J-K polls: Alliance with Congress final on all 90 seats, says NC chief Farooq Abdullah
Srinagar, Aug 22: An alliance with the Congress is final on all 90 assembly seats in Jammu and Kashmir, National Conference president Farooq Adbullah said on Thursday.
The announcement came after Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge called on the National Conference leadership at Abdullah's residence.
"We had a good meeting, in a cordial atmosphere. The alliance is on track and, God willing, it will run smoothly. The alliance is final. It will be signed this evening and the alliance is on all 90 seats," Abdullah told reporters.
The three-phase elections to the 90-member Jammu and Kashmir Assembly will be held on September 18, September 25 and October 1. The results will be declared on October 4.
Abdullah further said, "CPI(M)'s (MY) Tarigami is also with us. I hope our people are with us too and that we win with a huge majority to improve the lives of the people."
Asked about Gandhi's assurance earlier in the day that it was the priority of the Congress and the INDIA bloc to restore statehood to Jammu and Kashmir, Abdullah expressed hope that full statehood with all powers would be restored.
"Statehood is very important for all of us. This has been promised to us. This state has witnessed bad days and we hope it will be restored with its full powers. For that, we stand together with the INDIA bloc," he said.
Questioned if the two parties had agreed to any common minimum programme, the National Conference president said there was no question of a common minimum programme.
"Our common programme is to fight the elections to defeat the divisive forces that exist in the country," he said.
The former chief minister of the erstwhile state also did not rule out the presence of the Mehbooba Mufti-led People's Democratic Party in a pre- or post-poll alliance.
"Let us first go through the polls, then we will look into those things," Abdullah said. "No doors are closed for anybody."
When questioned on the seat-share arrangement, he sought patience.
"Everything will come out before the first phase," he said.
Abdullah also refused to answer if he would contest the elections.
The former Union minister said he was very happy that the meeting with the Congress leadership was held in a cordial atmosphere.
"To tell you honestly, my heart is very happy today because the way we attempted to make this country stronger in a cordial atmosphere," Abdullah added.
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Austrian police detain suspect in case of rat poison found in baby food jars on supermarket shelves
Vienna (AP): Police in eastern Austria say a 39-year-old suspect has been arrested after rat poison turned up in some HiPP baby food jars on supermarket shelves in central Europe.
HiPP, which recalled some of its baby food jars in Austria, Slovakia and the Czech Republic after the case came to light last month, said in a statement Saturday it was “greatly relieved” by the arrest, and would provide further updates as verified details come in.
The Burgenland State Criminal Police Office, under the direction of prosecutors, said a probe was launched after poison turned up in a baby food jar purchased at a supermarket in the city of Eisenstadt on April 18.
It said the suspect was being questioned, and that no further details would be immediately provided. The Burgenland public prosecutor's office has announced an investigation into suspected “intentional endangerment of the public.”
The Austrian Press Agency reported that an expert report on the toxicity of the poison was pending. A total of five tampered baby food jars were seized before they could be consumed, APA reported.
Authorities said previously they believe the tampering occurred in 190-gram (6.7-ounce) jars of baby food made with carrots and potatoes for 5-month-olds that were sold from SPAR supermarkets in Austria.
HiPP responded by recalling all of its baby food jars sold at SPAR supermarkets — which include SPAR, EUROSPAR, INTERSPAR and Maximarkt stores — in Austria as a precaution. Vendors in Slovakia and the Czech Republic also removed all of the brand's baby jars from sale.
The company said the recall was not due to any product or quality defect on its part, and said the jars left its facility in “perfect condition.”
Police said a customer at the time of the discovery had reported that a jar appeared to have been tampered with, but no one had consumed the baby food.
