Mysuru Congress workers decide to boycott Dasara
Appeal to Ministers, MLAs against participating in celebrations
Mysuru, October 08: The local Congress leaders have decided to boycott the world famous Dasara celebrations this time.
Speaking to Varthabharati, City Congress president R. Murthy said that Dasara should be celebrated by taking all into confidence. But this time, it has become the Darbar of Ministers G.T. Deve Gowda and S.R. Mahesh. It is customary that normally, Dasara would be celebrated after taking noted personalities of the city, workers of various parties and various organizations into confidence. But this time, everything is being held as per the direction of those two ministers, he said.
The Dasara festival would have 16 sub-committees and each committee would have workers of various parties and general public. Workers have contributed for the party and it was their duty to honour their efforts during such occasions. But till date, no Congress worker is appointed to any sub-committees. They would bring this to the notice of the party leaders and they would appeal them not to participate in the celebrations, he said.
“There is the coalition government in the state. Since the beginning of Dasara, the Congress workers are being neglected. Minister Puttaranga Shetty expressed his displeasure in the Dasara Committee meeting that Congress workers and leaders are being neglected. Apart from this, MLA Tanveer Sait also expressed his displeasure. In spite of it, Ministers Deve Gowda and S.R. Mahesh have been taking decisions unilaterally”, Murthy said.
Both G.T. Deve Gowda and S.R. Mahesh had worked as the party workers. They were aware of the workers desires and pains. Even then, they have not appointed single worker to any committee which surprised him. In the Dasara high power committee meeting, the Chief Minister had said that sub-committees would be constituted shortly. But so far, both the ministers have neglected the issue, he said.
“We don’t oppose Dasara celebrations as it is the festival of the land. Everyone should enjoy. But we have appealed the party leaders and workers not to participate in the celebration, because, the party leaders and workers are being neglected Purposefully. It is insult to us if we go to the place where we do not have respect”.
- N. Bhaskar, KPCC Member
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BJP stages walkout in Karnataka assembly over 'non-disbursal' of Gruha Lakshmi payout
Belagavi (Karnataka) (PTI): The opposition BJP on Wednesday staged a walkout from the Karnataka assembly protesting the alleged "non-disbursal" of two months' installments to 1.26 crore beneficiaries under a woman's assistance scheme of the state government.
The protest followed a heated debate in which the opposition accused the state government of providing "misleading" information regarding the payment status of the flagship Gruha Lakshmi scheme.
The saffron party members trooped into the well of the House and raised slogans, leading to the adjournment of the proceedings of the House for over an hour.
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The Gruha Lakshmi guarantee scheme is one of the five pre-poll promises of the ruling Congress. It provides Rs 2,000 monthly to women heads of the Below Poverty Line (BPL) families.
The BJP legislators accused Woman and Child Welfare Minister Laxmi Hebbalkar of having "misled" the House by giving false information to BJP MLA Mahesh Tenginkai that all the instalments till August have been paid under the scheme.
The opposition charged that the installments for the months of February and March this year were not paid.
The BJP MLAs' grouse was that they had been demanding an explanation from the Minister for the past three days, but she never turned up to provide information.
As soon as the session started, the opposition members trooped into the well of the House demanding the Minister's presence, which led to the adjournment.
When the members assembled again, the Minister replied that this is a unique flagship programme of the Congress government, which is a model for all the states.
Hebbalkar said she always strived to ensure that this scheme is implemented religiously.
"However, when I checked, I noticed that two months' installments were not paid to the beneficiaries through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT). If my reply has hurt anyone, then I express my regret," she said.
Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, who came to the defence of Hebbalkar, said the BJP should apologise for the lie in the Union Budget.
"Despite the Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announcing Rs 5,300 crore for the Upper Bhadra Irrigation Project in the budget, the money was not given to Karnataka. You should question that as well," Shivakumar underlined.
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To this, Leader of Opposition in the assembly R Ashoka said the matter was raised because not only were the BJP members hurt but also the 1.26 crore beneficiaries who were eagerly waiting for the money.
Demanding that the lie be expunged from the House records, he insisted on a date for when the backlog will be paid to the beneficiaries.
The Minister said she was apologising for giving a wrong reply, but she was peeved at the way a woman was targeted in the House.
Objecting to this statement, BJP MLA S Suresh Kumar asked her to refrain from playing victim card and bring up the issue of gender, caste and religious discrimination as it was a matter related to 1.26 crore people.
Ashoka and the BJP MLAs then staged a walkout, saying the Minister's reply was not satisfactory.
