Bengaluru, Dec 21: Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D. K. Shivakumar said on Saturday that conscience itself will deliver justice in the derogatory remark case against BJP MLC C. T. Ravi.

The Deputy Chief Minister’s remark came close on the heels of the release of Ravi, who was arrested over alleged derogatory remark against Minister Laxmi Hebbalkar.

On Ravi’s allegations that police harassed him throughout the night, Shivakumar told reporters: “In this matter, you and the police are involved. Whether it’s at his house or his party, I am the cause of everything.”

“Let the BJP accept that disrespecting women and using abusive language is their culture. We will not object,” said Shivakumar.

“C.T. Ravi has not only spoken disrespectfully about Minister Lakshmi Hebbalkar but also about CM Siddaramaiah. In the Assembly, he used the term ‘Nitya Sumangali’ (a Kannada term used to demean a woman). BJP leaders must introspect whether Ravi’s remark was right or wrong,” he claimed.

“Chikkamagaluru (native place of Ravi) is known for its cultured people. Unfortunately, someone like him hails from there,” he added.

“If any leader from our party had spoken like this, I would have condemned it. However, BJP leaders are standing in defence of their leader,” he claimed.

State Home Minister G. Parameshwara said, “The matter is before the court. I won’t issue any statements as the matter is sub-judice. It is not appropriate to discuss the issue.”

“The police claim that they have initiated steps lawfully. The matter is before the court and they will decide what is right and what is wrong. I have been told that while obtaining information on various circumstances, the judgment has come without asking the version of police. Now, we can’t comment or criticise the decision,” Parameshwara stated.

When asked about the Legislative Council Chairperson Basavaraj Horatti stating that there are no records of Ravi making derogatory remark, Minister Parameshwara said that he does not know anything.

Hyderabad, Dec 21: Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) Working President K. T. Rama Rao on Saturday told the Telangana State Assembly that all BRS MLAs will resign if the Congress government proves that it is supplying 24-hour electricity to farmers or that it has waived loans of all farmers.

He alleged that the Congress government is making false claims that it is giving round-the-clock uninterrupted power.

Throwing the challenge during the debate on Rythu Bharosa, the BRS leader told Minister for Roads and Buildings Komatireddy Venkat Reddy that he was ready to come with him to Nalgonda district. “If you can show us even in one log book that 24-hour power is being supplied, all we MLAs will resign,” he said.

Similarly, KTR, as Rama Rao is popularly called, also offered to accompany the minister to any village in Kodangal or Sircilla constituency to check on farm loan waivers. “If you can show that loans of 100 per cent farmers were waived even one village, I will resign as MLA and take retirement from politics,” he said.

The BRS leader slammed the Congress government for not properly implementing the Rythu Bandhu scheme launched by the previous BRS government.

KTR said Congress promised enhanced investment support to farmers under Rythu Bharosa but failed to provide the assistance even under the existing scheme.

He claimed that the BRS started Rythu Bandhu to increase the area under cultivation. Citing the statement made by the government, he said the area under cultivation in the state increased from 1.41 crore acres in 2019-20 to 2.04 crore acres in 2020-21.

KTR mentioned that when the BRS came to power in 2014, Telangana had the second-highest number of farmer suicides in the country. He claimed that due to the measures taken by the BRS during the last 10 years, the farmer suicides came down from 11.1 per cent to 1.5 per cent.

The BRS leader alleged that the government was planning to impose cuts under the Rythu Bharosa scheme.

He demanded that the Assembly session be extended by 10 days for a comprehensive debate on electricity, irrigation, and Mission Bhagiratha.

The debate saw a sharp exchange of words and challenges and counter-challenges between BRS and Congress MLAs.

Minister Venkat Reddy threw a challenge at the BRS, saying if it could prove that every household was supplied drinking water under Mission Bhagiratha during its rule, he would not seek votes in the next elections.

He alleged that there was Rs 50,000 crore corruption under Mission Bhagiratha. To this, BRS MLA and former minister Harish Rao mentioned that the total cost of the scheme was only Rs 28,000 crore.

Earlier, Minister for Agriculture Tummala Nageswara Rao said the government has not yet formulated the guidelines. He said the guidelines will be framed after taking suggestions from the legislators.

New Delhi, Dec 21: In a significant political development, former MLA and long-time Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) member Sukhbir Dalal joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday.

The move was announced in the presence of Union Minister Harsh Malhotra, BJP state president Virendra Sachdeva, and other senior leaders at a press conference at the Delhi BJP headquarters.

Joining Dalal was Balbir Singh, an executive member of the Delhi Gurdwara Management Committee from Vivek Vihar.

Dalal, who represented Mundka as an AAP MLA, clarified that his decision to switch allegiance was not due to being denied a ticket but stemmed from his confidence in the BJP’s policies.

“Ever since Arvind Kejriwal’s ‘Sheesh Mahal’ was built, corruption within AAP crossed all limits,” Dalal remarked.

He accused the AAP government of prioritising corruption over development and ignoring the needs of rural areas in Delhi.

Dalal also credited the BJP for supporting his efforts to execute developmental projects in rural Delhi.

Expressing his gratitude after joining the party, he pledged his commitment to contributing to the nation’s progress under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership.

This follows a series of switches by the AAP leaders to the BJP ahead of the Assembly elections.

Recently, Delhi Ministers Kailash Gahlot and Harsharan Singh Balli joined the BJP. Along with this, many others also switched to the BJP ahead of polls.

Balbir Singh, too, cited his admiration for PM Modi’s policies as a motivating factor. “The Prime Minister has worked extensively for the Sikh community, which inspired me to join the BJP,” he said.

Singh highlighted his electoral success as a member of the Delhi Gurdwara Management Committee and noted that his appeal transcended religious boundaries.

He further praised the BJP and the Delhi Lieutenant Governor for their recent contributions to the Sikh community. Singh contrasted this with the lack of action by other parties, stating, “Everyone talks about 1984, but they never provided jobs or opportunities. The BJP has offered both support and work.”

With the Delhi Assembly elections scheduled for February 2025, the AAP faces increasing challenges as it aims for a third consecutive term. In the 2020 elections, the party won an overwhelming majority, securing 62 out of 70 seats.

This political realignment adds to the mounting pressures on AAP as it prepares to defend its stronghold in the upcoming elections.