K'taka CM Bommai has breakfast at Dalit household; Cong calls it 'photo-op' ahead of polls
Hospet/Chitradurga, Oct 12: Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and BJP strongman B S Yediyurappa had breakfast at the residence of a Dalit man at a village near Hospet on Wednesday.
They visited the village as part of the ruling BJP's 'Jan Sankalp Yatra', which kick-started on Tuesday.
Hirala Kollarappa and his two daughters served the VVIPs 'Kesari Bhaat,' (dessert) 'Mandakki Voggarane' (fried puffed rice with seasoning), fried chilli and Uppittu (Upma).
According to government officials, the CM was accompanied by Yediyurappa, Water Resource Minister Govind Karjol and Tourism Minister Anand Singh during the visit to Ambedkar Nagar in Kamalapura village in the newly formed Vijayanagara district.
"A festive mood prevailed at the residence of Hirala Kollarappa in Ambedkar Nagar in Kamalapura village. His two daughters, Huligemma and Renuka were busy in the kitchen since morning preparing a special breakfast for none other than 'Common Man' Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Wednesday," an official statement said.
After having meal at Kollarappa's home, the BJP leaders interacted with all the family members.
Meanwhile, the Congress described Bommai and Yediyurappa eating at the Dalit family's residence as a "photo-op" for the sake of votes, ahead of assembly election next year in the state.
While Leader of Opposition Siddaramaiah hit out at the ruling party for not doing enough for the sake of Dalits and other backward communities so far, AICC General Secretary in-charge of Karnataka Randeep Singh Surjewala took a swipe at Bommai government by highlighting an incident where over a dozen Dalit workers were allegedly assaulted and held captive by a coffee estate owner in Chikkamagaluru over financial issues.
"As elections are approaching, they have started remembering Dalits, backward classes, SCs and STs, till now nothing has been done for their welfare by this government. Now for the sake of election and votes, they are visiting areas where Dalits and backward communities live," Siddaramaiah, who is here to take part in 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' led by Rahul Gandhi, told reporters in response to a query.
Surjewala in a tweet said, "The ugly stench of Dalit atrocities under Bommai Govt in Karnataka is nauseating - a 54% increase over last year. As Bommai-BSY (Yediyurappa) do photo-op of visiting a dalit house, BJP leader detains 16 Dalits & a hapless women loses her child."
Reacting to the criticism, BJP state unit chief Nalin Kumar Kateel said Siddaramaiah has started the AHINDA movement, which instilled confidence among the backward communities and minorities.
In 2014 state assembly election, the Congress gained majority and Siddaramaiah remained the Chief Minister for 5 years but 'failed' to provide justice to the minorities and BC, he told reporters in Gadag district.
It is only the Bommai government which gave the SC/STs honour, whereas the Siddaramaiah did nothing in five years," Kateel added.
The ugly stench of Dalit atrocities under Bommai Govt in Karnataka is nauseating - a 54% increase over last year.
— Randeep Singh Surjewala (@rssurjewala) October 12, 2022
As Bommai-BSY do photo-op of visiting a dalit house, BJP leader detains 16 Dalits & a hapless women loses her child.
Shameful & disgusting!https://t.co/4nQgYA1U1X
ಬಿಜೆಪಿ ಕರ್ನಾಟಕ #JanaSankaplaYatre ಯ ಅಂಗವಾಗಿ ಇಂದು ವಿಜಯನಗರ ಜಿಲ್ಲೆಯ ಕಮಲಾಪುರ ಗ್ರಾಮದ ದಲಿತ ಕುಟುಂಬ ಹಿರಾಳ ಕೊಲ್ಲಾರಪ್ಪ ಅವರ ಮನೆಗೆ ತೆರಳಿ ಉಪಹಾರ ಸೇವಿಸಿ, ಕುಟುಂಬದ ಸದಸ್ಯರೊಂದಿಗೆ ಸಮಾಲೋಚನೆ ನಡೆಸಿದೆನು. ಈ ಸಂದರ್ಭದಲ್ಲಿ ಶ್ರೀ @BSYBJP ಹಾಗೂ ಇತರರು ಉಪಸ್ಥಿತರಿದ್ದರು. @BJP4Karnataka pic.twitter.com/nlMIbtM8rt
— Basavaraj S Bommai (@BSBommai) October 12, 2022
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Bihar CM Nitish Kumar takes oath as Rajya Sabha member
New Delhi (PTI): Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday took oath as a member of Rajya Sabha, marking the end of his two-decade rule in the eastern state and paving the way for a new chief minister.
The oath was administered by Rajya Sabha Chairman C P Radhakrishnan in his chamber at a brief ceremony. The Chairman later welcomed him as a member of the Upper House and also on his return in Parliament.
Kumar took the oath in Hindi in the presence of Union Minister J P Nadda, who is also leader of the house, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Panchayati Raj Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh, Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Ram Nath Thakur and Minister of State for Law and Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal.
Bihar deputy chief minister Samrat Chaudhary was also present at the oath-taking.
JDU leader and party's working president Sanjay Kumar Jha, Congress chief whip in Rajya Sabha Jairam Ramesh, besides BJP MP and former union minister Rajiv Pratap Rudy and BJP chief whip in Lok Sabha Sanjay Jaiswal, were among those present during the oath-taking.
"Vice President of India and Chairman, Rajya Sabha, Shri C. P. Radhakrishnan, administered the oath to Shri Nitish Kumar as an elected Member of Rajya Sabha, from Bihar, at Parliament House today," the Vice President's office said on X, while sharing pictures of the oath-taking.
After the oath-taking, Kumar came out of the new Parliament building and spoke about the time he was a member of the Lok Sabha and sat in the old Parliament building.
As Kumar assumes the Rajya Sabha role, it marks the end of his long two-decade rule in Bihar. Kumar will soon resign as chief minister and the NDA is likely to elect a new chief minister of Bihar on April 14.
He has already resigned as a member of the State Legislative Council on March 30 after he was elected to Rajya Sabha.
The JD(U) supremo was elected to the Upper House of Parliament on March 16, and he had to quit as an MLC in the 14-day period after his election.
