No sale of liquor during weekend curfew: Karnataka Excise Minister K Gopalaiah
Bengaluru, Jan 7: Ahead of the weekend curfew, which will come into effect from Friday at 8 pm to Monday 5 am, Karnataka Excise Minister K Gopalaiah said there will be no sale of liquor for two days starting from tonight across the state.
"It has been decided that there will not be any sale of liquor during the weekend curfew. I have directed the officials to issue an order to this effect," Gopalaiah told reporters.
He said there is spike in cases in the state, especially in Bengaluru. Hence, it has been decided not to open the liquor shops.
Gopalaiah said the liquor shop owners had given a representation to allow them to run their shops but due to rising COVID cases, their plea was not considered.
Meanwhile, Bengaluru police commissioner Kamal Pant appealed to people not to venture out unnecessarily.
"The weekend curfew will come into effect from 8 pm tonight. Please do not go to various places unnecessarily and cooperate with the police for your own safety," Pant told reporters.
He said only a set of activities is permitted including essential and medical services.
"Those who want to go to the hospital have to furnish supporting documents. Those travelling should also possess tickets and related papers," the police commissioner said.
He added that the police would not issue any passes for people to travel within the city.
Pant warned that those violating the COVID-19 norms will face action under the Natural Disaster Management Act (NDMA). The violators will be detained and their vehicles will be seized.
The Karnataka government issued a set of prohibitory orders including weekend and night curfews for two weeks to check the rising COVID cases.
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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.
