BJP's MK Pranesh elected Karnataka Legislative Council's Deputy Chairman
Belagavi (K'taka), Dec 23: BJP MLC M K Pranesh was on Friday elected as the Deputy Chairman of the Karnataka Legislative Council.
This is the second term for Pranesh as Deputy Chairman.
He won by securing 39 votes against Congress' Arun Kumar Arali, who got 26 votes.
The JD(S), which has eight MLCs, remained neutral.
There was some heated exchange between Congress and JD(S) at the beginning of the election process.
JD(S) MLC Bhoje Gowda accused the Congress of not fielding a candidate against Council chairman Basavaraj Horatti (from BJP), during the election to the Chairman post held on Wednesday, as the latter belonged to an upper caste.
Horatti was elected unopposed as the chairman of Legislative Council, with no candidates in the fray from Congress and JD(S).
Leader of the Opposition B K Hariprasad, from the Congress, hit back stating that his party did not field a candidate against Horatti, considering his seniority and not his caste.
Horatti too said, "Don't paint a caste colour on me. Many in this House don't know what caste I belong to," said the leader who belongs to the Lingayat community.
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Hajj 2024: Indian Pilgrims await clearance for stay in Mina
Bengaluru: As the countdown to the sacred Hajj pilgrimage commences for Indian pilgrims, uncertainty looms over their stay in the Mina zone (Place where the ‘stoning of devil’ takes place across three days). Despite private Hajj tour operators facilitating the journey of the pilgrims, the absence of clearance for Indian pilgrims to stay in Mina has caused much dissatisfaction among tour operators and pilgrims.
Meanwhile, Private Hajj tour operators also have to make other preparations before the beginning of the pilgrimage, including verification of pilgrims' documents, booking hotels, arranging accommodation for pilgrims at Arafat and Mina, appointing Muallims (a guide appointed by the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah).
Pilgrims from different states, including Karnataka and Kerala, are scheduled to begin their journey for Hajj through private tour operators from the third week of May.
While private tour operators would deposit the money of pilgrims into the IBAN (International Bank Account Number) account, this year as per the new regulations of the Saudi Arabian government, private Hajj tour operators were asked to deposit the money into the Indian Haj Mission account, from where the pilgrims would draw the money to cover the expenses incurred during the pilgrimage.
Tour operators have expressed facing difficulties in collecting money owing to the new regulations made by the Saudi government, as the process of depositing money to the IBAN account would be completed within 24 hours.
Meanwhile, Karnataka State Hajj Organizers Association General Secretary Shafi Ahmed, speaking to the Vartha Bharathi, highlighted that owing to the delays by the Indian Haj Committee and the Indian Haj Mission, tour operators have not been able to book hotel accomadation for piligrims. “Vaccinations should be given to the pilgrims. So far there is a lack of vaccination supply from the Ministry of Health. We have brought this matter to the attention of the Indian Hajj Committee and the State Hajj Committee.”
“Airline tickets are booked for Hajj pilgrims through operators. If the pilgrims get a chance to stay in Mina, where should we accommodate the pilgrims? If the pilgrims are not able to travel on the day we have booked air tickets, we will reportedly face a major financial hardship,” Shafi expressed concern.
“The Union government should pay attention to this matter immediately. In addition, The Government of Saudi Arabia should initiate discussions with the Indian Hajj Mission and facilitate the accommodation in Mina. At least 3 thousand pilgrims from our state will travel for Hajj this year,” he added.
Expressing that the Government of India and the Indian Hajj Mission have to work seriously in this matter, Shoukal Ali Sultan, the President of the Karnataka Hajj Organizers Association said, “Currently we are facing problems in transferring pilgrims' money to the Indian Hajj Mission account. Additionally, the fact that we are yet to get approval to stay in the Mina zone has added to our problems. We are in constant touch with the State Hajj Committee and will solve the problem as soon as possible and facilitate the pilgrims going for the pilgrimage through private tour operators.”
