Saudi based Kannadigas offer to bear charges of first Chartered flight from Dammam to Mangaluru
SAQCO Company’s Althaf Ullal, Basheer Sagar propose to government
Dammam: Amidst the Corona Lockdown across countries and suspension of flight connectivity between countries, Indians stranded in abroad have faced a lot of hardships and plights over the last couple of months. Social media is abuzz with stories of thousands of stranded Indians waiting for their repatriation.
Several social media campaigns have also been run over the last few weeks to bring the plights of Kannadiga NRIs to the state and central governments’ notice. Even after several attempts the government has so far been unable to arrange flights to Karnataka from KSA.
Directors of Al Khobar based SAQCO Company, Althaf Ullal and Basheer Sagar, both Kannadigas, have now come forward and have pitched an offer to state and central governments that they will bear the cost of first Chartered flight with stranded Indians from Dammam to Mangaluru.
In a letter written to Karnataka CM BS Yediyurappa and Union Civil Aviation Minister, Hardeep Singh Puri, they have stated that their company will bear the cost of the first chartered flight from Dammam to Mangaluru if it starts on or before June 5. According to SAQCO, this first flight will consist of around 180 people with medical emergencies, pregnant women, senior citizens on visit visas and other stranded Indians with emergencies.
They have further added that their company will pay the estimated amount of 45 lac directly to the Chartered flight carrier firm and that the passengers will bear the cost of institutional quarantine after arriving at Mangaluru.
Indian government under the ‘Vande Bharat Mission’ has arranged flights from some gulf countries wherein stranded Indians have to bear the travel costs along with the cost of institutional quarantine after arriving in India. However the government has so far been unable to arrange a flight to the state from Saudi Arabia.
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Sharad Pawar's 'merger with Cong' remark shows it's difficult for him to run his party,says Fadnavis
Mumbai, May 8: NCP founder Sharad Pawar's remark on regional parties' possible merger with the Congress shows it has become difficult for him to manage his own party, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Wednesday.
Chief Minister Eknath Shinde latched on to Pawar's comment to target Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, saying the latter has already become "Congress-minded".
Another leader of the ruling 'Mahayuti' in Maharashtra said Pawar's remarks reflect that ground was slipping from under his feet in his home turf Baramati and the only option before him was merging his party with the Congress.
In an interview to The Indian Express, Pawar said that in the next couple of years, several regional parties will associate more closely with the Congress or may look at the option of merger with it if they believe that is best for their party.
To a question if that applied to his own party, Pawar told the newspaper that he doesn't see any difference between the Congress and his party because both belong to the Gandhi, Nehru line of thinking.
Pawar made it clear that any decision on strategy or the next step will be taken collectively. He also said that his party is close to the Congress ideologically and that Uddhav Thackeray is positive about working together with like-minded parties.
Asked about Pawar's remark, Shinde said the Shiv Sena (UBT) has already become Congress-minded.
"Pawar is a big leader and he makes such statements. But the Sena (UBT) faction has already become Congress as they speak the language of the Congress and Pakistan," Shinde, who heads the ruling Shiv Sena, said.
"Just the formality (of merger between them) is remaining," he added.
Fadnavis said that through his remark, Pawar might be suggesting that it was difficult for him to run his party and hence he may opt to merge it with the Congress.
"It is nothing new because Pawar has formed new parties and later merged them with the Congress," he said.
Former Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam, who recently rejoined the ruling Shiv Sena led by CM Shinde, said Pawar has been thinking about merging his party with the Congress for a long time and even the Congress had given the proposal to this effect to him.
"But Congress rejected the proposal to entrust the leadership to Supriya Sule. Pawar's fresh comment suggests that the ground is slipping from under his feet in Baramati. Even if that is not the case, he has no option but merge his party with Congress which will be seen as a merger of two loss-making companies," the former MP said.
BJP leader Prasad Lad asked whether the Sena (UBT) will merge with the Congress along with the Sharad Pawar-led party.
"Uddhav Thackeray has stopped saying 'My Hindu brothers and sisters' at the outset of his speeches. He has become friends with those who criticise Veer Savarkar. Only time will tell whether Thackeray will merge his party with Congress," he said.
NCP (SP) working president Supriya Sule said her father made a generic statement.
Leader of Opposition in the state assembly and senior Congress leader Vijay Waddetiwar said there was truth in what Pawar said.
"He has a long-term vision. People are fed up with the dictatorial regime and want a change of guard," he said, targeting the BJP-led government.
Chhagan Bhujbal of the Ajit Pawar-led NCP said he doesn't think regional parties will merge with the Congress.
"They are strong in their respective states and have formed governments in West Bengal and Odisha," he said, referring to the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Biju Janata Dal (BJD).
The NCP founded by Sharad Pawar in 1999 split in July 2023 after his nephew Ajit Pawar rebelled against him and joined the Eknath Shinde-led government. The Election Commission and assembly speaker later recognised the Ajit Pawar-led faction as the "real NCP" and allotted the clock symbol to it, while the NCP (SP) group was given 'man blowing turha' as the symbol.
