BJP takes serious note of 3 legislators attending Cong dinner, to seek explanation
Belagavi (K'taka) (PTI): Karnataka BJP President B Y Vijayendra on Thursday termed as a "serious matter" three of his party legislators attending a dinner hosted by the Congress after its Legislature Party meeting here and said he would seek explanation from them.
State Congress President and Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar said the legislators did not participate in any meeting, but only attended the dinner on Wednesday night, on his invitation.
The three are: MLAs -- S T Somashekar and Shivaram Hebbar -- and MLC H Vishwanath.
The three legislators, who are former Ministers, attending the dinner raised eyebrows and added to speculations that they might be contemplating to join the ruling Congress ahead of 2024 Lok Sabha polls. They had made no secret of their disenchantment with the BJP and its internal affairs, ever since the party lost the May Assembly polls.
The three were among the 17 Congress-JD(S) legislators who defected to BJP in 2019, which had led to the collapse of the H D Kumaraswamy-led government and paved the way for BJP to come to power. Somashekar and Hebbar were Ministers in the previous BJP government.
While Somashekar and Hebbar had jumped ship to BJP from Congress. Vishwanath, originally a Congressman, was in JD(S) as its state chief, when he defected to BJP in 2019.
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"Morning I got information about it. I will talk to them today itself, I will discuss what their intention is....it is a serious matter, I will discuss with them today itself," Vijayendra told reporters here.
Shivakumar said: "I had separately hosted a dinner, for which certain other party leaders were also invited, so they (Somashekar, Hebbar), also Vishwanath, and others, about ten people had come."
Speaking to reporters here, he said: "why will they come to the Congress legislature party meeting ? They are not our party legislators. They did not come to the legislature party meeting, they had only come for dinner."
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3 killed, 15 injured in fire after blast at firecracker unit in MP's Dewas; CM orders probe
Dewas/Indore (PTI): At least three workers were killed and 15 persons injured after a fire broke out following an explosion at a firecracker factory in Madhya Pradesh's Dewas district on Thursday, an official said.
Chief Minister Mohan Yadav expressed grief over the incident and ordered an investigation. The state government will provide an assistance of Rs 4 lakh to the kin of each of the deceased, and the injured will receive free treatment, he said in a post on X.
Three persons were killed in the fire at the firecracker unit located in Tonk Kalan area, and around 15 injured persons were sent to hospitals in Indore and Dewas, Collector Rituraj Singh told reporters after inspecting the site.
Videos of the aftermath surfaced on social media, showing thick white smoke billowing from the factory along the Agra–Mumbai national highway. The clips also showed people rushing the injured for treatment amid cries for help, with body parts seen scattered at the site.
The collector said the fire has been brought under control. The administration has taken possession of explosives stored at another location within the unit, he said.
The work to manufacture small firecrackers at the factory of a person named Anil Malviya had begun only 15 days ago, and a licence has been issued for the unit, the collector said.
A detailed investigation is underway into the incident, he added.
CM Yadav said, "I have directed Deputy Chief Minister and Dewas district guardian minister Jagdish Devda, the home secretary and senior officials to visit the spot. An inquiry has also been ordered into the incident."
Local residents said there was a massive explosion at the factory, and the victims' body parts were found scattered far away from the site.
They said construction work was underway at the site and different sheds were being built there.
