Karnataka government announces fresh COVID guidelines, weekend curfew to begin on Jan 7
Schools for 1-9 grade to be shut down in Bengaluru
Bengaluru, Jan 4: The Karnataka government on Tuesday decided to impose weekend curfew and extend the night curfew for two weeks in Bengaluru in view of the alarming rise in number of COVID-19 cases.
The government also decided to shut schools and pre-university colleges except for 10th and 12th standard students for two weeks.
"We have decided that barring 10th and 12th classes, schools will be shut for rest of the classes in Bengaluru. These COVID rules will come into effect from Wednesday night," Karnataka Revenue Minister R Ashoka told reporters.
Ashoka said there will be weekend curfew for two weeks from 10 PM on Friday to 5 AM on Monday. All essential services will continue, he added.
Further, the government announced extension of night curfew, which ends on January 7, for two weeks.
The Minister also said that there should not be a congregation of more than 200 people in marriages at open places and 100 in marriage halls. There should also be 50 per cent occupancy in pubs, bars, cinema halls and malls and those working and visiting these places should have taken both the jabs of COVID vaccine.
Also, the government decided to make a negative RT-PCR test report mandatory for those coming to state from Maharashtra, Kerala and Goa, the minister said.
Government offices will have to follow the Government of India guidelines, he explained.
The decision was taken in a high level meeting chaired by Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, which was attended by senior ministers including health minister Dr K Sudhakar, Ashoka and Higher Education Minister Dr C N Ashwath Narayan, medical experts and senior officials.
The meeting was held in view of tge sudden jump in COVID cases in the state. Karnataka logged 2,479 cases on Tuesday and four fatalities. Since January 1, the city has been logging over 1,000 cases daily.
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Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
