Chai-wala-turned-crorepati to contest against BJP sitting MLA
Bengaluru: A 43-year-old man, who once used to sell tea to make a living and now a billionaire, has filed his nomination for May 12th Assembly polls as an Independent candidate from Bommanahalli constituency in Bengaluru.
With declared assets worth Rs. 339 crore, Mr Kumar is the richest Independent candidate to have filed nomination papers for the upcoming polls. He also owns a fleet of 16 cars, including imported brands though he wouldn't name them.
For Mr Kumar, who is from Kerala, struggle began early in life. After his father died, his mother worked as a house help to look after her three children.
With resources stretched at home, Mr Kumar could not study beyond the third standard. He left home for Bengaluru when he was just 11 in 1985.
With no place to stay in an alien city, he used to sleep in front of closed shops at night. One day, a kind-hearted man gave him food and offered a job in his shop. I was told to carry mangoes from one place to another, he said.
Soon after, he started selling tea at small companies and later he got more people and expanded his tea-selling business. I started earning more and even managed to save, he claimed.
His fortunes changed after marriage when the couple bought a plot in the city to build a house of their own. But he sold the land after somebody offered him double the price. It was his venture into the world of real estate that, according to him, yielded high returns.
"I started buying small plots and sold them for many times the price. That was in the late 90s," he said, claiming that he made crores in a span of six years.
Eight years ago, he set up his own company called M J Infrastructure in Bomanahalli. He says he is also into philanthropic work that includes building a church and a temple as well.
Pitted against the BJP's Sathish Reddy who holds the Bomanahalli seat, Anil Kumar seems confident of a win. I have the Almighty's blessings and support of the people, he said.
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Delhi LG 'praises' CM Atishi, calls her 'thousand times better than her predecessor' Kejriwal
New Delhi, Nov 22: In a left-handed compliment to Delhi Chief Minister Atishi, Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena on Friday said she is "a thousand times better" than her predecessor Arvind Kejriwal.
At the seventh convocation ceremony of the Indira Gandhi Delhi Technical University for Women here, Saxena said, "I am happy today that Delhi's CM is a woman, and I can confidently say that she is a thousand times better than her predecessor."
While making the comment, he took a glance at Atishi who also addressed the students.
The AAP and BJP have been at loggerheads over a range of issues, including governance and control of bureaucracy. Kejriwal tendered his resignation in September and said he would seek a "certificate of honesty" from the public in light of the corruption charges he faced. Atishi succeeded him as the chief minister.
Last year, Saxena ignored the AAP government's request to allow Atishi, who was then the education minister to hoist the national flag at the state-level Independence Day event.
A row brewed over the issue with the Aam Aadmi Party lashing out at Saxena after the General Administration Department refused to implement Minister Gopal Rai's direction to let Atishi hoist the tricolour in place of former then Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal who was in the jail in the excise policy scam.
In his speech, Saxena told the students, "As you move ahead, you have four guiding stars. First is your responsibility towards yourself, the second is your responsibility towards your parents and family while the third responsibility is towards the society and nation-building."
"The fourth responsibility is to prove yourself as women who have broken the glass ceiling of gender and stand on par with others in all fields," he said.
Kejriwal had proposed Atishi's name as the chief minister at a meeting of the legislature party and it was unanimously accepted.
When she took charge of the office, Atishi kept an empty chair besides hers for Kejriwal.
Addressing at the event, Atishi reflected on the progress made in the education sector under the AAP government.
"Education is the key to development. Take the example of the US, Canada, or the UK. They provided free education and schooling, and that is why they are developed countries today."
"Ten years ago, when we formed the government here, we saw the same dream. Since then, we have been spending 25 percent of our education budget on improving the sector," she said.
