My son & nephew not contesting LS polls for "fashion," but for people; says Kumaraswamy
Bengaluru, Mar 22: Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy Friday said his son Nikhil Kumaraswamy and nephew Prajwal Revanna were not contesting the Lok Sabha polls for "fashion", but for the sake of the people.
Conceding that there were "small" issues between alliance partners Congress and JD(S) which would be resolved, he said both parties will follow "coalition dharma".
"...on the basis of our (Kumaraswamy and Revanna) work, from our family again two young powers are in the fray,they are not contesting for fashion," Kumaraswamy said.
Speaking to reporters after his nephew and PWD Minister H D Revanna's son filed his nomination in Hassan, he said "they will be with the people in their happiness and grief, as their family members.
With this commitment they are contesting the election."
Claiming that he himself was an example for their family's commitment to the people's cause, the Chief Minister said Nikhil and Prajwal were contesting the polls to also strengthen the JD(S) as an organization, along with the welfare of the people.
While Prajwal is contesting from the family turf Hassan, the seat represented by his grandfather and former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda, his cousin brother Nikhil is contesting from the JD(S) bastion of Mandya.
JD(S) and the Gowda family have been facing backlash for promoting dynastic politics by fielding both grandsons of JD(S) patriarch from the party stronghold, instead of giving chance to loyal party workers who have worked for its growth.
Kumaraswamy also declared that "development" and work done by his government were his party's main agenda in the polls, as he requested people to support his "pro people" coalition, for the benefit of Karnataka.
Stating that the coalition government led by him was focusing on the all-round development of Karnataka, he said, though "our programmes may not have got big scale publicity, I have satisfaction in what we have been able to do."
Also, noting that there was no Modi wave now and it was there during 2014 lok Sabha polls, the Chief Minister chided state BJP leaders for asking votes in the name of the Prime Ministerand questioned what their contribution was to the state.
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South African police arrest suspect in mass shooting that killed 12, including 3 children
Johannesburg (AP): A 32-year-old suspect has been arrested in connection with a mass shooting which claimed the lives of 12 people including three children at an unlicensed pub earlier this month, South African police said on Monday.
The man is suspected of being one of the three people who opened fire on patrons in a pub at Saulsville township, west of South Africa's capital Pretoria, killing 12 people including three children aged 3, 12 and 16.
At least 13 people were also injured during the attack, whose motive remains unknown.
According to the police, the suspect was arrested on Sunday while traveling to Botlokwa in Limpopo province, more than 340 km from where the mass shooting took place on Dec 6.
An unlicensed firearm believed to have been used during the attack was recovered from the suspect's vehicle.
“The 32-year-old suspect was intercepted by Limpopo Tracking Team on the R101 Road in Westenburg precinct. During the arrest, the team recovered an unlicensed firearm, a hand gun, believed to have been used in the commission of the multiple murders. The firearm will be taken to the Forensic Science Laboratory for ballistic analysis,” police said in statement.
The suspect was arrested on the same day that another mass shooting at a pub took place in the Bekkersdal township, west of Johannesburg, in which nine people were killed and 10 wounded when unknown gunmen opened fire on patrons.
Police have since launched a search for the suspects.
South Africa has one of the highest homicide rates in the world and recorded more than 26,000 homicides in 2024 — an average of more than 70 a day. Firearms are by far the leading cause of death in homicides.
The country of 62 million people has relatively strict gun ownership laws, but many killings are committed with illegal guns, according to authorities.
According to police, mass shootings at unlicensed bars are becoming a serious problem. Police shut down more than 11,000 illegal taverns between April and September this year and arrested more than 18,000 people for involvement in illegal liquor sales.
