Cong workers raise pro-BJP slogans, refuse to support Prajwal Revanna in Hassan
Bengaluru, Mar 29: Karnataka PWD minister and JDS leader H D Revanna besides local Congress leaders were left red-faced Friday when Congress workers straightaway refused to support his son Prajwal Revanna in the Lok Sabha polls at an event in Hassan.
Prajwal, grandson of JDS patriarch and former prime minister H D Deve Gowda, is the candidate of the ruling alliance for Hassan, which Gowda was representing.
The embarrassing incident occurred in front of Revanna who had come to seek support from Congress workers at a public event.
An ardent believer in astrology, Revanna had arrived at the venue holding seven to eight lemons in his hand to ward off bad omen that could eclipse his son's political prospects.
Usually Revanna carries at least one lemon with him.
As soon as he took his seat on the dais holding lemons, the Congress workers created a din shouting that they would prefer voting for the BJP rather than supporting the JD(S).
The compere's repeated pleas to stay silent were in vain as the rebel Congress workers created a noisy scene.
They shouted that they will not abide by the Congress' directions.
"We are die-hard Congress workers. We will not support the JD(S), come what may. We will not only vote for BJP, we will seek vote for the BJP candidate," they shouted.
The workers also objected to Revanna's presence at the Congress' event.
"Who is he to attend our event? Why is he here? He is our opponent. How can we support him? We don't need him here," they shouted.
Policemen too reached there to calm the situation but to no avail as the sloganeering continued.
The rebellion stems from the fact that congress local strongman A Manju recently quit the party protesting the alliance with the JD(S) and joined the BJP, which has fielded him as its candidate.
Manju's bitterness against the Deve Gowda family is well known as he had been giving statements against the JD(S) leadership.
From the day the coalition government was formed, Manju had been openly opposing it.He had even indicated that he would not stay in the party for long if the coalition continued.
Gowda has represented Hassan six times in the Lok Sabha.
This time, he has opted to contest the polls from Tumkur constituency leaving Hassan for his grandson Prajwal.
Gowda's another grandson and son of Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy, Nikhil, is also facing problems in Mandya, where the local Congress unit is unhappy over the party conceding the seat to the JDS.
With tempers running high, Revanna sought an apology from the Congress workers.
Addressing the irate workers, he said, "Pardon me if I have committed some small mistakes. Let us work together to ensure the victory. Let us stick to the decision taken by the party."
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Maharashtra sets up state vaccination task force to strengthen immunisation programme
Mumbai (PTI): The Maharashtra government has set up a State Vaccination Task Force to strengthen the regular immunisation programme and review the progress of related campaigns, a health department official said on Monday.
The State Vaccination Task Force will comprise at least 29 members and will be headed by the administrative head of the health department, he informed.
The government has also constituted separate district-level and municipal vaccination task forces to improve implementation and address challenges at the grassroots level, he said.
Municipal task forces, chaired by respective civic commissioners, have been constituted in view of the vast urban population in Maharashtra and the role of civic bodies in implementing different health programmes.
The district-level task forces will function under the chairmanship of collectors.
"Complete immunisation of children at the appropriate age is an extremely simple, cost-effective and highly effective measure to reduce child mortality and the prevalence of diseases among kids. Immunisation is a powerful tool for reducing illness in children," maintained the official.
To ensure full vaccination of all children, the state government implements various campaigns from time to time as per the central government guidelines, he pointed out.
"Active participation and cooperation of other relevant government departments are essential (in making these campaigns successful)," according to the official.
The state-level body will review the regular immunisation programme, associated campaigns and vaccine-preventable diseases in detail. It will also conduct focused assessments of high-risk districts and municipal corporations, including vacancies at district, municipal and sub-district levels, availability of cold chain equipment, resource gaps and training requirements, he noted.
The state task force will review allocation and utilisation of funds for immunisation and ensure timely action by officers concerned based on reports from district and municipal task forces and state-level monitoring mechanisms, the official said.
It will also ensure active coordination and participation of other government departments in immunisation drives, while district and municipal task forces will carry out similar functions at their respective levels, the official added.
