CM Kumaraswamy tells media he's 'boycotting' them
Bengaluru, Apr 28: Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy Sunday said he was 'boycotting' the media, apparently upset over the coverage of the Mandya Lok Sabha polls, where his son Nikhil Gowda is in the fray.
"I'm boycotting you," an upset Kumaraswamy told reporters who sought his comments after his meeting with Congress General Secretary K C Venugopal here.
"You do whatever you want for your story... Go do it. Go enjoy," he said.
Though the reason for his outburst was not exactly clear, sources said he was upset over the media coverage of the Mandya Lok Sabha polls, where his son Nikhil from JD(S) was pitted against multi-lingual actress Sumalatha Ambareesh, an independent candidate, in what is perceived to be a cliffhanger contest.
In the run-up to the election to the seat, Kumaraswamy had repeatedly hit out at the media, accusing them of supporting Sumalatha.
This is not the first time the chief minister has spoken about boycotting the media.
In November last year, Kumaraswamy said he would not address the press "for any reason".
He had also said that he would "limit the media to what I speak from the stage."
Kumaraswamy recently alleged that the media showed only Prime Minister Narendra Modi as he gets the "makeup" done to get a glow on his face before appearing in front of the camera.
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No more street vending on B’luru’s main roads, as govt plans to bring new policy for street hawkers
Bengaluru: Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar on Friday said that the state government has decided to formulate a new policy for footpaths in Bengaluru, under which street vending will not be allowed on main roads and sub-main roads.
Addressing the media after a budget preparation meeting and executive meeting of GBA corporations at Vidhana Soudha, Shivakumar said discussions were held with MLAs from the GBA region regarding the corporations’ budgets and key civic issues.
Leader of Opposition R. Ashok also participated in the meeting and shared his views. Officials from multiple departments, including police, BESCOM, BMRCL, BWSSB and BDA, along with ministers and legislators, were present.
He stated that all five municipalities have prepared their individual budgets, while MLAs have submitted their demands, including calls for ward-wise grants.
“We have decided to bring a new policy for footpaths. Citizens are struggling to walk as footpaths are encroached upon by street vendors,” Shivakumar said.
Highlighting the need to balance livelihoods and public convenience, he added that “a separate space will be provided for street vendors, and specific roads will be designated for their business,” ensuring that pedestrians can use footpaths without obstruction. He noted that there was unanimous agreement among MLAs on this approach.
Issuing a warning to vendors, Shivakumar said that authorities will act against those violating the rules. “If vendors operate during the day and leave their carts on the roadside at night, authorities will clear them. People should be aware of this,” he said.
Providing data on street vendors, he said that around 60,000 vendors have registered so far, of which 30,000 have applied for vehicles, and a tender has already been floated.
“Only those with street vendor identity cards will be allowed to do business. Those without ID cards will not be permitted to operate on the streets,” he added.
