congress members oppose appointment by nominations instead of being elected to Panchayaths.
“We have seen in the media that the Cabinet has decided to appoint without election to the Panchayaths. The Congress demands that elections be held to the Panchayaths and will legally fight against direct appointment,” said Shivakumar.
He was addressing reporters after attending a meeting chaired by the Speaker in the Vidhan Soudha on Thursday on the Anti-defection Act.
“The government should remember that a decision to appoint workers of our choice in a democracy is favorable neither for us nor the democratic setup. If the government shows preference to appointment over elections, we will organize a statewide protest to save the Panchayath Raj system,” he warned.
“The Central and state governments are both treating workers in a very demeaning manner. The workers are not being provided food packets and grocery kits. There are no jobs or food. Each worker needs at least Rs. 1,000 to reach his or her native place, but the government refuses to provide the workers financial help,” Shivakumar said while speaking about the plights of migrant labors.
“The workers, who are a support system for the country, should not be treated like bonded laborers. Instead, they should be treated with due respect and sent home. The government should also have given them moral support in the present difficult times. Up to seven lakh food packets were readied for the workers by the Corporation and the Labor Department, but the packets reached only the BJP workers. The beneficiaries got hardly 10% of the packets,” alleged Shivakumar.
He said that the Anti-defection Act is being discussed at national-level. “This is a major problem for all parties and needs to be resolved now to prevent problems in future for our democratic system. Our state itself is an example to explain the need for resolution. We have all tried a lot to bring in change, but have been a cause too, for the issue being raised at present,” he added.
Speaking further, the KPCC president said that there are regular cases of changing parties for the sake of power, resigning as legislators to change parties and then withdrawing the resignation, resigning in order to get another party to power. “If there is no control over such acts, the situation is going to worsen. The contestants who win should get the power, but change of parties to get others to power is against the system, and should not be permitted,” insisted Shivakumar.
The president said that the party has expressed its opposition to permitting elected representatives who resign and change parties for personal matters contest elections from other parties. “We will also discuss the matter at party-level. The opinions of senior and junior leaders of the party and experts too will be collected by June 10 and give a consolidated response,” said Shivakumar.
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18-year-old graphic designer arrested for theft; says he lost job due to AI
Indore (PTI): An 18-year-old graphic designer, who claimed to have lost his job due to AI, was arrested with his NEET-aspirant woman friend on Thursday for allegedly stealing jewelry worth Rs 16 lakh.
The teen duo told police that they were inspired by the 2005 film Bunti Aur Babli, said Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Shrikrishna Lalchandani.
They allegedly stole gold, silver, and diamond jewelry worth Rs 16.17 lakh from a shop in Rau police station area in the city on the night of December 22, the official told reporters.
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The entire booty was recovered from their possession after the arrest in Bhopal where they had fled.
Without disclosing the identities of the accused, DCP Lalchandani said, "Both are 18 years old. The young man is a graphic designer, while the woman is preparing for National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET). The two have known each other since childhood.
"During interrogation, the young man told us that he used to work part-time as a graphic designer at an IT company, but lost his job due to the company's adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) technology and he was finding it difficult to make ends meet," the official added.
The accused, who come from economically weak background, claimed to have planned the theft after watching "Bunty Aur Babli," he said.
"The accused say they tried to sell the stolen jewelry, but the buyers, thinking they were children, wouldn't pay the right price. So they had decided to sell it after Christmas holidays," the DCP said.
