After LS poll rout, Karnataka cabinet reposes faith in Kumaraswamy
Bengaluru: A day after suffering a rout in the Lok Sabha elections, the Karnataka cabinet Friday reposed its 'faith and confidence' in the leadership of chief minister H D Kumaraswamy, asserting the Congress-JD(S) coalition would continue.
Briefing reporters after an informal cabinet meeting convened to take stock of the dismal show of the coalition partners, deputy chief minister G Parameshwara said the mandate on Thursday was for the government at the Centre and not for the state.
Accusing the opposition BJP of trying to destabilise the government, Parameshwara said the ruling coalition would not allow them to succeed.
"... we have reposed our faith and confidence in the leadership of chief minister Kumaraswamy. This is the decision taken by all the ministers today," said Parameshwara.
Asserting that all their MLAs were with them, he said the coalition would continue under Kumaraswamy's leadership and that there was no threat to the government.
Steamrolling the ruling Congress-JD(S) alliance, the BJP Thursday had scored a resounding win bagging 25 out of the total 28 Lok Sabha seats in an outcome that left the one-year old Kumaraswamy government in a tizzy over its stability.
With the BJP dealing a hammer blow, the Congress and JD(S)managed to win only one seat each, indicating that neither arithmetic nor chemistry worked for the two which apparently has failed to reconcile with each other at the ground level.
This is said to be the worst-ever performance by the Congress in the state as against a record of sorts by the BJP.
Karnataka emerged as the bright spot for the saffron party in the South with other neighbouring states bucking the "Modi magic".
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Hyderabad retired professor in coma left without pension; family struggles to pay Rs 25 lakh bills
Hyderabad: A 64-year-old retired professor from Osmania University, Mohammad Ansari, is battling for life in a coma while his family struggles to meet mounting medical expenses due to an unresolved pension dispute.
According to The Times of India, Prof. Ansari, a former linguistics teacher, fell critically ill about 10 days ago due to kidney and lung complications and slipped into a coma.
His family has already spent nearly Rs 25 lakh on treatment, with daily hospital expenses ranging between Rs 30,000 and 40,000.
"We have spent about Rs 25 lakh so far. The hospital is charging between Rs 30,000 and Rs 40,000 daily. We don't have any money left. We can only afford a rehabilitation centre," said Fayyaz Ansari, brother of the retired Osmania University professor. He said that his brother had been running from pillar to post since 1996 to clear the anomalies in his service, but failed in his efforts.
Though he began working with the university in 1997 as part-time faculty and later became regular staff, the university reportedly agreed to consider his pension eligibility only from 2003, which he contested.
The family claims that despite court directions and intervention by an Assembly committee, the university did not recognise his service from 1996 for pension benefits.
"Despite selection, he was not given joining orders. He was forced to work as a part-time faculty. In 2003, after approaching the minority commission, the HC and the assembly, he finally got orders to join as full-time faculty," Fayyaz said.
Incidentally, even the LIC-linked pension, which was offered to those not eligible under the Old Pension Scheme (OPS), was denied to him despite premiums being deducted for close to 15 years on the grounds that he already has OPS. The total amount paid towards the pension was returned in 2018.
Students and well-wishers have begun crowdfunding to support his treatment. Members of the Osmania University Students’ Joint Action (JAC) Committee urged authorities to intervene and release his pending benefits or arrange financial assistance.
The issue was also raised in the Assembly by CPI MLA Kunamneni Sambasiva Rao.
However, university officials maintain that pension from 1996 cannot be granted. Registrar G. Naresh Reddy said, "He was not on the varsity rolls then. How can it be considered? In fact, this issue was placed before the executive council and the govt multiple times and it was rejected."
He said that when it comes to the LIC-linked pension, it is the govt that has kept it in abeyance and that, along with Ansari, 10 other faculty members, who joined between 2001 and 2004, were waiting for it to be resolved.
