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Karnataka Today newsletter: Cabinet resolves to advise Governor withdraw showcause notice served on CM, and more

Karnataka Cabinet on August 1 resolved to advise Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot to withdraw the show-cause notice served to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah over the alleged MUDA scam and dismiss the complaint filed against him by RTI activist T.J. Abraham Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, who presided over the meeting, said that Governor had served the notice “in a hurry”.

Mr. Shivakumar said that the Centre was using the Governor to destabilise a democratically elected government in Karnataka. He termed the move by governor as “murder of Constitution and democracy.” Earlier in the day, Chief Minister hosted a breakfast meeting for his ministerial colleagues at Cauvery, his official residence in Bengaluru, ahead of the Cabinet meeting on Thursday.

Heavy rains on July 31 night caused havoc in Venoor and Hosangady on the foothills of the Western Ghats, in Belthangady taluk in Dakshina Kannada. Water from Hosangady and Venoor rivers, which are the tributaries of Phalguni river, entered more than 20 houses in Hosangady, Badakodi and Maroor villages. Many houses and buildings were filled with sludge.

Meanwhile, the stretch of NH 75 at Doddathappale village in Sakleshpur taluk that was blocked on July 31 due to fresh landslips was being cleared overnight. The movement of vehicles is expected to resume on August 1. Heavy earthmovers were engaged to clear the debris, under the supervision of NHAI officials and local administration.

Putting an end to uncertainty over the proposed padayatra, the BJP central leadership has stated that the padayatra from Bengaluru to Mysuru will begin as per schedule on August 3 under the joint leadership of Union Minister and JD(S) State President H. D. Kumaraswamy and BJP State President B. Y. Vijayendra.

Referring to Mr. Kumaraswamy’s reservations against the manner in which the padayatra had been planned, the BJP leadership has maintained that the “communication gap” with the JD(S) leader has been resolved through talks in which BJP National General Secretary Radha Mohan Das Agarwal, Union Minister Pralhad Joshi and State President B.Y. Vijayendra took part.

Rescue teams found the body of Rajendra from Irsavadi, in Chamarajanagar, who was reported missing along with his wife Rathnamma following a devastating landslide in Wayanad in Kerala. The body was found over 100 km away from Chooralmala village in Kerala. The search for his wife continues.