'Transfer business' going on in a big way under Cong govt, alleges HD Kumaraswamy
Ramanagara (K'taka), June 28: JD(S) leader and former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy on Wednesday alleged that "transfer business" is going on in a "big way", under the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government in Karnataka.
Pointing at ministers and the chief minister's repeated statements regarding conducting inquiry into alleged irregularities of the previous BJP regime, he said, to cover up their failures, new statements are being issued every day.
"Have you ever seen a Chief Minister's office issuing five orders for one post? After issuing a transfer order the Chief Minister's office would have records with orders numbered. Who has created an atmosphere, where orders are being issued for appointing five people to one post is clear....transfer business is going on in a big way," Kumaraswamy said.
Speaking to reporters here, he said, on one side open statements are being made from stage during events and in front of the media, stating that they will not take bribes, but the business of transfer is rampant every day.
"Also, the government is treating officials in a bad way in every department, compared to the previous BJP government. On getting power one should not lose control over his mind and should learn to work with respect. It is better if those in power learn how to behave in public," he added.
Responding to a question, the former CM said, "there should be no doubts about commission business continuing in this government too, and to fix the rate, all works have been stopped".
"It is laughable that a Minister says that inquiry will be conducted on developmental works taken up during the last four years. How and from where will they do it? " he said.
Noting that every day in newspapers one can find that all ministers, including the chief minister, are issuing statements regarding conducting inquiry into alleged irregularities of the previous regime, Kumaraswamy said, it looks like this government along with five 'guarantees' has also decided to give another scheme called "Thanika Jyothi" (Inquiry Jyothi) on previous government.
"Inquiry into any of the irregularities or scams will not be taken to a logical end, nothing will happen from it," he said, adding that to cover up their failures new statements are being made every day by CM and ministers. "They are creating an illusion of providing a clean administration by doing all this."
Alleging that Congress and BJP are two faces of the same coin, Kumaraswamy called both the national parties like 'British East India Company' in a free India and in a democracy, as they too are looting the country's resources, the way the company did in the past.
Hitting out at Siddaramaiah government for pointing fingers at the Centre for everything including on the rising vegetable price raise, in response to a question, he said, "then why are they (Congress in government) here? During the election they gave full page publicity in newspapers with Siddaramaiah on one side and D K Shivakumar (state Congress chief and Deputy CM) on other side, promising to bring down prices."
"What will the state government do to bring down the prices of vegetables like tomatoes?" he asked, pointing out that the Centre has already said that they will bring down the prices of pulses by letting imported lots into the market.
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Humanity trumps terror: Kashmiri guide saves lives of children of Chhattisgarh tourists
Raipur, Apr 24 (PTI): Risking his own life, a Kashmiri tourist guide saved the lives of children from a group of tourists from Chhattisgarh when terrorists struck in Pahalgam on Tuesday.
Nazakat Ahmad Shah (28) was acting as a guide to a group of 11, four couples and three children, from Manendragarh-Chirmiri-Bharatpur district in Chhattisgarh during their Kashmir trip.
Shah's own cousin was killed in the attack that claimed the lives of 26 persons, he told PTI over phone on Thursday.
Arvind Agrawal, one of the tourists, posted pictures of him and his daughter with Shah on his social media handle and wrote, "You saved our lives by risking your own, we will never be able to repay the debt of Nazakat Bhai." As per his Facebook profile, Agrawal is a member of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha- a youth wing of the BJP.
Besides the Agrawals, families of Kuldeep Sthapak, Shivansh Jain and Happy Wadhavan were part of the group.
Shah sells shawls in Chirmiri town of Chhattisgarh in winter, and therefore knew these families.
"They reached Jammu on April 17 and I received them and took them to Kashmir in two vehicles. I took them to Srinagar, Gulmarg, Sonmarg and in the last leg we decided to visit Pahalgam," he said.
"Pahalgam was to be the last venue as my village is close by, and I wanted to host them, because Kashmiris have a passion for hospitality," Shah said.
"We reached Baisran around 12:00 noon. My tourists were busy with pony rides and clicking pictures. Around 2 pm I told Lucky (Kuldeep) that we are getting late, so we should go. He replied we will go after clicking some more pictures. While we were talking, we heard gunshots and initially we thought it was the sound of firecrackers.
"Suddenly, we realized it was gunshots. There were thousands of tourists who were running here and there in panic," he said.
"My first concern was the safety of the tourist families. I took Lucky's kid and another child and laid down on the ground. The area was fenced so it was not easy to escape. I noticed a small opening and asked the families to move out through that opening. They asked me to save the children first. I slipped through it with the two kids, and ran towards Pahalgam town," he said.
After depositing the children in a safe place, he returned to the spot and escorted out the others safely. "Thanks to Allah, I took all our 11 guests safely to Pahalgam," Shah said.
Adil Hussain, the son of his maternal uncle, was killed in the terror attack but he could not attend his final rites as he decided to escort the tourists back, he said.
"I knew them (Kuldeep and others) for several years as earlier I used to accompany my father to Chirmiri to sell shawls. I wanted my guests saved even if I did not survive," said Shah, who has two daughters.
Like Agrawal, Sthapak also shared his and his family's pictures with Shah on social media, and hailed him profusely for saving their lives.
"A letter written from the heart to Nazakat Bhai...My brother, the passion and bravery with which you rescued us from there is still echoing in my ears. There was chaos, gunshots, screams and the shadow of death all around. No ordinary person can do that. The humanity you showed by putting your life at stake is beyond words. I will be grateful to you all my life. I can never forget this favor," he wrote in Hindi on his Facebook page.
Sthapak also said he was concerned about Shah's own safety. "People will debate about religion and caste, but who will take care of Nazakat Bhai, who presented the most beautiful example of humanity? The heart becomes restless thinking about this," he said.
Shah picked up his child, sat him on his shoulders and ran 14 km on dangerous hills, Sthapak said.
"Nazakat bhai, you not only saved my life that day, you kept humanity alive. I will never forget you for the rest of my life," he added.
Sthapak's wife is a BJP corporator in Chirmiri town.
नजाकत खान जैसे लोग इंसानियत की मिशाल हैं।
— Dr Monika Singh (@Dr_MonikaSingh_) April 24, 2025
पहलगाम आतंकी हमले में 28 लोगों की मौत हो गई. वहीं इस बीच हमले के दौरान अपनी बहादुरी से 11 लोगों की जान बचाने वाले नज़ाकत अहमद शाह ने आंखों देखी पूरी घटना बयां की है और साथ ही उन्होंने बताया कि कैसे उन्होंने लोगों की जान बचाई... pic.twitter.com/QXxyAmlfPG
