Was sent to Tihar jail for not supporting or going with BJP: D K Shivakumar
Belagavi: Karnataka Congress president D K Shivakumar on Monday claimed he was sent to Tihar jail as he did not support or go with the BJP.
He even called the BJP government in the State the most corrupt in the country.
"I went to Tihar jail because they (BJP) sent me. You (BJP) sent me, as I did not support you, didn't come along with you," Shivakumar said in response to a statement by senior BJP leader and Minister K S Eshwarappa, questioning as to why he went to Tihar jail.
Asked whether he wouldn't have gone to jail had he joined the BJP, he said, "everything is known, there are records..."
Shivakumar was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on September 3, 2019, in a money laundering case, and was lodged in Tihar jail from where he was released on October 23 that year following the Delhi High Court granting him bail.
Further, demanding a fair probe into kickback charges leveled by the State contractors association, Shivakumar called the current BJP government in Karnataka the most corrupt government in this country.
In their letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in July, the Karnataka State Contractors Association claimed harassment by ministers, elected representatives, and others by accusing them of demanding up to 30 percent of the tender amount for approving a contract, and 5-6 percent towards the release of 'Letter of Credit' against pending bills.
Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has ordered an inquiry by officials into the charges of corruption while Congress is demanding a judicial probe by a sitting Supreme Court Judge.
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Thousands protest in Washington DC against Trump ahead of inauguration
Washington: Thousands of people have gathered in Washington to protest against Donald Trump's policies ahead of his inauguration as the 47th President of the United States on January 20.
Trump, 78, succeeds Joe Biden, 82, on Tuesday as the new occupant of the White House. A coalition of nonprofit bodies, including Sakhi for South Asian Survivors, under the banner of People’s March, held the demonstration here to protest against the policies of Trump.
The People's March - previously known as the Women's March - has taken place every year since 2017.
Displaying anti-Trump posters and banner, the protestors raised slogans against the next President and also against some of his close supporters including Tesla owner Elon Musk.
The same group had also held a similar protest on January 2017, when Trump was inaugurated for the first time.
There were a series of three protests which started from three different parks and culminated near the Lincoln Memorial.
“Mass protest is one of the most effective ways to demonstrate to our communities that we are not obeying in advance or bowing to fascism, and invites them to do the same,” People’s March said.
The rallies coincide with Trump's arrival to the nation's capital for a series of weekend events in the lead-up to his swearing-in ceremony on Monday.
Amongst the coalition members are Abortion Action Now, Time to Act, SisterSong, Women’s March, Popular Democracy In Action, Harriet’s Wildest Dreams, The Feminist Front, NOW, Planned Parenthood, National Women’s Law Centre Action Fund, Sierra Club, and the Frontline.
Women’s March is anchoring the logistics of the mobilisation. Similar marches, though at a smaller scale, were also held in various other cities including New York, Seattle and Chicago.
“We really wanted to come to support women, equality, immigration, everything that really feels like we don't have much of a say in right now," Brittany Martinez, one of the protesters, told USA TODAY.
Law enforcement officials said protests and major events are being planned throughout the weekend ahead of the inauguration on Monday. The protestors condemned Trump’s policies and values. Many of them chanted, "Trans Lives Matter!", “Stand up, fight back!”, “Trust Black women!” and “We cannot be silent.”
