BJP not trying to dislodge JD(S)-Cong govt: Yeddyurappa
Bengaluru, Dec 31: Karnataka BJP chief B S Yeddyurappa Monday said the party was not attempting to "dislodge" the JD(S)-Congress coalition government in the state and was not in touch with leaders of the two parties.
Dismissing an allegation by former chief minister and JDS-Congress coordination committee chief Siddaramaiah, he said there was no need for the BJP to pull down the government as the coalition partners were themselves "restive".
Yeddyurappa's assertion comes in response to a charge made on Sunday by Siddaramaiah that the saffron party was engaged in "horse trading" of Congress MLAs by offering Rs 25 crore to Rs 30 crore as part of its "toppling game".
"Siddaramaiah has been repeatedly giving irresponsible statements. We have been saying time and again that we do not need to topple the government. Such allegations do not suit his stature. Let him furnish evidences to support his claim," he told reporters.
The BJP leader said, "The present government is chaotic as both the parties as well as the ministers are not content. BJP is not making any attempt to destabilise the government".
The Leader of Opposition in the assembly said former prime minister and JD(S) supremo H D Devegowda had put forth a demand before the Congress to allot 14 seats to it in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, which he claimed had become a bone of contention between the two parties.
To a query whether there was any likelihood of a major change in the government without the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) involvement, Yeddyurappa said it was hard to make any prediction in politics but added that before the next assembly session, there would be a major change.
However, he rejected that he or any of his party workers were in touch with anybody from the Congress and JD(S), including the disgruntled Congress MLA Ramesh Jarkiholi, who was dropped in the recent ministry expansion and reshuffle.
Jarkiholi, who had earlier claimed the support of a sizeable number of MLAs, has remained incommunicado since he was dropped from the ministry amid reports that he was in touch with BJP leaders.
When asked whether the BJP would form the next government soon, Yeddyurappa said his party members were not "sanyasis to sacrifice everything and they do have ambition to form the government".
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Another North Goa nightclub sealed; Kejriwal says corruption led to fire tragedy
Panaji (PTI): As part of a crackdown against tourist establishments violating laws and safety norms in the aftermath of the Arpora fire tragedy, Goa authorities on Saturday sealed a renowned club at Vagator and revoked the fire department NOC of another club.
Cafe CO2 Goa, located on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea at Vagator beach in North Goa, was sealed. The move came two days after Goya Club, also in Vagator, was shut down for alleged violations of rules.
Elsewhere, campaigning for local body polls, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said the fire incident at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora, which claimed 25 lives on December 6, happened because the BJP government in the state was corrupt.
An inspection of Cafe CO2 Goa by a state government-appointed team revealed that the establishment, with a seating capacity of 250, did not possess a no-objection certificate (NOC) of the Fire and Emergency Services Department. The club, which sits atop Ozrant Cliff, also did not have structural stability, the team found.
The Fire and Emergency Services on Saturday also revoked the NOC issued to Diaz Pool Club and Bar at Anjuna as the fire extinguishers installed in the establishment were found to be inadequate, said divisional fire officer Shripad Gawas.
A notice was issued to Nitin Wadhwa, the partner of the club, he said in the order.
Campaigning at Chimbel village near Panaji in support of his party's Zilla Panchayat election candidate, Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal said the nightclub fire at Arpora happened because of the "corruption of the Pramod Sawant-led state government."
"Why this fire incident happened? I read in the newspapers that the nightclub had no occupancy certificate, no building licence, no excise licence, no construction licence or trade licence. The entire club was illegal but still it was going on," he said.
"How could it go on? Couldn't Pramod Sawant or anyone else see it? I was told that hafta (bribe) was being paid," the former Delhi chief minister said.
A person can not work without bribing officials in the coastal state, Kejriwal said, alleging that officers, MLAs and even ministers are accepting bribes.
