1. No Understanding With BJP, Says Deve Gowda, Day After PM Modi's Praise
A day after PM Modi's public praise, JD(S) chief HD Deve Gowda sought to play down the remarks, insisting that it was no indication of any "understanding" between the two parties for the Karnataka assembly elections.
"Maybe, by praising me, he (PM Modi) wants to gain sympathy. That is all. That does not mean there is an understanding (between BJP and JDS)," said Gowda, according to news agency PTI.
But the former prime minister seemed to endorse PM Modi's criticism that the Congress party and its boss Rahul Gandhi had insulted him.
(Source: NDTV)
2. Cops Share Aadhaar Details of Scam Victims on Website
Even while the security and privacy of data secured by the UIDAI under its Aadhaar project is being questioned, Karnataka police have shared personal details — including Aadhaar numbers — of victims of the Gruha Kalyan housing scam on an open network.
Personal details such as names, addresses, contact numbers and Aadhaar numbers apart from other details of 1,157 complainants — the victims of the estimated Rs 79 crore scam — have been uploaded on a police website, and were available till as late as 2 May.
Also listed were PAN numbers of complainants alongside the sums they had paid and the money refunded. The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) is probing the scam which came to light in 2016.
(Source: The Times of India)
3. PM to Address First Rally in B'luru Today
The BJP has made elaborate arrangements for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s election rally in the city on Thursday, 3 May, his first in Bengaluru after the BJP began its campaign ahead of the May 12 polls.
The venue for the rally is near Kengeri Satellite Town, off Mysuru Road, where the PM is set to address close to a lakh people and party workers. The event is expected to start at 6 pm. Before coming to Bengaluru, Modi will address campaign rallies in Kalaburagi at 11 am and Bellary at 3 pm.
Meanwhile, the BJP central leadership on Wednesday approached the Election Commission of India and demanded action against Congress leaders for playing the “communal card” to woo Muslim voters in poll-bound Karnataka.
(Source: The Times of India)
4. Probe Into Missing Girl Case Exposes Trafficking Racket
While investigating the case of a missing person — a 16-year-old girl from Munnekolalu, Marathahalli — city police stumbled upon a prostitution racket that was centered in New Delhi and involved a peon at a sub-registrar’s office in Bengaluru.
While the kingpin and an associate eluded a team of Marathahalli police in Delhi, cops nabbed four persons, including the peon. A charge sheet was filed in March and a hunt is on for the others.
Police found that the teenager was allegedly lured by the peon, identified by sleuths as K Shivashankar alias Raju, 30, a resident of Bangarpet, Kolar district in Karnataka, on the pretext of landing her a job in Delhi.
(Source: The Times of India)
5. Bengaluru Citizens Groups Unite to Fight for Lake Governance
Activists from several citizen lake groups in Bengaluru — including Friends of Lakes, Whitefield Rising, Sarakki Lake Guardians and Bellandur Lake Citizens Group — came together on Tuesday, 1 May to form the ‘Federation of Bangalore Lakes’.
They aim to find a solution for better lake governance after the Karnataka government decided to scrap the Karnataka Lake Conservation and Development Authority (KLCDA).
At the moment, the Federation is an informal citizen’s group that plans to raise funds to fight cases.
(Source: The News Minute)
6. Case Against BJP Candidate for Using Children in Election Campaign
A case was booked against Muni Naga Reddy, Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) candidate from Sarvagnanagar Assembly constituency for violating the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) by using children for his campaign.
Muni Naga Reddy was earlier in a row over transporting a massive Hanuman statue inside Bengaluru, that caused huge traffic jams and also led to roads being dug up for the moving of the statue.
The case was booked at Banaswadi Police Station after children were seen flanking the BJP candidate while campaigning in Sarvagnanagar on 28 April. It was booked based on a complaint by Mallinath Malakapura, a BBMP official and officer of the Flying Squad, on Saturday.
(Source: The News Minute)
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