No action from Modi on 40% commission: Siddaramaiah
Ballari, Oct 15: Former Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday charged Prime Minister Narendra Modi with inaction on the letter sent to him by a contractors association accusing the BJP government in Karnataka of charging 40 per cent commission on public work.
Addressing a public meeting in Ballari as Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra completed 1,000 km, Siddaramaiah said the association president Kempanna wrote a letter to Modi a year ago stating that the BJP government has been demanding the commission.
"Today which government is called 40 per cent commission government? It's only the BJP government. It's not me who is saying this but the Contractors' Association president Kempanna who wrote a letter to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi that the BJP government in Karnataka has been demanding 40 per cent commission on every project," Siddaramaiah said.
The Congress leader's charge was a part of the party's campaign against the alleged corruption. The party recently launched the PayCM campaign with a QR code showing the image of Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai. It is a copy of the digital payment platform 'PayTM'.
"It's been one year since Kempanna wrote the letter but Narendra Modi did not take any action. Whenever we raise the issue he says, "Na Khaunga, Na Khane Doonga" (I will not eat and will not allow others to eat.)," the Congress stalwart alleged.
"Where are you Mr Narendra Modi? For the past one year you did not taken any action on the letter written by Mr Kempanna. Aren't you ashamed?" the former chief minister said.
The Congress leader said the only contribution by the BJP government in Ballari was looting natural resources by the mining barons.
"Who was part of the illegal mining? Who encouraged it? Because of our padayatra in 2010 from Bengaluru to Ballari, a situation was created to send former BJP minister G Janardhan Reddy to jail. Today also they (Reddy brothers) are facing many criminal cases," Siddaramaiah charged.
He launched an attack on the Ballari district-in-charge minister B Sriramulu for questioning the contribution of the first Prime Minister of the country Nehru by saying he has no right to question the Congress, which sacrificed too much right from the time of pre-independence.
Siddaramaiah claimed that the BJP started its Jana Sankalpa Yatra' after seeing the response to Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra.
"Due to the enormous support to Rahul Gandhi's march, these people (BJP) are trembling with fear that they will lose power. That's the reason that they are blabbering gibberish. The people of Karnataka have resolved to throw away your government and bring back the Congress government in Karnataka in 2023," he claimed.
The Congress leader said the BJP government in Karnataka amended the Land Reform Act to allow big corporates to directly purchase land from farmers.
Siddaramiah alleged that the RSS and the Sangh Parivar were politicising religions.
Not only in Karnataka but also across the country, the RSS is involved in the despicable work of dividing people on communal lines, he said.
"Today the RSS and its affiliate organisations are opposed to the national flag, national anthem, democracy and constitution of India.
Today the constitution and democracy are in danger," Siddaramaiah said as he called upon people to join the Congress party's effort to fight against them.
He said Rahul Gandhi's march was aimed at saving the Constitution.
"Today I kneel before Rahul Gandhi for his bold decision of taking out a march. Let us all join hand in hand," he said.
The Congress in Karnataka turned the Bharat Jodo Yatra into a major show of strength ahead of Assembly polls which is less than seven months away.
A large number of people turned up at the Municipal grounds in Ballari dotted with banners, posters, cutouts, flags and festoons. Elaborate security arrangements were made to ensure law and order though the event passed off peacefully.
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Pro-chancellor of St Aloysius University, Fr Melwin J Pinto SJ passes away at 63
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Mangaluru: Fr Melwin J Pinto SJ, Pro-chancellor of St Aloysius University Rector of St Aloysius Institutions, and Vice President of Mangalore Jesuit Educational Society (MJES), breathed his last on Friday, April 10. He was 63.
Born in 1963, Fr Melwin Pinto completed his schooling and college education at St Aloysius before joining the Jesuit order on June 20, 1981. He was ordained as a Jesuit priest on April 14, 1997.
Over the years, he held several academic qualifications, including an MA in English, a Master’s degree in Education, and diplomas in psychology and counselling as well as school administration.
He began his career in education as headmaster of St Joseph’s Primary School and High School in Hassan, serving between 1996 and 1999.
He later founded St Joseph’s Indian PU College and served as its principal until 2007. He subsequently served as headmaster of St Aloysius High School, Mangaluru, from 2007 to 2011, and later as principal of St Joseph’s PU College, Hassan, until 2012.
Fr Melwin Pinto also worked with Vatican Communications and Radio in Rome, contributing to its English desk for Asia and Indian languages.
He later served as superior and director of Fatima Retreat House in Valencia for two years from May 2017, before being appointed as superior of the Jesuit study home ‘Vidyaniketan’ in Dharwad.
He was also closely associated with the development of St Aloysius Institutions and played a key role in securing the status of a Deemed-to-be University. His contribution to the education sector and efforts towards innovation were widely acknowledged. He was known for maintaining close relations with people from all sections of society.
Legislative Council MLA Ivan D’Souza, in a statement, said the demise of Fr Melwin J Pinto was a huge loss to the educational and religious fields and had created a significant void in society.
Dakshina Kannada District in-charge Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao also expressed grief, stating that his service and contributions to education would always be remembered.
Details regarding the funeral are yet to be announced.
