K’taka bypolls: Cong accepts Minority dept chief’s resignation amid claims of ‘internal conspiracy’
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Congress president D K Shivakumar on Sunday accepted the resignation of party Minority Department chairman K Abdul Jabbar and dissolved the committees constituted under him.
Jabbar announced his resignation on Saturday, a day after a group of Muslim leaders accused members of their own party of “conspiring” to defeat the official candidate in Davanagere South.
In his letter to the party, Jabbar said minority voters and office-bearers are the backbone of the Congress and deserve better.
Later, speaking to reporters, he expressed shock at the party office being used by some minority community leaders as a platform to attack senior leaders from the same community.
Jabbar, an MLC, was an aspirant for the Congress ticket from the Davanagere South Assembly segment.
“K Abdul Jabbar has tendered his resignation from the post of chairman, KPCC Minority Department. The resignation has been accepted, and he stands relieved of the post with immediate effect. Further, the KPCC Minority Department committee stands dissolved with immediate effect,” Shivakumar said in a statement.
A rift surfaced within the Karnataka Congress on Friday, a day after bypolls to two Assembly constituencies, as a group of Muslim leaders alleged an “internal conspiracy” by some senior party leaders to defeat the official candidate in Davanagere South, where the minority community has a significant presence.
They said the party had named Samarth Mallikarjun as the candidate after considering all factors and taking Muslim leaders into confidence. Despite this, a campaign—allegedly involving some within the party—projected the Congress as having “betrayed” minorities by denying them the ticket.
Chief Whip in the Legislative Council Saleem Ahmed, MLAs Rizwan Arshad and Yasir Ahmed Khan Pathan, MLC Bilkis Bano and other leaders addressed a joint press conference on Friday, alleging an “internal conspiracy”.
Though the leaders did not name anyone, party sources said their remarks were directed at State Housing Minister B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan, Jabbar, and MLC and Political Secretary to the Chief Minister Naseer Ahmed.
Khan, who had openly demanded the Davanagere South ticket for a Muslim candidate, initially stayed away from campaigning in the constituency, citing commitments related to the Kerala polls. However, he later addressed a press meet with Samarth’s father and Minister S S Mallikarjun at the request of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.
Jabbar, too, had not actively participated in campaigning, despite hailing from Davanagere.
Meanwhile, MLA Arshad said on Sunday that the party leadership was aware of those who allegedly tried to divide Congress votes and help the BJP. “But, thankfully, none of this has had any impact, and the Congress candidate will win,” he said.
He also alleged that Muslims lost the Davanagere South ticket because some senior minority leaders demanded it exclusively for Jabbar, rather than for any other eligible candidate from the community, despite Jabbar not being acceptable to all.
“Some leaders in the Congress think they are the only voice of the minority community and that there is no one else,” said Arshad, who represents the Shivajinagar constituency in Bengaluru.
Bypolls for Davanagere South and Bagalkot were held on Thursday. The elections were necessitated following the deaths of sitting MLAs Shamanur Shivashankarappa and H Y Meti, respectively. Samarth is the grandson of Shivashankarappa.
Muslim disgruntlement appears to be a concern for the Congress in Davanagere South. With 14 of the 25 candidates in the fray belonging to the community, the party fears a split in votes that could benefit the BJP.
Given its significant presence in the constituency, the Muslim community had strongly demanded the Congress ticket. Some party factions had opposed giving it to the Shamanur family.
Although the Congress persuaded rebel candidate Sadiq Pailwan to withdraw, he remained in the fray as the move came after the deadline for withdrawal of nominations.
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India post release commemorative stamps, souvenir sheets on India's human space programme
Bengaluru (PTI): The Department of Posts on Sunday released two commemorative postage stamps and souvenir sheets to celebrate the remarkable progress of India's human space programme, led by ISRO.
K Prakash, Chief Postmaster General of the Karnataka Postal Circle, released the commemorative stamps in the presence of Dr V Narayanan, Chairman of ISRO, and Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, the first Indian to reach the International Space Station (ISS).
The commemorative postage stamps and souvenir sheets visually capture India's journey from early achievements, such as the launch of Aryabhata, to its future ambitions in human spaceflight and orbital infrastructure. They also reflect India's rich scientific heritage, symbolised by landmarks such as the Jantar Mantar, India Post said.
"These stamps capture India's evolution from its early beginnings under Dr Vikram Sarabhai to become a global space power. They highlight major achievements, such as Chandrayaan-3, and the upcoming human spaceflight mission- Gaganyaan, symbolising the country's growing technological strength and ambition," a senior India Post official said at the event.
One souvenir sheet showcases the Gaganyaan crew module alongside future aspirations like Bharatiya Antariksha Station, reflecting India's vision of establishing a space station by 2035.
The other sheet draws inspiration from the Axiom 4 mission machine, honouring Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, and beautifully connects India's ancient astronomical heritage with modern scientific machines, he said.
According to officials, the mission patch created by designer Manish Tripathi for Shukla's historic Axiom 4 mission spaceflight was part of the stamp released on Sunday, on the occasion of the International Day of Human Space Flight.
Addressing the gathering, Group Captain Shukla said that space missions or explorations have the potential to transform a nation.
Recalling ISRO's successful missions over the years and his association with the space agency, he said, "Hopefully very soon, we will be able to launch astronauts on our own rocket and our own launch vehicle to space, and bring them back safely."
"Last year, when I was in the US, training for this (Axiom-4) mission to go to space, there was a story you could carry with you in the form of a mission patch, which is one of the stamps released today," he said.
"We gave a lot of thought to what story we should carry into space. If you look at it, a theme connecting this patch is, where India started in terms of space missions, the first satellite, Aryabhatta, which went to space and where we are today, when we are pursuing Mission Gaganyaan," he said.
Shukla called on the students and youngsters with a message that "sky was never the limit, not for me, not for you, and not for Bharat."
ISRO Chairman Narayanan lauded the service of the postal department for the nation during his address.
Listing ISRO's achievements and expertise over the years, he said, "Today, building a satellite is like a child's play for my colleagues at ISRO... When it comes to launch vehicle capability, the LVM-3 can currently carry a payload of up to 10,000 kg. We are working on a next-generation launch vehicle capable of taking 30,000 kg and 80,000 kg into low earth orbit."
Crediting PM Narendra Modi for the human space flight programme, the ISRO chief asserted that ensuring the safety of Gaganyatris (astronauts) is of utmost priority while preparing for the human space flight missions.
"Under the guidance of our PM, a lot of activities are going on. We are working on the Gaganyaan programme. Please don't ask me when the date is. It is a technology-intensive programme, and we're solving problems, moving forward, and succeeding at every stage. We are planning for an uncrewed mission first. After completing three uncrewed missions, we have to go for the crewed mission, because for us, safety is very, very important," he said.
Noting that work is underway for the Indian space station, Narayanan said it will be a total 52-tonne space station.
"India plans to have five modules of the Bharatiya Antariksh Station in place by 2035. The launch of the first module is expected by 2028," he added.
