‘Siddaramaiah’s defeat pained me more than my death’
Speaker Ramesh Kumar becomes emotional on stage
Kolara, Dec 9: “In democracy, power is not important. One should have the responsibility of working under the social concept. It is not enough to ensure voting power to all. Every citizen has to get financial and social freedom. Then only, the democracy and equality will get meaning”, said former chief minister Siddaramaiah.
Inaugurating the 531st Kanaka Jayanti, organized by the District Kuruba Sangha here on Sunday, Siddaramaiah said that “jayantis of social reformers are being celebrated. During my tenure as the CM, around 13 jayantis were started. All of them had given good message to the society. With an intention of not restricting them to any particular community, these jayantis are being celebrated. But some communal forces would accept everything, but oppose Tipu Jayanti. Tipu was neither against Hindus nor against the society. The communal forces have blindness. Our society has been suffering from the order of four castes. Those who recognize others with caste and religion are real communal and fundamentalists”, he opined.
The society should not neglect the persons who work for the society. He has introduced Anna Bhagya scheme from public money. If the central government had introduced this scheme, why it has not started it in other states? The people at the helm of affairs should have the mindset of investing the public money for the people. Don’t you want the labourers to be happy, Siddaramaiah asked BJP leaders.
Expresses displeasure over poor turnout to programme
When Ahinda programme was held in Kolar, people turned out in large number. He has directed all the organizers to do the work together. Is that the respect you have towards the community? Do not conduct the community programme when the government organize the programme, he advised the organizers.
District Minister Krishna Byre Gowda said that Kanakadasa had advocated equality and his message was still relevant to the society. Everyone should become human being. Shudra community was denied access to the temples. Now, once again, the women folk were being denied the entry into some temples. If the people failed to raise their voice against such ill-treatment, probably in future the entry of temples could be denied to all Shudra communities, he said.
Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar said that “politics is not stagnated water. It’s like flowing water. Even then, Siddaramaiah has lost the opportunity of forming the government. Our people will soon forget the people who served them. But the defeat of Siddaramaiah has pained me more than my death. Truth is always bitter and hard to digest. But the truth does not have death. People of Kolar district will never forget former chief minister Siddaramaiah who implemented KC Valley and Ettinahole projects”, he said.
Siddaramaiah’s fans felicitated him on the occasion. After the programme, tableaux were displayed and cultural programmes were conducted.
Former union minister and MP KH Muniyappa, MLC Nasser Ahmed, MLAs K Srinivas Gowda, SN Narayanaswamy, District Kuruba Sangha president Chikkahanumappa, Deputy Commissioner J Manjunath, Dalit leader CM Muniyappa, District Congress president K Chandra Reddy, BJP leader Om Shakti Chalapathi, City municipal council former president Prakash, N Rajanna, Anche Ashwath, Tyagaraj Muddappa and others were present.
‘In five states, election result will be against the BJP administration. The strength of BJP is declining at the centre. A person should be identified on the basis of personality and not on the basis of caste or religion. The people who speak on the basis of caste and religion are real vested interests of the society, communals and fundamentals. If they have real concerns towards the development, they would not oppose the jayantis of social reformers. If they have social concern, they should try to build casteless and classless society. Those who oppose the Constitution are unfit to rule the country’.
- Siddaramaiah, Former Chief Minister
‘Siddaramaiah is Bhageeratha who irrigated plain land. If he had contested from Kolar constituency, he would not have defeated. Nasser Ahmed and myself have appealed him to contest from Kolar constituency. But he did not come. His defeat pained me most. People forget those who served the society. If he had contested in Kolar, history would have been created. But he did not come out of his constituency. Everyone should take a decision to strengthen his hands in future’.
- K.R Ramesh Kumar, Speaker
‘Congress party MLAs phone tapping is the creation of BJP. It’s their culture. The state government has not involved in such cheap activity. No MLA has complained to Siddaramaiah. It is the habit of BJP. It has done such things when it was in power. Based on that experience, the BJP leaders have been making such allegations. They do not have concerns towards farmers. They have been doing politics even in drought. No BJP leader has guts to speak to Central leadership in favour of farmers’.
- Krishna Byre Gowda, Rural Development Minister
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13 lakh litres of 'Rail Neer' supplied to train passengers daily: Government
New Delhi (PTI): Approximately 13 lakh litres of packaged drinking water -- 'Rail Neer' -- are being supplied to train passengers across the railway network daily, the government informed the Lok Sabha in a written reply on Wednesday.
Apprising the Lower House about the Indian Railways' endeavour to provide safe and potable drinking water facilities at all stations, the government also provided zone-wise details of the water vending machines (WVMs) installed there.
"To ensure the quality of drinking water being made available at the railway stations, instructions exist for periodical checking and required corrective action to be taken.
"Regular inspection and maintenance of drinking water facilities is carried out and complaints are attended to promptly," Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said while responding to a question raised by BJP MP Anup Sanjay Dhotre seeking to know the supply of drinking water at railway stations across the country
"Complaints regarding deficiency in services, including water supply, are received through various channels such as public complaints, web portals, social media, etc. These complaints are received at various levels, including the Railway Board, zonal railways, division office, etc.," Vaishnaw said.
"The complaints so received are forwarded to the concerned wings of Railways and necessary action is taken to check and address them. As receipt of such complaints and action taken thereon is a continuous and dynamic process, a centralised compendium of these is not maintained," he added.
Providing zone-wise details of water vending machines, the minister said 954 such machines have been installed across railway stations.
"The Indian Railways also provides safe and affordable packaged drinking water bottles -- Rail Neer -- approved by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) in trains and at stations," Vaishnaw said.
"Approximately, 13 lakh litres of Rail Neer are being supplied per day to the travelling passengers in trains and at stations across the Indian Railways network," he added.
