BJP ally in UP threatens to quit govt if Social Justice Committee recommendations not implemented
Lucknow, Feb 10: Issuing a threat to the BJP, one of its allies in Uttar Pradesh the Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party said Sunday it will part ways with the saffron party if the recommendations of the Social Justice Committee are not implemented by February 24.
"If the BJP does not agree to the demands raised by us, we will definitely part ways with them. If the saffron party does not implement the recommendations of the Social Justice Committee by February 24, then our path would be separate, and subsequently, we will contest all 80 Lok Sabha seats in the state," Arun Rajbhar, general secretary of SBSP, told PTI.
He also said, "We can even go with the anti-BJP alliance (of SP and BSP) if the need arises. A number of rounds of talks have been held with them."
Hitting out at the BJP, Arun Rajbhar said, "It is the last warning, and after February 24, there will be no agreement with the BJP."
He said the BJP had promised that the recommendations of the Social Justice Committee would be implemented six months before Lok Sabha polls, but there has been no headway on this.
The committee, constituted in May last year, had in its recommendations to the state government, favoured division of backward castes in three categories 'pichda' (backward), 'ati picchda' (very backward) and 'sarvadhik picchda' (most backward).
Backward classes account for about 44 per cent of the electorate in the state and play a crucial role in making or marring political prospects of any party.
The recommendation of the committee to classify various OBC and Dalit sub-castes into three broad categories and provide quota within quota to them is likely to spice up the political scene ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha election in caste-riddled Uttar Pradesh.
In 2017 UP Assembly elections, BJP had bagged 312 out of 403 seats, while SBSP had won 4 seats. Another ally of the coalition, Apna Dal (Sonelal), had won nine seats.
On February 6, SBSP said it was "open" to going with SP-BSP alliance in the general election that must be held by May this year.
SBSP chief and senior Cabinet minister Om Prakash Rajbhar said, "In case there is no headway with the BJP, the option of going along with SP-BSP alliance is open to us
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Hospital wall collapse: CM orders suspension of executive engineer; kin of victims get solatium
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday ordered the immediate suspension of an executive engineer for the Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital wall collapse that claimed the lives of seven people, during a high-level review meeting at Vidhana Soudha.
A compensation of Rs 5 lakh, as announced by the CM Siddaramaiah, was distributed to the families of seven victims who lost their lives in the tragedy on Wednesday evening, which occurred due to heavy downpour with gusty winds and hailstorm.
The meeting of municipal commissioners of the five corporations, chaired by the chief minister and attended by Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, focused on fixing accountability and examining lapses that led to the tragedy.
"Why was soil dumped in a way that damaged the wall? Why did you not monitor this?" Siddaramaiah asked, pulling up hospital authorities during the meeting.
A statement from the chief minister's office said that the CM ordered the immediate suspension of the executive engineer of the Karnataka Health Systems Development Project (KHSDP).
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He also questioned the hospital authorities, asking why they failed to monitor the dumping of soil that weakened the structure.
The chief minister directed that a notice be issued to the head of the Hospital.
During the meeting, Siddaramaiah said the rains had caused extensive damage in the city, with over 250 trees uprooted.
The Chief Minister instructed officials to take necessary measures before the onset of the monsoon to avoid untoward incidents.
Commissioners of all five municipal zones in Bengaluru have been asked to take precautionary steps, including trimming dry and dangerous tree branches, the CMO said.
Siddaramaiah also directed them to get the silt cleared from stormwater drains to prevent flooding, and that immediate action be taken to remove debris and fallen branches from roads.
Further, he instructed that barricades be placed at underpasses where water stagnates and restricts public movement.
The Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) Chief Commissioner M Maheshwar Rao said in a statement that Shivajinagar MLA Rizwan Arshad distributed compensation cheques of Rs 5 lakh each to the families of the deceased on Thursday.
Seven people, including a six-year-old girl, were killed and seven others injured when the compound wall collapsed amid heavy rain, strong winds and a hailstorm on Wednesday evening.
Police said the victims, comprising three from Bengaluru, two from Kerala on a study tour and one each from Uttar Pradesh and Assam, had taken shelter near the wall when it suddenly gave way, trapping them under the debris.
The chief minister questioned officials over the dumping of soil near the wall despite knowing it could weaken the structure, and directed that a notice be issued to the head of Bowring Hospital.
Siddaramaiah, who had visited the spot soon after the incident along with senior officials, reviewed the situation and ordered a detailed probe into the collapse.
