JD(S) promises to restore 4 per cent reservation for Muslims in election manifesto
Bengaluru, Apr 27: The JD(S) on Thursday released its "Janata Pranalike" (People's Manifesto) for the May 10 Assembly polls in Karnataka promising to restore four per cent reservation for Muslims, to "throw out" Amul and to save Nandini brand calling it Kannadiga's identity, among various assurances.
The party led by former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda has also assured to bring in a law reserving jobs for Kannadigas in the private sector, and has promised to provide free higher education for economically-weaker students.
Just ahead of the announcement of polls in Karnataka, the State Cabinet led by Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai had decided to scrap the four per cent reservation for Muslims under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) quota and to distribute it equally among the dominant Vokkaliga and Lingayat communities. The JD(S) in its manifesto has expressed its commitment to restore 4 per cent reservation for Muslims.
The promise to protect and strengthen Nandini brand in the manifesto, comes following a controversy that had erupted after the Gujarat-based dairy cooperative Amul's announcement recently, to enter the Karnataka market to supply its milk and curd. A section including opposition Congress and JD(S) had expressed apprehension that Nandini, the brand from the Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF), could be merged with Amul, and had targeted the ruling BJP and Union Cooperative Minister Amit Shah for it. BJP had rejected the charge.
The manifesto was released by JD(S) legislature party leader H D Kumaraswamy, state president C M Ibrahim, and manifesto committee chief and MLC B M Farooq, among other leaders.
The JD(S), which positions itself as a party of farmers, has announced the "Raita Bandhu" scheme promising to provide Rs 2,000 to agricultural labour families every month. Also, girls who marry youths who are farmers will be given financial assistance of Rs two lakh.
Among the various other assurances given in JD(S) manifesto are Rs 6,000 for pregnant women for six months, loan waiver for 'Stree Shakti' self-help groups, pension for Anganwadi workers, Rs 2,000 per month for auto drivers, Rs 2,000 for registered private security guards, and up to Rs 25 lakh for treatment of rare diseases under CM relief fund.
In the irrigation sector, the party has listed out its plans such as: increase funds for the Upper Bhadra Project from existing Rs 2,000 crore to Rs 5,000 crore and also complete the project in the next four years; it also promised to complete the 'Yettinahole' project in four years.
Reviewing the National Pension Scheme, re-introduction of free bicycles for school children, electric scooters for girls studying in higher education, housing scheme for 30 lakh homeless, encouraging green energy, are among the other takeaways from the manifesto.
Kumaraswamy has said that the party will launch a separate manifesto for Bengaluru in the coming days.
Aiming to come to power on its own, the JD(S) has set a target of winning 123 out of total 224 Assembly seats.
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Balmukund Acharya accused of sloganeering inside Jaipur mosque; BJP MLA clarifies amid protests
Jaipur (PTI): Tensions flared in the Johri Bazar area here as protesters gathered in large numbers late on Friday night, accusing BJP MLA Balmukund Acharya of raising slogans targeting a community and pasting an offensive poster inside the Jama Masjid, a charge the lawmaker denied categorically.
Acharya, however, explained that he had joined a public meeting in the city's Badi Chaupad area during the day to pay tributes to the tourists slain by terrorists in Pahalgam and raised slogans condemning the act of terror and Pakistan, which India holds indirectly responsible for the bloodbath.
"People had gathered in large numbers and raised slogans, demanding action against the BJP MLA. The situation was brought under control peacefully," DCP (North) Rashi Dogra said on Saturday.
As the protest erupted, the Congress' Kishanpole MLA Amin Kagzi and Adarsh Nagar legislator Rafiq Khan also arrived at the scene, lending support to the demonstrators. A delegation of the agitators met Police Commissioner Biju George Joseph over the matter.
Later in the night, an FIR was filed at the Manak Chowk police station on Jama Masjid Committee member's complaint that Arharya and his supporters entered the mosque during night prayers, raised slogans targeting a community, pasted an offensive poster on the mosque's stairs, and making threats.
"We were offering night prayers when Balmukund Acharya entered the mosque, raised slogans and pasted objectionable posters on the stairs. Later, we met the police commissioner and registered an FIR," said Jama Masjid Committee Secretary Zaheer Ullah Khan.
Reacting to the incident, Acharya posted on X that he had participated in a protest earlier in the day against the recent terrorist attack in Pahalgam.
"On a call given by Sarva Hindu Samaj, I joined a public outrage meeting at Jaipur's Badi Chaupad today to protest against the terrorist attack in Pahalgam and paid tributes to the innocent people killed. I protested against this incident by raising slogans of 'Pakistan Murdabad, Aatankvad Murdabad' (Down with Pakistan, down with terrorism)," Acharya wrote on the social media platform.
He added that thousands of people in Jaipur participated in the protest and expressed their anger over the incident.
Police said a case has been registered and an investigation initiated. The crowd outside the mosque dispersed peacefully after getting assurances from officials about police action over their complaints.
Religious sentiments are on the rise in some pockets following the dastardly terror attack on Tuesday that led to the death of 26 tourists. It got whipped up all the more after reports emerged that the attackers had asked about the religion of the victims before killing them.
Hindu Raksha Dal has issued online threats to Kashmiri students living in Dehradun, asking them to leave the state immediately while a restaurant worker was shot dead and his co-worker injured in Agra, with the accused claiming that it was to avenge the Pahalgam attack.
