Here are the big stories from Karnataka today

Karnataka Today newsletter: B.S. Yediyurappa dares CM Siddaramaiah to dissolve Assembly, and more

Claiming that the ruling Congress, which came to power with a thumping majority in Karnataka in May 2023, has lost popularity within a short span of a year, veteran BJP leader B. S. Yediyurappa challenged Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to dissolve the Assembly and seek a fresh mandate. 

“The Congress has no moral right to continue in power, as it has lost its popularity since it indulged in corruption by ignoring its duty of protecting the interests of Karnataka,” he alleged. Though the Congress has 136 members in the State Assembly, the BJP had managed to get a lead in 142 Assembly segments during the recent Lok Sabha polls. 

Alert officials of the Central prison at Parappana Agrahara in Bengaluru caught a 25-year-old undertrial who was allegedly trying to smuggle two mobile phones concealed in his rectum on July 2. The incident has not only exposed the use of mobile phones in the high security Parappana Agrahara prison, but also lapses on the part of the police escort.

The use of mobile phones continues unabated despite the central prison having state-of-the-art jammers. The accused, Raghuveer, was taken to a court for a hearing. Upon return, during routine formalities, Raghuveer complained of stomach ache. When the inspection team checked him with a hand-held metal detector, it beeped when brought near the body cavity.

The officers of Holenarasipur taluk in Hassan district of Karnataka rescued a family of four from Odisha that was forced to work as bonded labourers in a brick-making unit on July 2. The family, hailing from Balangir district in Odisha, had shifted to Jodi Gubbi after being offered jobs and an advance of ₹17,000 by Sathish, who runs a brick-making unit in the village.

According to Mukhardach Putel, Sathish promised a payment of ₹800 for making 1,000 bricks a day. While Sathish provided shelter to the family and supplied ingredients to cook, they have not been paid for the last three years. Besides, the members were not allowed to move freely and were never allowed to visit their native place.

The alternative road connecting the eastern parts of Bengaluru to Kempegowda International Airport (KIA), known as the Airport Link Road, is a motorist’s nightmare. Local residents complain that Hennur junction, Kothanur, Narayanapura, Mittaganahalli junction, and Bagalur junction are riddled with potholes, making the road barely motorable.