BJP Protests force cancellation of Karnataka govt seminar titled 'Conversations of the Constitution'
Bengaluru, Jan 22: Protests by BJP and some pro-Kannada organisations, citing the three-day mourning announced for the death of Siddaganga Mutt head Shivakumara Swamiji, forced the cancellation of a Karnataka government seminar on Tuesday.
The seminar titled 'Conversations of the Constitution', which was organised by the state social welfare department and a television channel, was called off after the first session, Karnataka Social Welfare Minister Priyank Kharge said.
Former vice president Hamid Ansari, CPI(M) leader Brinda Karat, BJP MP Rakesh Sinha, retired Supreme Court judge Santosh Hegde, student leader Kanhaiya Kumar, social activist Medha Patkar, film actor Prakash Raj and AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi were among the prominent speakers.
A highly revered seer known for his stellar contributions in the field of education and social service, Shivakumara Swamiji died at 111 on Monday.
Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy had announced one-day government holiday on Tuesday and a three-day state mourning as a mark of respect for the Siddaganga Mutt head.
"The state government is organising this event in the name of Constitution when it has declared three-day mourning. It should have cancelled the event," Karnataka BJP spokesperson Go Madhusudan told reporters outside a hotel where the seminar was organised.
The BJP leader said he had spoken to Kharge, asking him to call off the event as it was unfair, but the government remained adamant.
Madhusudan claimed he had been invited to the event by one of the organisers, but he chose to boycott it.
"Shamelessness of @INCKarnataka reaches new heights.While State is mourning the loss of Sri Shivakumara Swamiji, Congress Minister @PriyankKharge has organised a luxury event inviting Tukde gang head Kanhaiya & Owaisi to speak on democracy. May God do well to you," BJP's Karnataka unit said in a tweet.
In a statement released here, BJP SC Morcha national general secretary Chi Na Ramu and state general secretary Ravi Kumar also slammed the state government for holding the event.
The statement said organising an event like 'Conversations of the Constitution' by inviting Owaisi was "laughable".
When Karnataka Pradesh Youth Congress pointed out that Sinha, BJP Rajya Sabha member, was also a panelist, he clarified that he had withdrawn from the event.
"I withdrew from the event, didn't join opening session...I openly insisted the programme should be cancelled as a mark of respect to Swamiji. Don't disguise your discourtesy using my name," Sinha said in a tweet.
Kharge said the decision to cancel the seminar was taken because it had hurt the sentiments of a section of people.
The social welfare minister told reporters that there was no direction to stop all government work.
"Mourning means doing some good work that can give peace to the departed soul. There are clear directions that no entertainment programmes are organised. The apolitical programme was based on a serious topic of the Constitution," he said.
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73 Rajya Sabha MPs declare criminal cases; 31 billionaires: ADR Report
New Delhi (PTI): Around 32 per cent of sitting Rajya Sabha MPs have declared criminal cases against themselves, while 14 per cent are billionaires, according to a report by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR).
The report is based on an analysis of affidavits of 229 out of 233 Rajya Sabha MPs. One seat from Jharkhand is currently vacant, while affidavits of three MPs were unavailable. The analysis includes 37 recently elected members.
Of the 229 MPs analysed, 73 (32 per cent) have declared criminal cases, with 36 (16 per cent) of them facing serious charges. One MP has declared a case of murder, four have cases of attempt to murder, and three have cases related to crimes against women.
Party-wise, 27 of 99 BJP MPs, 12 of 28 Congress MPs, four of 13 TMC MPs, and four of 10 AAP MPs have declared criminal cases. Three MPs from CPI(M) and BRS each have disclosed criminal cases.
The report also found 31 MPs (14 per cent) having a net worth of billions of rupees.
Among major parties, six BJP MPs, five Congress MPs, four YSRCP MPs, two AAP MPs, two BRS MPs, and three NCP MPs have declared assets exceeding Rs 100 crore.
The average assets of a Rajya Sabha MP stand at Rs 120.69 crore.
Among major parties, the average assets per MP are Rs 28.29 crore for BJP, Rs 128.61 crore for Congress, Rs 17.70 crore for TMC, and Rs 574.09 crore for AAP. Other parties include YSRCP (Rs 522.63 crore), SP (Rs 399.71 crore), BJD (Rs 105.63 crore), and DMK (Rs 11.90 crore).
BRS MP Bandi Partha Saradhi has declared the highest assets at over Rs 5,300 crore, followed by AAP's Rajinder Gupta with over Rs 5,053 crore, and YSRCP's Alla Ayodhya Rami Reddy with over Rs 2,577 crore.
On the other end, AAP MP Sant Balbir Singh is the poorest, with assets worth about Rs 3 lakh. He is followed by Maharaja Sanajaoba Leishemba of Manipur with around Rs 5 lakh, and TMC's Prakash Chik Baraik with approximately Rs 9 lakh.
