Asst Commissioner to hoist national flag at Chamarajpet Idgah Maidan on Aug 15
Bengaluru, Aug 11: The Karnataka government on Thursday said a Revenue Department official of the rank of Assistant Commissioner will be hoisting the tricolour at Chamarajpet 'Idgah Maidan' here on August 15.
Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), the city civic body, had recently dismissed the petition filed by the Karnataka State Board of Auqaf for a 'khata' (document which identifies the ownership of a property) in its favour for the communally-sensitive Idgah Maidan, and had declared Karnataka Revenue Department to be the default owner of the land.
"Several persons and groups had come out wanting to hoist the national flag on August 15. All these days it was Corporation (BBMP) property.. now it is no more a Corporation property and has come to the Revenue Department and after consulting the Legal department, officers and intelligence chief Dayananda, it has been decided that a Revenue Department official will hoist the flag," Revenue Minister R Ashoka said.
Speaking to reporters here, he said, Assistant Commissioner- Bengaluru North will hoist the flag and as per protocol an MP and local MLA among others are allowed to participate in the event, along with people.
"Deputy Commissioner of Police who has jurisdiction over the area has been asked to make all bandobast, and for no reasons other than slogans like Bharat Mata ki Jai, Vande Mataram and hailing freedom fighters- no other slogans like religious will be allowed, and police commissioner will issue an order imposing restriction," he added.
Following the BBMP order, several Hindu organisations had announced that they will celebrate Independence Day on August 15 on the ground.
Also, Local Congress MLA B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan too had announced that they will go ahead and hoist the tricolour on the ground.
Appealing to everyone to abide by law, the Minister said anyone involved in any violation or mischief will be dealt strictly in accordance with law.
He said if any one has any claims over the title of the land, they can make an appeal to the Revenue department, and it will be decided accordingly as per rules. "One can even approach the court."
The decades-old dispute over Idgah Maidan had once again come to fore earlier this year, when some Hindu outfits sought BBMP's permission to hold events at the place.
This resulted in two contrary sets of documents emerging, as the Karnataka State Board of Auqaf presented a 1965 gazette notifying the land as Wakf property, while the 1974 City Survey records and all other civic records thereafter showed the land to be a playground.
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Siddaramaiah tells Centre not to punish Karnataka for being progressive
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday underlined the need for justice in the devolution of taxes.
He said no one should milk a milch cow completely, or else the calf would be malnourished.
Addressing people on the occasion of the 69th state formation day at Sree Kanteerava Stadium here, Siddaramaiah said there is injustice happening to Karnataka.
The state is contributing more than Rs four lakh crore as revenue to the Centre and it is the second largest contributor to the Central tax revenue after Maharashtra, he pointed out.
"Even though we give more than Rs four lakh crore, we are only getting Rs 55,000 crore to Rs 60,000 crore. Kannadigas should know this. We are getting 14 to 15 per cent only of our contribution," the chief minister said.
Under the federal system, there should not be any injustice just because Karnataka is a progressive state, he observed.
"Just because a milch cow is giving milk, we should not milk it completely. We should leave some milk for the calf too or else it will malnourish. This no one should ever forget," Siddaramaiah said.
The chief minister emphasised taking pride in Kannada and bringing it in daily use as much as possible.
Stating that Karnataka has people speaking more than 200 languages, Siddaramaiah said, whatever language people speak here or whichever caste or religion they belong to, they all are Kannadigas. Those who consume the air, water and food are Kannadigas, he told the gathering.
He said Kannada is a very old language with a history of 7,000 years. Hence, the Centre too recognised it as a classical language.
Siddaramaiah appealed to the people that they should never sacrifice Kannada language.
"I don't oppose being liberal. I in fact endorse being liberal but not at the cost of sacrificing our language," the chief minister noted.
"Our affection for our language should not be extreme, but we should never give up our pride for our language. We all should be Kannada lover," he added.
For Kannada to grow, people living here must become Kannadigas, Siddaramaiah said.
"I will never say not to learn any other language. Keep enhancing your linguistic wealth but never forget speaking in Kannada," he told people.
He reminded people that November 1 is not only the state formation day but also the anniversary of Mysore state getting the name of Karnataka by the then chief minister, late D Devaraj Urs.
A cultural programme themed around 'Hesarayithu Karnataka, Usiragali Kannada' (the state got the name Karnataka, now Kannada should become the breath) was held on the occasion.
