CM Yediyurappa brushes aside speculation of JD(S) joining BJP govt
New Delhi: Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Friday brushed aside speculation of Janata Dal (Secular) joining the state government or extending any support.
The chief minister, who is in the national capital on a three-day tour, dismissed such reports that emerged after JD(S) leader and former Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy recently met him to discuss "development-related works".
"It is all speculation, there is no truth in it. As one of the leaders of the Opposition party, Kumaraswamy had recently met me to discuss development-related works. There was no political issue discussed in that meeting," Yediyurappa told reporters here when asked about the reports.
He said his party BJP has a comfortable majority in Karnataka and does not require any support from JD(S).
Yediyurappa also refuted the Opposition's charge that his son and BJP state vice-president B Y Vijayendra was acting like a "super CM". He said Vijayendra was focusing on the party works and not interfering in the functioning of the government.
"Some of the opposition leaders are making baseless allegations out of jealousy looking at his political growth," Yediyurappa said.
He said he would discuss the expansion of the Cabinet with party president J P Nadda later during the day. Yediyurappa also held a discussion with BJP National General Secretary B L Santosh.
Earlier during the day, the chief minister called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and several Union Ministers to discuss development works related to the state, according to an official statement.
Yediyurappa called on Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar at the Parliament House and requested for early grant of the 'Terms of Reference' for the Mekedatu project and first stage forest clearances for the Kalasa and Banduri Nala projects in the state.
He later met Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and urged the government to declare Upper Krishna Project Stage-III and Upper Bhadra Project as National Projects, the statement said.
The chief minister also requested for early approvals and clearances for irrigation and drinking water projects including Mekedatu and Kalasa Banduri Nala to utilise the water resources allocated to the state.
He also called on Steel Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and requested him to expedite the process of disinvestment of the Visvesvaraya Iron and Steel Limited, it said.
On September 17, Yediyurappa had met Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman as well as Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.
With the speculation that the chief minister may undergo cabinet expansion, several leaders from the state including former ministers H Vishwanath and MP Renukacharya have come to the national capital.
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Man arrested with Rs 2.54-crore heroin in Mumbai
Mumbai (PTI): Police have arrested a man and seized over 500 grams of heroin worth Rs 2.54 crore in the illicit market from him in Mumbai, officials said on Friday.
The police's Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) made the drug seizure in Santacruz in the western suburbs. The operation was conducted by the Kandivali unit of the ANC on Thursday as part of a special crackdown against drug trafficking in the area, they said.
Acting on specific inputs, an ANC team conducted a raid in Santacruz (East) and intercepted a man. During a search, the team recovered 508 grams of high-grade heroin from his possession, an official said.
The seized contraband, a highly addictive, opioid drug derived from morphine, is estimated to be worth Rs 2.54 crore in the international market, he informed.
Following the seizure, a case was registered against the man under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, and he was formally placed under arrest in the early hours of Friday.
The police are currently investigating the source of the drug and trying to identify the intended recipients of the consignment, he said.
