JD(S) MLAs unanimously want Deve Gowda to contest for RS
Bengaluru: JD(S) legislators are of the unanimous opinion that party supremo H D Deve Gowda should contest Rajya Sabha polls scheduled for June 19, his son and former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy said on Friday.
He said the party legislators also feel that Congress and BJP are not likely to field candidates for one seat if Gowda contests.
The four seats of Rajya Sabha from Karnataka represented by Rajeev Gowda and B K Hariprasad of Congress, Prabhakar Kore of BJP, and D Kupendra Reddy of JD(S) will fall vacant on June 25 with their retirement.
"It is the unanimous pressure from all the legislators that Deve Gowda has to contest from the party, keeping in mind today's situation, but Deve Gowda has so far not expressed any interest to contest Rajya Sabha polls or has agreed for it till this movement," Kumaraswamy said.
Speaking to reporters after JD(S) legislature party meeting here, he said, but our legislators considering his service and experience, feel that Deve Gowda must go to Rajya Sabha, given the situation that exists in the country.
"It has not been decided yet, whether to contest or not... legislators have said they will discuss with him (Gowda) about their demand (and convince)," he added.
With 117 members (including Speaker), BJP can ensure victory in two of the four seats, while Congress with 68 MLAs can win one seat.
With a minimum of 44 votes required for candidates to win, no party can independently win the fourth seat.
JD(S) that has 34 seats in the assembly is not in a position to win a seat in Rajya Sabha on its own and will need support from one of the national parties with their surplus votes for this.
Speculations are rife that Congress is likely to support JD(S) with its surplus votes if the regional party fields Gowda and in return may seek favor during legislative council polls slated later this month.
Noting that BJP and Congress have the numbers to ensure the victory of two and one candidates respectively and both parties would have surplus votes, Kumaraswamy said, both parties have a shortage to win one more seat.
He said, legislators, think that if Deve Gowda is fielded, Congress and BJP will not field candidates for the fourth seat that they cannot win on their own.
"Let's see what happens when the time comes, why worry about it now itself. let's think about it and decide if he (Gowda) contests," he added.
According to sources, JD(S) is also thinking about an alternative name if Gowda declines to contest.
Whether Congress will agree to it is not clear.
On Gowda not agreeing to contest and not being able to find a suitable alternative, there may be chances of JD(S) deciding not to contest RS polls in and support Congress, sources said, adding that, in return, it may seek favor in legislative council polls, but nothing has been decided.
Aimed at consolidating his position as a Vokkaliga leader, state Congress President D K Shivakumar is said to be keen on supporting Gowda, a veteran from the community that has a large presence in southern parts of the state.
Gowda, who believes in getting elected from the people, is not keen on "backdoor entry", sources said, adding that there is also a feeling that taking support from Congress will make it difficult for JD(S) in the old Mysuru region, where the grand old party is its traditional rival, as it happened during 2019 Lok Sabha polls, which both parties fought in the alliance.
If he contests and wins, this would be the second Rajya Sabha entry for 87-year-old Gowda, the first time being in 1996 as Prime Minister.
Gowda was defeated in Tumkur constituency by BJP's G S Basavaraj by a margin of over 13,000 votes in 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
As the joint candidate of the then ruling Congress-JDS coalition, Gowda had chosen to contest from Tumkur at the last minute, after vacating Hassan-his home turf, to grandson Prajwal Revanna (a current MP).
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Karnataka Lokayukta to register case, probe Bowring wall collapse
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Lokayukta Justice B S Patil on Thursday took serious note of the compound wall collapse at Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital in the city that killed seven people, and announced registration of a case on its own while warning of action against officials found responsible.
The Lokayukta, who visited the site and conducted an inspection, expressed strong displeasure over the incident and questioned the inaction of authorities, even as police and emergency teams had earlier rushed to the spot to rescue victims trapped under the debris following heavy rain, strong winds and a hailstorm on Wednesday evening.
“I will now register a suo motu case. This is not just about this one incident — such incidents must not occur anywhere in the state or the city in the future,” Justice Patil told reporters.
Seven people, including a six-year-old girl, were killed and seven others injured when the compound wall collapsed as rain-battered victims had taken shelter near it, according to police. The victims included people from Kerala who were in the city on a study tour.
Calling for systemic accountability, the Lokayukta said, “Dilapidated buildings and weakened compound walls, especially in areas with public access, must first be identified. They must either be repaired, demolished, or rebuilt.”
He added that responsibility would be fixed on officials of the BBMP and the concerned departments.
Justice Patil said that hearings would be conducted and preventive action initiated, while also probing those responsible for it, how the incident could have been prevented, and why it was not prevented.
A Scene of Crime Officers (SOCO) team and a Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) team also inspected the site, while police cordoned off Kovil Street to facilitate the probe.
Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar said the government had initiated measures following the rain-related incidents and stressed preparedness.
“Since last night we have initiated measures regarding the rains. When it rains heavily, we must be prepared, and we are working towards that,” he told reporters here.
On the wall collapse, Shivakumar said, “I will not directly blame any officials. It was an old wall, and trees had grown alongside it. Due to that pressure, it collapsed.”
The Deputy CM said instructions had been issued to identify such vulnerable structures and clear areas around them, including relocating street vendors.
Karnataka Medical Education Minister Sharan Prakash Patil said a technical assessment had been ordered.
“This is a very serious matter. Innocent people have been affected. We are issuing directions to the engineers to find out why this compound wall collapsed and to assess its structural strength,” he told reporters after inspecting the spot.
The Minister noted that the wall was ‘very old’ and required thorough examination to prevent recurrence.
Speaking to reporters, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge asked the Karnataka government to take precautions to ensure that incidents like the collapse of the Bengaluru government hospital compound wall, which caused loss of life, should not repeat.
Meanwhile, addressing a press conference, Shivajinagar MLA Rizwan Arshad said the collapse raised questions about construction and maintenance practices.
“If a wall collapses within 25 years of its construction, it needs to be examined -- whether there was any technical issue, or if anything was altered inside, weakening it. All this can only come out through a technical investigation,” he said.
The Congress MLA also called for wider structural audits across the city, stating that all such structures, whether private or government, must be audited.
He urged citizens to support victims, saying it was a collective responsibility in times of crisis.
