Only ineligible BPL cards will be weeded out, no impact on eligible cardholders: CM Siddaramaiah
Bagalkote (Karnataka), Nov 17: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday clarified that only ineligible Below Poverty Line (BPL) cardholders will be weeded out, and there will be no impact on eligible cardholders.
The CM said that he had given strict instructions to the food and civil supplies department that those eligible should not be left out.
"BPL cards are not being cancelled...we have said that we will not give BPL cards to ineligible. Should we give BPL cards to those paying income tax or government servants? Such cases will be shifted to APL (Above Poverty Line) cards from BPL cards. Still, no decision has been made, but there is thinking in this direction," Siddaramaiah said.
Speaking to reporters here, he said the proposal still has not come before the Cabinet from the food and civil supplies department.
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"Those eligible should be given BPL cards and those ineligible have to be removed. If eligible, they will certainly be given. I have given strict instructions to the food and civil supplies department that those eligible should not be left out..." he added.
To a question on BJP challenging him to prove his allegation that Rs 50 crore bribe was offered by the party to 50 Congress MLAs to topple the Congress government, Siddaramaiah said, "they (BJP) have tried, but failed."
The CM also expressed confidence about Congress winning bypolls held for three Assembly segments -- Channapatna, Sandur and Shiggaon -- on November 13. Counting of votes will be held on November 23.
Reacting to a question on Minister B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan recently referring to Union Minister and JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy as "Kaalia" and its implication on bypoll held in Channapatna, he said, "He should not have said such things, whatever relationship or affection they might have shared in the past. He (Khan) said certain things to which he (Kumaraswamy) also said things....what both have said is not right."
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Young woman from MP who shot to fame during Kumbh found to be minor, case registered against husband
Khargone (MP) (PTI): The National Commission for Scheduled Tribes on Friday confirmed that a young woman from Madhya Pradesh who became famous due to her viral videos during the 2025 Maha Kumbh has been found to be a minor after an inquiry.
Citing the findings of an inquiry panel set up by the commission, local BJP leaders alleged that her interfaith marriage in Kerala last month was a case of "love Jihad", and sought legal action.
While the panel had submitted its report in March, ST commission chairman Antar Singh Arya confirmed its findings to the PTI on Friday.
A case for alleged kidnapping and offences under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act has already been registered against her husband, a Muslim man, at Maheshwar on the basis of the inquiry findings, police said.
The girl gained national fame after her videos while selling garlands and rudraksha at the Maha Kumbh went viral on social media and also earned her a role in a film.
The National Commission for Scheduled Tribes set up an inquiry panel after receiving a complaint on March 17 from Pratham Dubey, a resident of Uttar Pradesh, that she was a minor and was being exploited.
Maheshwar BJP MLA Rajkumar Mev and BJP mandal president Vikram Patel, armed with documents, told reporters on Friday that her marriage in Kerala was a case of "love Jihad" and she should be brought back home.
'Love jihad' is a term used by right-wing groups to allege a conspiracy by Muslim men to lure Hindu women into marriage to convert them to Islam.
Police said an investigation is underway, and further action would be taken accordingly.
The girl, who belongs to the nomadic Pardhi community, got married at a temple in Kerala in March. The interfaith marriage drew angry reactions from rightwing Hindu groups.
Her family members and film director Sanoj Mishra -- who had offered her a film role after she became famous -- too alleged that it was 'love Jihad'.
As per the inquiry conducted by the ST commission, records at the Maheshwar government hospital showed the woman's date of birth as December 30, 2009 which meant she was 16 years and two months old at the time of marriage, said Dubey, the complainant.
On a complaint filed by her father, police registered a case against the girl's husband at Maheshwar police station on March 25 for alleged kidnapping and under the POCSO Act and the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
Police sources said that a separate case was also registered on March 24 under section 137(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (taking a minor from lawful custody of guardian without their consent) based on the the commission's findings.
