Congress govt to undertake caste re-enumeration in Karnataka; party top brass discusses stampede
New Delhi (PTI): The Congress on Tuesday said it has decided to hold caste re-enumeration in Karnataka to address concerns of some communities who complained of being left out of the survey that was conducted 10 years ago.
The party's top brass met Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy and Pradesh Congress Committee president D K Shivakumar at the Congress' new headquarters and discussed various issues, including the June 4 stampede in Bengaluru.
Sources said Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and former party chief Rahul Gandhi expressed their displeasure over the involvement of the state government in the IPL victory celebrations of Royal Challengers Bangaluru (RCB) during which 11 people lost their lives in the stampede.
A source said Rahul Gandhi told the chief minister and PCC president that human lives are of great value to the Congress party and the government has to be responsive towards people, "unlike the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh or the Left government in Kerala where no responsibility was taken for the loss of lives during the Kumbh and Sabarimala tragedy respectively".
AICC general secretary, Organisation, K C Venugopal and the general secretary in-charge for Karnataka, Randeep Surjewala, were also present during the three-hour discussion on state issues at the Indira Bhawan, where the party leadership told the chief minister that the Congress government in the state should adopt a pro-people approach.
The Congress government in Karnataka has faced sharp criticism from the opposition BJP and JD(S), with both parties holding the chief minister and his deputy directly responsible for the tragedy and demanding their resignation. They have also sought a special Assembly session to discuss the incident.
The stampede occurred on June 4 evening in front of the Chinnaswamy stadium, where a large number of people had gathered to participate in the RCB team's IPL victory celebrations.
Venugopal told reporters that they discussed the current political situation in the state, including the unfortunate incident that happened in Bengaluru.
He said the caste census was among the issues that came up in the meeting, and the Karnataka government is going to discuss it at a special cabinet on June 12.
"The caste census was discussed. The Congress party is thinking that whatever the Karnataka government has done in the caste census should be agreed to in principle. But there are some apprehensions from some sections and communities about the counting of the caste."
He noted that the state government had conducted the caste census a decade ago and the data was now outdated.
"The Congress party has suggested to the chief minister to do a re-enumeration process within a stipulated time, say 60-80 days. This is what we decided about the caste census in the meeting," he said, adding the chief minister will provide more details on the issue.
The move comes close on the heels of the Centre announcing the schedule of the national Census with caste enumeration.
Venugopal said the chief minister and the PCC president briefed the leadership about the Bengaluru incident and the action taken by the state government. The chief minister was asked by the central leadership to present a report on the stampede incident.
"Certainly, we are very much concerned about every human life and so is our party. An unfortunate incident happened and the Government of Karnataka has already ordered a judicial inquiry to know what really happened," he said.
While the party chose not to delve into the specifics during the ongoing judicial inquiry, Venugopal emphasised that the Congress had a "clear view that there should be a clear-cut pro-people attitude on this issue".
Siddaramaiah has distanced himself from the incident, saying he was informed late and that the government did not organise the stadium event.
The meeting also addressed the issue of "inadequate" central plan allocation to Karnataka.
"They (Centre) are completely neglecting the state of Karnataka on planned allocation. The central plan allocation to Karnataka is totally unacceptable. They are marginalising Karnataka into a corner. The Modi government is doing this type of injustice to Karnataka, which is not at all acceptable," Venugopal said.
According to sources, four names recommended to the Governor for nominations to the Legislative Council are also learnt to have been discussed. The names were reportedly withheld after directions from the party high command.
Asked about any possible changes in the government, Shivakumar said, "Nothing is on the cards".
He said the AICC general secretary has already spoken and added, "It is one voice, one party".
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New Zealand women's captain Sophie Devine to retire from ODIs after World Cup
Auckland, Jun 17 (PTI): New Zealand women's team captain and prolific all-rounder Sophie Devine will retire from the ODIs after the World Cup in India and Sri Lanka later this year.
The 35-year-old is widely regarded as one of the most prolific all-rounders in women's cricket, having amassed 3990 runs from 152 ODIs at an average of 31.66 with the help of eight centuries. She has also scored 3431 runs from 146 T20Is with one century.
She has also taken 107 and 119 wickets in the ODIs and T20Is respectively. She, however, has not played in any Test.
"It feels like the right time for me to start stepping away. I feel very fortunate to have NZC’s support in finding a solution that means I can still give to the WHITE FERNS," said Devine in a statement issued by New Zealand Cricket on Tuesday.
Devine's statement came ahead of the announcement of the 17 centrally contracted players by New Zealand Cricket (NZC) on Wednesday. She will remain available for T20I cricket on a "casual playing arrangement" but will not be centrally contracted.
"It's important that everyone knows I'm focused and dedicated to giving this group everything I can before I step away. I'm really excited by where this young group’s going and I'm looking forward to playing my part in the next six to nine months."
Her decision to retire after the ODI World Cup in India and Sri Lanka from September 30 to November 2 came after Devine took a break from cricket to prioritise her mental health in January. She will lead the team in the ODI World Cup in September.
Devine was permanent captain of the White Ferns in 2020, and has since led the team to new heights, including a bronze medal at the Commonwealth Games in 2022 and a maiden ICC Women's T20 World Cup victory last year.
NZC's head of women's high performance Liz Green said Devine had the organisation's full support.
"Sophie's given nearly 20 years of service to the White Ferns and NZC is fully supportive of her quest to find more balance at this stage in her career," Green said.
"We're pleased to be able to reach an agreement that means she can continue to be involved with the White Ferns on a case-by-case basis, whilst opening up the opportunity for another player to be contracted in full."
NZC Chief Executive Scott Weenink praised Devine’s contribution to the White Ferns.
"Sophie has been an extraordinary leader and ambassador for the WHITE FERNS. Supporting her move to a casual playing agreement will allow her to continue contributing to the WHITE FERNS environment," he said.
The White Ferns are scheduled to begin their World Cup campaign against seven-time champions Australia on October 1 in Indore.
