Sonia Gandhi rules out supporting Shiv Sena in Maharashtra: Sources
New Delhi: Congress chief Sonia Gandhi has ruled out any support to Shiv Sena for a new power alignment in Maharashtra, sources told NDTV, negating the latter's leverage over ally BJP.
Mrs Gandhi had a meeting this evening with the party's Maharashtra ally Sharad Pawar, said to be in favour of such an alliance to block the BJP from coming to power in the state. While nothing was said about what transpired at the meeting, Mr Pawar spoke of another having meeting in the near future, indicating that today's discussions did not have a favourable outcome.
The Shiv Sena, engaged in a tussle with the BJP over the Chief Minister's post, has been hinting that it is ready to form government with Sharad Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party and the Congress. Senior party leader Sanjay Raut even met the Governor today, during which, he said, they discussed the political situation in the state.
The Sena is also understood to have sent out feelers to the NCP. Mr Raut had earlier met Sharad Pawar, though he later said it was a courtesy call after Diwali. Yesterday, Mr Pawar's nephew and senior party leader Ajit Pawar said Mr Raut had also reached out to him.
Later in the evening, sources in the Congress said Sonia Gandhi has entirely ruled out any dealing with Sena, though a section of the party's state leaders are said to be in favour of it. She has given a "polite political no" to Mr Pawar's suggestions, sources said.
After the meeting, Mr Pawar told reporters that Sena-BJP tussle was their "internal matter" and that the Sena has not given him "any assurance". But he also admitted that he does not have the numbers to "be in the government" and that he was ready to sit in the opposition.
About his visit, he said the Congress and the NCP leaders had "discussed the way ahead, and it was decided to brief leadership in Delhi... My visit was in this regard".
The term of the Maharashtra assembly ends on November 9 and unless a new government is formed before that, President's Rule can be declared in the state.
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Private bus operators in Karnataka to hike fares by 20-30 pc after fuel price rise
Bengaluru (PTI): In the wake of the hike in fuel prices, private bus operators have decided to increase fares by 20-30 per cent, depending on the route, effective from Friday midnight.
They have also called for government subsidies, a reduction in cess, and lower road taxes to improve the situation.
"The situation for bus owners in the state is already distressing due to high road tax and the impact of the Shakti scheme (free bus travel for women in government buses). On top of this, fuel prices have increased," Karnataka State Bus Owners’ Association President S Nataraj Sharma said.
"This will impose a burden of Rs 15,000 per vehicle per month on bus owners. If an owner has three buses, the burden will be Rs 45,000 to Rs 50,000 per month," he added.
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Speaking to reporters, he said the situation has made it inevitable for owners to increase fares by 20-30 per cent, depending on the route, under current conditions.
The increase may be roughly Rs 200 per seat, he added.
"For example, the current bus fare from Bengaluru to Belagavi is around Rs 1,000–Rs 1,200, which is likely to rise to Rs 1,350–Rs 1,400. Similarly, fares from Bengaluru to Mangaluru or Udupi currently range from Rs 900–Rs 1,000 and are expected to go up to Rs 1,100–Rs 1,200," he said.
Petrol and diesel prices were each hiked by Rs 3 per litre on Friday, the first rate increase in more than four years, amid mounting losses for fuel retailers due to surging global crude prices in the wake of the West Asia conflict.
The increase comes a couple of weeks after the Assembly elections concluded in Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, and Puducherry.
