Siddaramaiah draws flak from JD(S), BJP over objectionable remark
Bengaluru, Aug 31: Senior Karnataka Congress leader Siddaramaiah has stoked a row with an objectionable remark apparently directed at the Janata Dal (Secular), his party's ally in the previous coalition government, though he later claimed that he had only used a common Kannada adage and referred to the BJP.
At Periyapatna in Mysuru on Friday evening, when reporters asked him why the JD(S) leaders were blaming him for the collapse of the Congress-JD(S) coalition government, Siddaramaiah used the Kannada adage that literally translates to "Incapable of dancing, a prostitute called the dance floor uneven".
The remark left the JD(S) fuming, with its national general secretary and spokesperson Ramesh Babu saying it reflects Siddaramaiah's frustration.
The BJP too condemned Siddaramaiah's remark, saying it reflected his party's culture.
As the matter escalated into a full-blown controversy, Siddaramaiah on Saturday said he was referring to the Bharatiya Janata Party, adding that the Kannada adage he used was very common among people.
"Being a former chief minister, the language he uses is highly improper and very low level. That is the culture of Siddaramaiah and his party," BJP spokesperson S Prakash said.
On Saturday, Siddaramaiah told reporters at Dharmasthala in Dakshina Kannada district: "I was referring to the BJP. It is a very common adage in the rural areas around Mysuru. Those who cannot run the government call the floor uneven."
Hitting out at him, Babu said, "Siddaramaiah's statement in Mysuru reflects on his conduct. If a leader loses control over his language, it shows his frustration.
"JD(S) is like paradise for those who love it. It doesn't affect it if someone makes a hue and cry against it. It is fact that during the coalition government both Congress and the JD(S) had danced together," he tweeted.
The Congress-JD(S) government collapsed on July 22 after the confidence motion moved by the then-Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy was defeated in the Assembly, bringing to an end his 14-month-long turbulent tenure marked by dissidence within the Congress.
Siddaramaiah had come under criticism after the government collapsed as most of the rebel Congress MLAs, including S T Somashekar, Byrathi Basavaraj, M T B Nagaraj, Munirathna and K Sudhakar, were considered his loyalists.
However, rubbishing claims that he instigated those MLAs to resign and destabilise the government, Siddaramaiah had alleged that the unilateral style of functioning of the JD(S) leadership led to the collapse of the government.
Days after a verbal duel with JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda and his son H D Kumaraswamy, who had led the coalition government, Siddaramaiah had recently said that the BJP was their opponent, and not the JD(S).
"We are the principal opposition party. Our opponent is the communal BJP and not the JD(S). We have no grudge against the JD(S) leaders", he had said.
"For secular forces, the communal forces are their rivals and not the other secular force," Siddaramaiah added.
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Bus helper held for stealing USD 1,600 from Iranian woman's purse in Delhi; money recovered
New Delhi (PTI): The Delhi Police has arrested a bus helper and recovered USD 1,600 that was allegedly stolen from the purse of an Iranian woman who had forgotten it on a private bus at ISBT Kashmere Gate, an official said on Sunday.
The incident came to light on December 15, when a complaint was lodged at the ISBT Kashmere Gate police post by Dr Ali Akbar Shah, a professor at Delhi University and a resident of Mukherjee Nagar, the police said.
He informed police that his guest, Fareshteh Sayanjali, an Iranian national, had arrived in India on December 13 and was staying at his residence, they said.
The woman had travelled to Uttarakhand's Rishikesh and was returning to Delhi on December 15 in a bus. While de-boarding at ISBT Kashmere Gate around 1.45 pm, she inadvertently left her purse on the bus seat, the police officer said.
After some time, she received a phone call from the bus operator informing her that the purse had been found in the vehicle. However, when the purse was handed back to her, she discovered that USD 1,600 in cash kept inside was missing," the officer added.
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Based on Dr Shah's statement, an FIR was registered at Kashmere Gate police station on December 16, and an investigation was taken up, police said.
During the investigation, the team questioned the driver and conductor of the bus in which the woman had travelled, police said.
During questioning, the conductor told police that Monish, the bus helper, found the purse lying abandoned on a seat and handed it over to him, police said.
Monish initially attempted to mislead the investigators, but later confessed to stealing the US dollars from the purse, police said
Following his disclosure, Monish was arrested on December 17 and recovered the entire stolen amount, police said.
The accused, Monish, 26, is a resident of Jahangirpuri in north Delhi.
He has studied up to Class 10 and has been working as a helper with the private bus service for the past year, they said.
