State Nataka Academi awards announced
Bengaluru, Dec 14: The Karnataka State Nataka Academy has announced the lifetime honorary awards, annual theatre awards and various endowment awards for 2018.
Lifetime honorary award: The Academy has selected senior theatre director and activist of Mysuru district, P Gangadhara Swamy for the award.
Annual theatre award: Ugama Srinivas of Bengaluru district (Amateur theatre, theatre organizer, actor and theatre critic), DL Nanjundaswamy of Tumkur (Rural theatre and theatre music), Jakavullha of Hassan district (actor, professional theatre), Prabhakar Joshi of Kalaburgi district (Actor, director, organizer, writer and amateur theatre), Vijayananda Karadigudda of Raichur district (professional theatre actor), Khajesab Jangi of Bagalkot district (professional theatre actor), Basappa Madari of Vijayapura district (professional theatre actor), M Ravi of Bengaluru district (actor, director), Jagadeesh Kenganala of Bengaluru rural district (actor, amateur theatre and organizer), Kiragasur Rajappa of Chamarajanagar district (theatre music, director and rural theatre), T Prabhakar Kalyani of Udupi district (actor, organizer, amateur theatre), S Anjinamma of Bellary district (actress, ancient theatre form), Savithri Narayanappa Goudara of Gadag district (actor, professional theatre), Makammal Hunasikatti of Belagavi district (actor, director, organizer), Hanumanthappa Bagalakoti of Chitradurga (professional theatre).
Dr KY Narayanaswamy of Kolar (theatre activist), Usha Bhandari of Dakshina Kannada (actress, director, amateur theatre), DM Rajakumar of Shivamogga (actor, amateur theatre), Anjinappa of Doddaballapura (Actor, amateur theatre), Hulivana Gangadharaiah of Tumkur (actor, organizer), Mohan Marnadu of Mumbai (actor, organizer), Kenchegowda T of Mandya (actor, rural theatre), Mime Ramesh of Mysuru (actor, organizer, director), Chindodi Chandradhara of Davangere (professional theatre, actor, company owner), Eshwaradala of Tumkur (actor, amateur theatre).
K Hirannaiah Endowment Award
The Academy has selected actor and director of Amateur theatre Nicholas (68) of Hassan district for Cultured Comedian K Hirannaiah Endowment Award.
Chindodi Veerappa Endowment Award
Professional theatre actor Mruthyunjaya Swamy Hiremath (72) of Shivamogga district was selected for Chindodi Veerappa Endowment Award.
Chindodi Leela Endowment Award
Professional theatre director, actor and organizer MS Malawada (62) of Dharwad district was given Padma Shri Chindodi Leela Endowment Award.
K Ramachandraiah Endowment Fund award
Amateur theatre actor NL Nagaraj (75) of Ramanagar district was given K Ramachandraiah Endowment Fund award.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Kejriwal resorting to 'vendetta politics', says BJP after MP Sandeep Pathak booked
New Delhi (PTI): The BJP on Saturday accused Aam Aadmi Party's national convenor Arvind Kejriwal of vendetta politics after Punjab Police booked Rajya Sabha MP Sandeep Pathak, who recently defected to the BJP.
In an X post, BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla claimed that Kejriwal is misusing the Punjab Police to settle political scores, and Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has become a party to it.
"Two FIRs have been filed against Sandeep Pathak, who until recently was in the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) as a Rajya Sabha MP and general secretary (organisation). What is baffling is the shameless, brazen vendetta politics being pursued by Arvind Kejriwal, with Bhagwant Mann complicit in it," Poonawalla said.
ALSO READ: BJP, TMC hail SC directions on counting of votes for West Bengal polls
"It is clear this has been done out of vendetta politics by Kejriwal, who is extremely vengeful and vindictive, and misuses the Punjab Police to pursue such political vendetta," he alleged.
Questioning the timing of the FIRs, Poonawalla said, "If these cases existed from the beginning, why were FIRs not filed earlier? If he was corrupt, why was he kept in the party for so long, especially when he was the general secretary (organisation)? Has any new material surfaced in the last few days, or has the alleged corruption occurred only now?"
He alleged that Kejriwal has an "old habit" of targeting political opponents and dissenters.
"We have seen how he has used the police against rivals, including Congress leaders. This is his old habit," Poonawalla said, referring to the withdrawal of Rajya Sabha MP Harbhajan Singh's security.
Poonawalla claimed that several leaders who had left AAP over the years, including Yogendra Yadav, Mayank Gandhi, Ashish Khetan, Ashutosh and Alka Lamba, were "hounded".
He accused the party of failing to introspect.
"Instead of introspecting on how they have changed -- from Anna to Lalu, from Lokpal to corruption -- they are indulging in vendetta politics, trying to victimise people using the strong arm of the law. This reflects an Emergency-like mindset and a dictatorial, Hitlerian mindset," he said.
According to sources, two FIRs have been lodged against Pathak under non-bailable sections.
No further details about the FIRs have been disclosed yet.
On April 24, the AAP suffered a jolt when seven of its 10 Rajya Sabha MPs quit, alleging that Arvind Kejriwal's party has strayed from its principles, values and core morals.
Of the seven MPs -- who were Pathak, Raghav Chadha, Ashok Mittal, Harbhajan Singh, Rajendra Gupta, Vikramjit Sahney and Swati Maliwal -- six were from Punjab.
Later, Rajya Sabha Chairman C P Radhakrishnan officially accepted their merger with the BJP, reducing AAP's strength in the Upper House to three.
