My statement on 'Shakti scheme' was distorted, says Deputy CM DK Shivakumar
Bengaluru, Nov 1: Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar said his statement on 'Shakti scheme' was distorted and presented as if the Congress government in the state wanted to withdraw it.
Shivakumar's reaction came after Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge subtly pulled him in public for his statement that some women wished to pay for travelling in the buses.
"Whatever statement I had made was distorted as if we would stop it (Shakti scheme). I only said some section of people is saying so. There is no question of winding up any guarantee," the Deputy CM told reporters here.
According to him, some people voluntarily wish to pay for their travel.
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"Even though these women are willing to pay, the conductors are afraid of collecting money from them. I said we will discuss it," Shivakumar said.
Shakti is one of the five guarantees offering free rides for Karnataka women in non-luxury government buses anywhere in the state.
The Deputy CM slammed the opposition parties for making a fuss about it.
"Politics is important for the opposition parties. They could not introduce such schemes and now they are unable to tolerate it. Playing with emotions, clashes, fights between parents, siblings and in-laws is their job and not the development of the state is their (BJP) politics," Shivakumar said.
Kharge on Thursday said, "You have given some guarantees. After seeing them, I too said in Maharashtra that there are five guarantees in Karnataka. Now you (Shivakumar) said you will withdraw one guarantee."
The Congress chief said Shivakumar’s statement about reviewing the Shakti scheme had given the BJP a chance.
"Don’t go for saying five, six, 10 or twenty guarantees. Give guarantees according to your state budget. If you give guarantees beyond your budget, you will become bankrupt. There will not be even soil to fill the road. People will blame you. If this government fails, then there will be nothing for the next generation. You will only get a bad name and not a good one," Kharge said at a function here.
Regarding the Maharashtra election, he said the Congress will study the state's budget and accordingly, the guarantees will be announced.
Kharge, who is the leader of opposition in Rajya Sabha added that he would go to Maharashtra after the budget is studied and guarantees are well worked out.
"Till then I will not go there. We started this exercise (of reading Maharashtra budget) a fortnight ago. We will announce guarantees in Nagpur and Mumbai," he said.
Regarding Kharge’s call for unity in the party, Shivakumar said the message was not for him or anyone else present there.
"It was not for us. He (Kharge) has only sent a message to the workers on various occasions," the Deputy CM said.
He also sought to know whether there was a single instance of discord either in the government or in the party ever since he became the Congress state president and the DCM.
Shivakumar also ruled out any interference in the functioning of Congress. He said Kharge being a senior leader gives them guidance, keeping the national scenario in mind.
Meanwhile, reacting to Kharge’s statement, Union Minister Pralhad Joshi asked people to read between the lines.
"Kharge said in a manner ‘keep mum till the elections to the Maharashtra and Jharkhand assembly polls are over and withdraw it (Shakti) later’," Joshi said.
He charged that the Congress is making states pauper by making bogus promises.
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Two women died, 6 taken ill after ‘consuming’ mango kernel gruel in Odisha
Bhubaneswar/Berhampur/Phulbani, Nov 1: At least two tribal women died and six others fell ill after allegedly consuming mango kernel gruel in Odisha's Kandhamal district, police said on Friday.
Consumption of mango kernel, prepared by boiling the seeds in water, was reported from Mandipanka village in the district's Daringbadi block, an officer said.
While one of the two women (Rasmita Pattamajhi aged 22) died on Thursday night at Mohana community health centre in Gajapati district where she was undergoing treatment after "consuming the gruel", another woman (Runu Majhi aged 29) breathed her last while being taken to MKCG Medical College Hospital in Berhampur, Gadapur sarpanch Kumari Mallick said.
Six others, who fell ill after allegedly consuming the gruel, were admitted to a hospital and their condition was critical, said Dr Subrat Das, a medical officer of the health facility.
"All the six have been admitted to the hospital in a serious condition. We suspected that they fell sick due to food poisoning. The exact cause of the illness will be ascertained after completion of the investigation," he added.
The six were identified as Pravati Patmajhi, Dranglu Patmajhi, Tuni Majhi, Susama Patmajhi, Jita Majhi and Jibanti Majhi, Daringbadi BDO Pritiranjan Ratha said.
Meanwhile, the Odisha government has rejected allegations that tribal people have been consuming mango kernel gruel due to a lack of access to rice under the Public Distribution System (PDS).
Rasmita's husband Anil Pattamajhi alleged that they were denied rice under PDS for the last three months because of which his wife consumed mango kernel.
However, Kandhamal district magistrate-cum-collector Amrit Ruturaj dismissed the allegations, saying the family received rice according to PDS norms. "We are awaiting the postmortem report to determine the facts," the collector added.
Deputy chief minister Pravati Parida, who is also in-charge of the women and child development department said, "It is not a case of malnutrition. Mango kernel is part of their (tribal) regular diet. Sometime, the mango kernels get contaminated and lead to such unfortunate incidents. We have been actively spreading awareness about the risks of food contamination."
Health and family welfare minister Mukesh Mahaling, who ordered a departmental inquiry into the death of two tribal women, said a team from the district headquarters hospital and another local team are at the spot to assess the situation and conduct a detailed probe into the incident.
Mahaling said that the government was waiting for the postmortem report for a confirmation on the cause of the deaths. "People in Kandhamal consume mango kernel. It is common in that region and there also have been reports of health complications linked to it in the past," he said.
The Kandhmal incident reminds a similar tragedy involving mango kernel deaths in Kashipur block of Rayagada district, where at least 20 people died in 2001, and two more succumbed to mango kernel consumption in 2016. Additionally, mango kernel has claimed lives in Laxmipur in Koraput district in 2012 and 2013, as well as in Jharigaon in Nabarangpur district in 2018.
