1. After Jarkiholi Drama, Siddaramaiah Claims all is Well in K’taka Government
On a day when fresh doubts emerged on the longevity of the Congress-JD(S) coalition government in Karnataka, former CM Siddaramaiah claimed all is well. He tweeted saying that all the speculation surrounding some Congress MLAs deserting the party for the BJP was “baseless and unfounded”.
“The rumours of MLAs toppling the government are baseless and unfounded. There may be slight differences over development in their constituencies and that does not mean quitting,” Siddaramaiah, who is also the chairman of the co-ordination committee, tweeted.
Source: The News Minute
2. ED Files Case Against Karnataka’s Minister DK Shivakumar
In what is more trouble for Karnataka Water Resources Minister DK Shivakumar, the Enforcement Directorate on Tuesday, 18 September filed a case against him, his business associates and two Karnataka government employees in a money laundering case.
A total of more than Rs 7 crore of unaccounted cash was allegedly recovered by Income Tax sleuths in Delhi from properties owned by the senior Congressman including his Safdarjung Enclave residence.
The case is related to unaccounted cash unearthed by the Income Tax Department during raids in properties owned by Shivakumar and his associates in August 2017.
Source: The Quint
3. Actor Upendra Launches Uttama Prajaakeeya Party
Six months after quitting Karnataka Pragnyavantara Janata Paksha (KPJP), which he appropriated to launch his political career a year ago, actor Upendra on Tuesday officially launched his ‘own’ Uttama Prajaakeeya Party (UPP).
As the acronym of the new political party – UPP – is similar to his nickname ‘Uppi’ and sensing the possibility of it turning out to be more about Upendra himself, the actor in a cinematic fashion let the ‘I’ burn out to say the party belonged to everyone.
Though the launch was a low-profile affair, the occasion coincided with his birthday. The party’s manifesto is based on concept of ART (Accountability, Responsibility, Transparency) of governance.
Source: The Hindu
4. 'Cabinet Expansion After Oct 3 Council Bypoll'
The much-awaited expansion of Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy’s Cabinet will not happen until after the Legislative Council bypolls scheduled on October 3, coalition coordination and monitoring committee chairperson Siddaramaiah said on Tuesday.
“It had been decided to take up Cabinet expansion in the third week of September, but the Council election was announced. So, the Cabinet expansion will happen after the election,” Siddaramaiah told reporters. “We will not discuss Cabinet expansion during our meeting with the Congress high command,” he added.
The bypolls are necessitated due to the resignation of G Parameshwara, K S Eshwarappa and V Somanna, who got elected to the Assembly. Voting is scheduled to be held on October 3, where MLAs are the voters. A candidate has to secure a minimum of 112 votes to emerge victorious.
Source: Deccan Herald
5. MPs to Take up Suburban Rail Project with CM
With plans for the suburban railway network chugging along slowly, MPs across party lines will petition Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy to expedite the formation of the Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) that will implement the ambitious and critical mass rapid project in the city. On Tuesday, eight Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha MPs representing constituencies in and around the city met South Western Railways officials to discuss various demands, including suburban rail.
Railways officials informed the MPs that RITES had been entrusted with the detailed feasibility study, and the preliminary report was expected later in September. The final report would be submitted by November 2018 following which tenders could be floated on the various aspects to augment local train travel.
Source: The Hindu
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