Rahul mocks Modi for garlanding Basavanna in London
Bengaluru, April 26: Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Thursday took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his garlanding of Karnataka's 12th century social reformer Basavanna's bust in London recently and accused him of not practising the saint poet's preachings.
"Modi has garlanded the bust of Basavanna, but does not follow his words or practise the reformer's preaching to 'Walk the Talk'," said Gandhi at a public meeting at Honnavar in Karnataka's Uttara Kannada district, about 450 km from here.
During his three-day visit to London from April 18 to 20, Modi garlanded Basavanna's bust located at Albert Embankment Gardens on the banks of Thames River in the British capital on April 18.
Later, during an interaction -- Bharat ki Baat, Sabke Saath -- with the Indian Diaspora at the Westminster Hall in London, Modi mentioned Basavanna's "vachanas" (sermons) and how they are so relevant even in the 21st century.
Criticising Modi for calling the Siddaramaiah government in the state "a 10 per cent commission sarkar", Gandhi questioned the Prime Minister's right to speak on corruption, sitting next to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s chief ministerial face B.S. Yeddyurappa, who "went to jail on corruption charges".
As the party's first Chief Minister in south India, Yeddyurappa resigned on July 31, 2011 after the state's anti-graft watchdog (Lokayukta) named him in a probe report on the multi-crore mining scam that rocked the state for over a decade from 2001-10.
Gandhi, who is on a two-day visit to the poll-bound southern state starting Thursday, launched the ruling party's campaign for the May 12 legislative assembly elections in the coastal region.
He participated in road shows, held interactive sessions and addressed corner meetings in Ankola, Kumta, Honnavar and Bhatkal in Uttara Kannada district.
At Kumta, Gandhi said Siddaramaiah had waived loans of thousands of farmers to provide them relief from distress and agrarian crisis due to successive droughts in the state, whereas the Modi government did nothing for them.
Gandhi will release the party's election manifesto in the port city of Mangaluru on Friday, along with senior leaders like Karnataka in-charge K.C. Venugopal and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.
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Inappropriate for MLAs seeking free IPL tickets, says D.K. Suresh
Bengaluru: Bengaluru Milk Union Ltd President D.K. Suresh on Monday said it is inappropriate for MLAs to seek free IPL tickets, adding that those interested in watching matches should pay for them personally.
Speaking to reporters near his residence in Sadashivanagar, he said, “IPL is a commercial tournament and does not represent the country. It is not right for public representatives to focus too much on such matters.”
Referring to the recent controversy during the RCB celebrations, he said, “let us find out who benefited the most from the statements made during the incident.” He also pointed out that BJP MLAs had received IPL tickets as well.
Responding to discussions about relocating the Chinnaswamy Stadium, Suresh said the government has already approved the construction of a new stadium at a location he had proposed.
“I had suggested building a stadium in Surya City and submitted a proposal for it. Bengaluru needs four stadiums in four directions to cater to its growing population and encourage youth participation in sports,” he said.
He noted that apart from Kanteerava Stadium, KSCA, and the Football Stadium, there are limited facilities in the city.
“When I was a Lok Sabha member, I had proposed allocating 100 acres in my constituency at Surya City. The land was later earmarked and the plan approved,” he added.
Suresh said he has discussed the project with Minister Zameer Ahmed Khan, Rajiv Gandhi Housing Corporation Chairman Shivalingegowda, and Anekal MLA Shivanna.
“The Cabinet has now approved the project, and a stadium will be developed on around 50–60 acres,” he said.
He further added that he has requested the Deputy Chief Minister to build another stadium at Shivarama Karanth Layout through the BDA, where 40 acres have been allocated. Plans are also being discussed to develop a well-equipped stadium in Bidadi.
Commending state government's recent bilingual policy move, Suresh said forcing children to learn three languages could affect their comprehension.
“It is a good decision to make two languages compulsory. Learning a third language should be left to the choice of students and parents,” he said.
Responding to criticism from BJP leaders, he said their tendency is to oppose every decision of the government.
“To please their central leadership, they take a pro-Hindi stance. Instead, they should advocate for the adoption of Kannada in all states,” he said.
When asked about the earlier three-language policy under Congress, he said, “the situation is different now. Today, the focus should be on quality learning. Kannada should remain the primary language, while students and parents can choose an additional language.”
