BEAT LONELINESS: BSF TO HAVE GUEST HOUSES FOR NEWLY MARRIED JAWANS

NEW DELHI: With a trooper getting to spend an average of only five years out of 30 with his family during service, the BSF has launched a new concept to set up over 190 jawan guest houses across the country for newly married couples. More than 2,800 rooms will be built or carved out of the existing infrastructure in the eight frontiers of the force along the western and eastern border flanks of the country, a Border Security Force officer said. BSF director general KK Sharma said the Union home ministry has recently accorded sanction to the force’s proposal to set up 15 studio apartment-like facilities at each of its 186 battalion locations and few other stations. A senior BSF officer said the 15-room guest houses will have a common drawing room and basic equipments for the kitchen and daily chores. BENGALURU: Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Sunday criticised Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah’s remark equating opposition parties with animals at a rally in Mumbai two days ago. Gandhi said this showed the Shah’s attitude and the culture he had imbibed from the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

“This election is a fight between two ideologies... you have the RSS and Shah, an ideology that doesn’t respect the average human being,” Gandhi said at a rally in Bengaluru that marked the conclusion of his Janashirvada Yatra in Karnataka ahead of the assembly polls on May 12.

For the second successive day, Gandhi kept the focus on Shah’s remark that when huge floods occur, only a banyan tree survives and snakes, mongooses, dogs, cats and other animals climb to save themselves from the rising waters.

Incidentally, Shah said at a press meet what he meant with his remark in Mumbai was political parties having no ideological similarities were coming together out of fear of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Gandhi, however, kept up the attack.

“The BJP president can publicly state that all opposition are animals. This is a reflection on his way of thinking, on his culture, n and on what he has been taught.”

He said the Karnataka polls were a fight against an ideology that wanted to destroy the culture of Bengaluru.

“It is an idea that does not respect the cosmopolitan culture of this city, the multitude of ideas, the women, the poor, and the multiple languages spoken in this city.” He said the Congress would do everything to protect this way of life.

Earlier in the day, Gandhi met pourakarmikas (safai karam- charis) and industrialists in the city. He also took a ride on Bengaluru metro rail, and visited a bookstore.

Responding to Gandhi’s comments, state BJP spokesperson S Prakash said it was the Congress that was against the cosmopolitan culture of the city.

“Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and the state government have not promoted cosmopolitanism in the city,” he said. “Besides, the Congress has done precious little for the city in terms of infrastruc- BENGALURU: BJP’S chief ministerial candidate for Karnataka, BS Yeddyurappa, will contest from Shikaripur assembly constituency, the party’s central election committee announced on Sunday, as it released the first list of 72 candidates for the highstake contest on May 12. Senior party leader KS Eshwarappa will contest from Shivamogga constituency, where he finished third in 2013.

B Sriramulu, a close aide of Gali Janardhana Reddy, one of the three Reddy brothers known as the mining barons of Ballari, has been given the ticket from Molkalmuru in Chitradurga and not in Ballari.

ture,” he added.

Regarding Gandhi’s comments on Shah’s remark in Mumbai, Prakash said the BJP president had already said what he had to about it. “The fact that he is bringing this up repeatedly shows that he has no issues to target the BJP.”

RSS leaders in Karnataka could not be reached for comment despite repeated attempts.