Cong makes all out bid to pacify rebels against Deve Gowda to withdraw from contest
Tumkur LS Seat
Bengaluru, Mar 27: With two days left for withdrawal of nominations for the first phase of Lok Sabha polls in Karnataka, Congress leaders are making all attempts to pacify the party's rebel candidates against former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda, the ruling alliance's nominee in Tumkur.
Defying the electoral arrangement under which Tumkur was allotted to JD(S), sitting Congress MP S P Muddahanumegowda filed his papers on Monday both as party candidate and also as an independent.
K N Rajanna, another Congress leader and former MLA, has also filed his nomination from Tumkur as an independent candidate, opposing Gowda.
Both leaders are upset against Congress' decision to cede the Tumkur seat to JD(S), despite the party having its sitting MP there.
Pradesh Congress Chief Dinesh Gudu Rao expressed confidence about solving the issue amicably.
"We are confident that it will be fine. I'm talking to him (Muddahanumegowda), I have hundred per cent faith that there won't be any problem," he said.
Responding to a question on Rajanna, he said, "I'm in touch with him and he has said that he will abide by the party's stand and won't take any decision against the Congress party...We will solve it definitely."
Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara, who hails from Tumkur, also expressed confidence that Muddahanumegowda would withdraw in the larger interest of defeating the BJP.
"I have spoken to Muddahanumegowda. I have also informed our high command and they will also speak to him.
I'm confident that Muddahanumegowda being a gentleman politician will withdraw in the larger interest to defeat the BJP," he said.
Muddahanumegowda is determined to contest, as he is the only member among 10 sitting Congress MPs from the state who have not got the ticket this time.
JD(S) bagged Tumkur seat after a hard bargain with Congress as the grand old party did not concede Mysore, another seat it had demanded, due to strong resentment from CLP leader Siddaramaiah, as it is his home turf.
Mysore and Tumkur both come under old Mysuru region, where the Vokkaliga community, seen as a strong vote bank of the JD(S), is dominant.
Congress too has considerable presence there.
Speaking to local news channels in Tumkur, Muddahanumegowda said that he will not backtrack and will contest the polls as per the wish of his voters and supporters.
Stating that he has filed his nomination, both as a Congress candidate and an independent, he said, "I did not get the Congress ticket till Tuesday evening (last day to file nomination), but both alliance partners still have a chance to declare me as their candidate."
Speaking to reporters Rajanna said his decision would depend on what Muddahanumegowda agrees to.
Stating that he supports Muddahanumegowda, he said "I will wait for his decision...
There is pressure on me to withdraw, but I have not decided yet...", he said.
Deve Gowda opted for Tumkur seat over Bangalore North, another option that was available before him, after giving up Hassan Lok Sabha seat that he had been representing to his grandson Prajwal Revanna.
If Muddahanumegowda contests from Tumkur as a rebel candidate, it will add to the Congress-JD(S) coalition woes as the alliance is facing a backlash at several places,including Mandya and Hassan, with party workers unhappy with the seat arrangements.
Tumkur will go to the polls in the first phase on April 18
The last date for withdrawal of nominations is March 29.
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Govt 'fully committed' to protecting Aravallis, Cong spreading lies: Bhupender Yadav
New Delhi (PTI): Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav on Monday accused the Congress of spreading "misinformation" and "lies" on the issue of the new definition of the Aravallis and stressed that mining can be carried out legally in only 0.19 per cent of the area covered by the mountain range.
At a press briefing, he said the Narendra Modi government remains "fully committed" to protecting and restoring the Aravallis.
"The Congress, which allowed rampant illegal mining in Rajasthan during its tenure, is spreading confusion, misinformation and lies about the issue," the minister alleged.
The new definition, approved by the Supreme Court on the recommendation of the Environment Ministry, "aims to curb illegal mining" and allow "sustainable mining legally", and that too only after a Management Plan for Sustainable Mining (MPSM) is prepared by the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE), he said.
The ICFRE will identify areas where mining can be permitted only under exceptional and scientifically justified circumstances, sources said.
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The study will also determine ecologically sensitive, conservation-critical and restoration-priority areas within the Aravalli landscape where mining will be strictly prohibited.
Yadav said that legally approved mining currently covers only a very small fraction of the Aravalli region, amounting to about 0.19 per cent of the total geographical area of 37 Aravalli districts in Rajasthan, Haryana and Gujarat.
Delhi, which has five Aravalli districts, does not permit any mining.
According to the Supreme Court's directions, he said, no new mining leases will be granted in the Aravalli region until a Management Plan for Sustainable Mining is prepared for the entire landscape by the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education.
Existing mines may continue operations only if they strictly comply with sustainable mining norms laid down by the committee.
In November 2025, the Supreme Court accepted a uniform legal definition of what constitutes the Aravalli Hills and Aravalli Range on the recommendation of a committee led by the Environment Ministry.
Under this definition, an "Aravalli Hill" is a landform with an elevation of at least 100 metres above its local surrounding terrain and an "Aravalli Range" is a cluster of two or more such hills within 500 metres of each other.
Critics, including environmentalists and some scientists, argue that many ecologically important parts of the Aravalli system do not meet the 100-metre threshold (e.g., low ridges, slopes, foothills and recharge areas), yet are important for groundwater recharge, biodiversity support, climate moderation and soil stability.
They warn that areas excluded under the new definition could be opened for mining, construction and commercial activities, weakening long-standing protections and ecological continuity across the range.
The redefinition has triggered protests, from Rajasthan to Haryana, and social media campaigns.
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The Centre has rejected the charge that the new definition weakens environmental safeguards. It has said that most of the Aravalli region (over 90 per cent) remains protected and the new definition does not relax mining controls.
Yadav on Sunday said the Aravali range includes all landforms which exist within 500 metres of two adjoining hills of a height of 100 metres or more.
All landforms existing within this 500-metre zone, irrespective of their height and slopes, are excluded for the purposes of grant of mining leases, he said.
