Karnataka Assembly

Karnataka Assembly Session Begins With A Pro-tem Speaker

Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot on Monday administered the oath of office to senior Congress leader RV Deshpande as pro-tem Speaker for the Legislative Assembly session.

Two days after senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah took oath as the new Chief Minister of Karnataka, the first Legislative Assembly session in the southern state began today. It will be held for three days till May 24.

All the 224 newly elected MLAs will be administered oaths during the three-day session, which will also witness the election of the new speaker.

Meanwhile, Congress workers were seen sprinkling cow urine and performing Pooja at the State Assembly in Bengaluru.

The workers said that they are “purifying” Vidhana Soudha.

Earlier, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar met with his predecessor Basavaraj Bommai at the State Assembly in Bengaluru.

He also met with BJP leader and former Union Minister SM Krishna. Shivakumar’s daughter married SM Krishna’s grandson in 2021.

Shivakumar was sworn in as the sole Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka and will continue as the Karnataka Pradesh Congress president till the end of parliamentary elections.

Congress leader Siddaramaiah was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Karnataka for the second time on Saturday after the party’s thumping victory in the Assembly elections.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s son Priyank Kharge, party’s MLAs G Parameshwara and MB Patil were among eight MLAs who took oath on Saturday. The other MLAs who took oath included KH Muniyappa, KJ George, Satish Jarkiholi, Ramalinga Reddy and BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan. Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot administered the oath of office and secrecy to the MLAs at the swearing-in ceremony held at the jam-packed Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru on Saturday.

Congress bagged 135 seats in the May 10 elections to the 224-member Karnataka Assembly ousting the ruling BJP, which got 66 seats while the Janata Dal (Secular) secured 19 seats in the results declared on May 13. (ANI)

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‘BJP’s Plans To Communalise Karnataka Politics Failed Miserably, Repeatedly’

Prof Muzaffar Assadi, who teaches Political Science and is Dean, Faculty of Arts in University of Mysore, analyses the forthcoming electoral battle in Karnataka. His views:

I concur that the coastal region in Karnataka is considered a testing ground for Hindutva politics. It is also true that the forces of Hindutva have made every effort to incite communalism in many regions of Karnataka, especially in the region that serves as the cradle of the Vokkaligas— Old Mysore. But they were unable to do so.

They used trajectories like azaan, halal and darghah, as well as fabricated two fictional characters like Uri Gowda and Nanjegowda, who, allegedly, killed Tipu Sultan, the Tiger of Mysore, in the final battle of Mysore. They also tried to boycott Muslim businesses, trade, etc., but they failed terribly. This failure has historical as well as modern causes, including the fact that Old Mysore never served as a hub for communalism, and it has no memory of the Partition or any of the ensuing relocation, violence, rape, etc. It has not also seen any conversions that were forced.

It’s interesting that Hindutva had to rely on a single Muslim ruler, Tipu, to construct a narrative about communalism. The most crucial factor is that there has been no Muslim backlash in Old Mysore. The entry of the Vokkaliga Pontiff, who, figuratively, prevented the Hindutva forces from spreading their tentacles, is another significant factor behind their inability to convert the ‘Heartland of Vokkaligas’. Hindutva in Old Mysore exploited powerful caste figures, especially to promote its narrative. This test has been unsuccessful once again.

However, the coastal belt is distinct. In the middle of growth and economic development, it is a region with a reputation for communalism. In the end, the adoption of the capitalist path of development after the 1970s, particularly after the implementation of land reforms, skyrocketing oil prices, opening up of the middle-eastern economy, the linking of local economy with the Bombay metropolis economy, etc., paved the way for competitive communalism long before the Ayodhya movement could establish itself in the coastal belt. It is paradoxical that the rise of communism and capitalism coexisted without annihilating one another.

Hindutva’s use of hate-based tactics is a continuation of its prior aim to control the local economic and socio-cultural spaces. Hate politics has been successful, but it has not been able to take over the local economy.

Minorities are still essential to its survival. Because of this, minority institutions like hospitals, universities, engineering colleges and public convent schools, are not the targets; instead, the narrative is constructed using a soft target! Its victims include women (hijab), butchers (halal), fishermen and small business-owners.

It is hardly unexpected that the coastal belt continues to be the base for Hindutva and the BJP, and its political affiliates, notwithstanding the anti-incumbency factor. Hindutva has strengthened its base through a set of caste-coalitions. The 3Bs — Bunts, Billavas and Brahmins — may be used to describe the coalition. Here lies the hierarchy — Brahmins as ideologues, Bunts as auxiliaries and Billavas as its foot-soldiers.

ALSO READ: BJP Fight For Karnataka May Go Down To The Wire

Despite the fact that the BJP has used a variety of tactics to stop the erosion of its support base, this time it will not be a cakewalk for the party. That the BJP has never achieved an absolute majority to form a government of its own is also true. ‘Operation Kamala’ was previously used, for the first time, to make Congress and JD(s) members defect, in order to form the government.

It is attempting to implement the ‘Gujarat Model’ by removing 82 incumbent MLAs, which, has given rise to discontent and defections. The BJP has tried to marginalize leading members of the dominant castes of Lingayats and Vokkaligas and has ended up in creating a ‘hurt psyche’. This will have an effect on the BJP’s social base, known as LIBRA — Lingayats and Brahmins — in North Karnataka. Not all Lingayats will switch their allegiance to the Congress, but, even a 10 per cent shift can significantly reduce the BJP’s chances of capturing power.

The anti-incumbency factor, the ‘Pay-CM’ narrative, the 40 per cent kickback narrative, the ‘Nandini/Amul’ controversy, the mistreatment of Lingayat leaders, including the marginalisation of the dominant castes, and its policy of stifling reservation to minorities, among other things, would undoubtedly help the Congress. There is a widespread belief that the Congress would benefit from Siddaramaiah’s clean image as the leader of the opposition who has minced no words to oppose Hindutva, along with the populist agenda he has initiated for the urban and rural poor.

Will Congress be able to form a government on its own? It hinges on its ability to survive ideological assaults, its demonstration of social commitment, its narrative about the victimisation of its leaders, its portrayal of leadership unity, and, eventually, its ability to forge an inclusive social coalition.

A few expectations have been articulated. One, a stable government at the helm for five years without any defection or falling prey to Operation Kamala; two, clean and good governance — addressing the issues of common man without nepotism, red-tapism, casteism; three, continuing the same populist programmes such as Anna Bhagya, Ksheera Bhagya etc; four, upholding the Kannada and regional identity vis-à-vis the Hindutva identity and cultural nationalism; and, lastly, bringing back the notion of a ‘cohesive society’ in the midst of growing communalism.

The narrator is writer of an upcoming book Colonial and Post-Colonial Identity Politics in South Asia: Zaat/Caste Among Muslims (Routledge).

As told to Amit Sengupta

BJP’s Fight to Win Karnataka Could Go Down to The Wire

BJP’s fight to win Karnataka could go down to the wire

The Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) surge in Indian states is impressive. Of the 28 states, the BJP and its political allies, rule in 12 of India’s 28 states and two union territories. Besides, a BJP-dominated alliance has been in power at the Centre since 2014 with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the helm of it for the past nine years. The BJP’s sway across India’s states has been a strong trend. It has largely decimated its main rival, the Congress Party, and in many states, it has defeated prominent regional parties. 

However, the BJP’s clout has historically been the strongest in the northern states and the party has often been identified as being most influential in a vast swathe of India that is commonly called the “Hindi belt”. In recent years, particularly after coming to power at the Centre, the BJP has grown in popularity in other regions. In the north-eastern part of India, for example, in Assam, Manipur, Tripura, and Arunachal Pradesh, it is a BJP government that is in power; and in Nagaland and Meghalaya, the BJP is part of the ruling alliance.

It is a somewhat different story in southern India, though. In Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala, the BJP has been largely unsuccessful in its bid to wrest power from its rival parties, including strong regional contenders. Partly this is because of the north-south divide that exists in India across attributes such as the economy, culture, and language differences. 

Except for Karnataka. In that state, the BJP brand of Hindutva has found significant favour. In fact, the incumbent government is a BJP-led one, albeit because of the support it gets from the Janata Dal (Secular), a regional party run by the family of the former prime minister H.D. Devegowda. In the 2018 elections, the BJP won 104 of the 224 seats in the state’s assembly and first sat in the Opposition but later got the JD(S)’s support to form the government.

So even in Karnataka, it hasn’t been a smooth run for the BJP. Trends and ground reports indicate that it won’t be so in the coming elections as well. In some parts of Karnataka, notably in the Mysore district and in the coastal areas of the state, Modi and his party enjoy popularity. Still, the fight in Karnataka will be a three-cornered one: between the BJP, the Congress, and the JD(S). The voting pattern in the state is also likely to be determined on the basis of the two main caste groups: the Vokkaligas and the Lingayats. Interestingly, the majority of the candidates that the BJP has announced are from either of those two communities. BJP is hoping to chip into the JD(S) and the Congress’s voting blocks by wooing the two communities. 

As the three parties up the ante in their campaigning, the BJP and the JD(S) have an edge over the Congress, which has been in a continuing state of disarray at the national level and has been declining in popularity continuously as the results of recent elections have shown.

Yet, it is not easy to predict how the BJP will fare in the coming elections. If it does not manage to get a clear majority, it will likely have to lean on the support of other parties, notably the JD(S) again. For the BJP, Karnataka is an important state. If it manages a decisive victory it could be the beginning of a larger foray into the southern part of India, a region that it has not been able to make a dent in till now.

AAP becomes a “national party”

The rise of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has been meteoric and impressive. It was formed in the winter of 2012, just10 years ago, emerging from a wave of anti-corruption protests helmed by the activist, Anna Hazare, who was later joined by other activists, including Arvind Kejriwal, who later founded AAP. His party first won the elections to the Delhi assembly, and more recently the elections in Punjab. Last week, in a significant step, the election commission declared that AAP was now recognised as a national party in India. 

According to the law, a registered political party is recognised as being a national party if it fulfills any of three conditions: the party is able to win 2% of the seats in Lok Sabha; it polls at least 6% of the votes in a general election or an election to the legislative assembly of a state; or it gets recognised as a state party in at least four states. 

With AAP’s recognition as a national party, India now has six national parties: the BJP, Congress, Bahujan Samaj Party, Communist Party of India (Marxist), the National People’s Party, and AAP. Significantly, the election commission withdrew the national status of three parties, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Trinamool Congress, and the Communist Party of India (CPI) because they no longer met the criteria.

What does the national status mean for AAP? It gives the party and its supporters a significant morale boost. For AAP and its leaders, who have ambitions of contesting elections in several other states in India, it gives considerable heft, if not materially, at least in terms of sentiment.

Pentagon leaks and what they mean

A large number of classified secret documents were discovered to be leaked from the Pentagon, the headquarters of the US Department of Defense last week. While a relatively junior, 21-year-old airman was held in connection with the leaks, the significance of the leak and their ramifications are of importance. 

The leaks related to various issues but chiefly were in connection with Russia’s war against Ukraine. Here are some of them: First, as recently as in February, the US government seemed to be pessimistic about Kyiv’s capabilities in defending Ukraine against Russian attacks. The documents said the US’ assessment was that Ukraine was not equipped to counter any fresh offensives by Russia this Spring. They said Ukraine’s air defence systems and availability of missiles against Russian attacks could fall short of what was needed. 

Second, the leaks suggested that the US had very deep insights into Russia’s military operations in the region. These related to Russia’s targets in Ukraine and also plans to offer bonuses to troops if they attacked and destroyed Nato tanks. They also detailed plans of Russian mercenary groups who could target their operations in other regions such as Haiti.

Third, the documents revealed details of 97 special force operatives from various countries including the UK, which were active in Ukraine. These special forces could be part of a concerted Nato counter-initiative in the region.

Fourth, the documents detail conversations between the United Nations secretary general Antonio Guterres and his deputy about a deal with Ukraine to export grains to ease a food crisis globally. The documents appeared to suggest that the UN chief might have seemed sympathetic to Russian interests and undermined efforts against Russia.

Other documents pointed to US efforts to get South Korea to supply weapons to Ukraine.South Korea has a policy of not providing weapons to warring nations.

Besides potentially souring relations between the US and Ukraine, the documents embarrassingly point to America’s scepticism about the UN secretary-general. They also reveal to Russia the extent of spying that the US is capable of and could lead to Russia adopting counter moves to prevent such information from leaking in the future. The leaks also show that the US could be spying on its allies such as South Korea. For the US, this is a setback to the trust and goodwill that its allies shared with the country

Ukraine woos India diplomatically

War-torn Ukraine has reached out to India seeking more support from the latter during the ongoing Russian offensive against the country. In an interview to an Indian broadcaster last week, Ukraine’s deputy foreign minister Emine Dzhaparova said her country wanted India to invite officials from Ukraine to G20 events and to have increased dialogue with the Ukraine government.

India is currently holding the presidency (it is a rotating assignment) of G20 and will hold a summit of the group in September. The G20 is a forum that plays an important role in shaping and strengthening global architecture and governance on all major international economic issues. India has not been a very vocal critic of Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. In fact, it has increased its imports of oil from Russia taking advantage of lower prices following sanctions of the Western bloc against Russia.

Ukraine’s move might be construed as a smart tactic to softly pressure India into playing a more active role in its support than has been the case thus far. The Ukraine move comes after the much-talked-about meeting between Chinese president Xi Jinping and Russia’s president Vladimir Putin recently, which has been interpreted as a further bonding between the two nations. India’s relations with China are fraught and while India has been maintaining a fine balance of not aligning itself with either Russia or the West, the time may have come to reassess its stance.

Premier arts institute hit by allegations of sexual harassment

Kalakshetra Foundation is a prestigious Chennai-headquartered arts and cultural academy dedicated to the preservation of traditional values in Indian art and crafts, especially in the field of Bharatanatyam dance and Gandharvaveda music. Last week the world-renowned haven of culture was in the news for the wrong reasons. For weeks, students have been posting online allegations of sexual harassment against staff members of the institute, which has been forced to sack three of its employees. The professor against whom the allegations have been made, Hari Padman, has been arrested by the police.

While investigations into the allegations are still on, the story began late last year when the first complaints started surfacing. Initially, the institute denied the charges and described them as false but with protests brewing over, the charges are now being investigated and action has been initiated. This hits the reputation and image of Kalakshetra hard.

Milind Deora Eknath Shinde

Won’t Tolerate Injustice Against Marathi: Shinde On Border Row

Amid the latest flashpoint over the border dispute with Karnataka, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Wednesday told the state’s Legislative Council that not an inch of the land from the disputed 865 villages will be ceded to the neighbouring state and his government will pursue all legal avenues to prevent injustice against the Marathi speaking people.

The CM’s statement comes a day after Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, on Tuesday, proclaimed that his state won’t give an inch of the disputed territory to Maharashtra.
Addressing the Legislative Council on Wednesday, Shinde said, “Karnataka should not challenge us as we will not give up an inch of the land in the 865 (disputed) villages, including Belgavi, Nipani, Karwar, Bidar and Bhalki. We will pursue whatever legal recourse that is available to us. We will seek the intervention of the Supreme Court and the central government and do everything in our power to prevent injustice to our Marathi-speaking people.”

Earlier, on Tuesday, the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly unanimously passed a resolution on the dispute with Karnataka over border areas saying the state will legally pursue the inclusion of 865 Marathi-speaking villages that are in Karnataka.

In an apparent reaction to the move, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said “not an inch of land will be ceded to Maharashtra” and that the state is confident of getting justice, as the states were carved out on the basis of the States Reorganisation Act 1956.

Amid the row, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray demanded that the ‘disputed areas’ should be declared a Union Territory.

Chief minister Eknath Shinde on Tuesday tabled the resolution in the Assembly on the border row.

The resolution, which was passed unanimously, says Maharashtra will fight the pending case in the Supreme Court with full strength for the inclusion of each and every inch of the 865 villages that it lays claim to. They include Belgavi, Karwar, Nipani, and Bidar Bhalki in Maharashtra. The resolution also condemned the Karnataka administration for ‘its anti-Marathi stand’ in the border areas.

The resolution further said the Maharashtra government will stand with the Marathi-speaking people in border areas and will go for a legal fight in the Supreme Court to ensure that these areas become a part of the state.

The central government should urge the Karnataka government to implement the decision taken in the meeting with the Union Home Minister and the government should be given an understanding that would guarantee the safety of the Marathi people in the border areas, the resolution said.

The Maharashtra assembly resolution came days after Karnataka Assembly passed a unanimous resolution last week over the Karnataka-Maharashtra border issue and condemned statements made by some Maha ministers on the issue. The resolution said that legal action will be taken against any minister if they continue to make statements over the issue.

Uddhav Thackeray, who spoke to the reporters on Tuesday in Nagpur, demanded that the ‘disputed areas’ be declared a Union Territory.

He said the party supported the resolution in the Maharashtra Assembly. “Whatever happens in favor of Maharashtra, we will support it. But there are some questions. For over two years, people (living in border areas) have been demanding that their areas be included in Maharashtra. What are we doing about that?” Thakeray asked.

“Today government replied that the disputed area cannot be declared as a Union Territory as said by Supreme Court in 2008. However, the situation is not the same now. The Karnataka government is not following it. They are doing an Assembly session there and has renamed Belagavi. So we should go to Supreme Court and urge it to declare it as UT,” he said. (ANI)

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K’taka Govt Decides To Withdraw 35 Criminal Cases

The Karnataka Cabinet has decided to withdraw 35 criminal cases registered in various police stations of the state. The Cabinet’s decision came in accordance with the recommendation of a sub-committee.

In the meeting that was held on Monday night, the Cabinet gave its nod over several matters including the appointment of civic workers as government employees.
The meeting at the Vidhan Soudha concluded with the nod to approve the appointment of civic workers who were performing duties on an outsourcing basis as government employees.

With this, the government will appoint 11,133 civil servants serving in the Municipal Corporations and other local bodies of the state as government employees under the special recruitment rules.

3,673 employees of Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), 5,533 in municipal councils and 1,927 civil servants in municipal corporations are working on contract basis. Now recruitment will be done as government employees and the civil servants will be working under the pay scale of Rs 17,000-28,980, the meeting concluded.

The meeting of the Cabinet in Karnataka also announced the merger of Pre University (PU) and SSLC exam boards.

The amalgamation was agreed in view of the financial loss and the need for additional staff in these educational bodies.

The Cabinet also took a call on the ‘mutual transfer of teachers’. Such transfers are allowed when both teachers of the same subject agree.

The Cabinet announced that a bill regarding the transfer of teachers will be presented in the House today.

Meanwhile, the Basavaraj Bommai-led government has ordered to provide 75 units of free electricity to the Below the Poverty Line (BPL) cardholders of SC and ST community.

The Chief Minister’s Education Fund Scheme will be extended to the children of fishermen and farmers.

The state Cabinet further agreed to table the Bengaluru Metropolitan Land Transport Authority Bill in the House. (ANI)