Disgruntled BJP MLAs to meet in Bengaluru on Tuesday
Bengaluru: A few ruling BJP legislators, who missed ministerial berths in recent expansion of the B S Yediyurappa cabinet in Karnataka, would meet here on Tuesday to chalk out their strategy, including meeting senior party leaders, including in New Delhi, party legislator M P Renukacharya said.
Spearheading the campaign to convey the discomfort among the MLAs to the party high command, the Honnali MLA on Monday said the meeting will be within the democratic framework of right to expression in the party.
"Tomorrow morning a few MLAs are coming to Bengaluru. We will discuss and then we will decide. We have not fixed any date but we will discuss with our MLAs regarding our Delhi visit," he told reporters here.
Renukacharya, considered a loyalist of Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa, requested the media not to treat them as disgruntled or rebel MLAs.
"We are not against the party, organisation or leadership. We are only conveying our pain and sentiments to our seniors in the party and we have the liberty to express our sentiments," he said.
Yediyurappa had expanded his 17-month-old cabinet on January 13 with the induction of seven new ministers, with the long-awaited exercise resulting in resentment within the BJP with some MLAs, including Renukacharya, airing reservations over them being not considered and lack of representation to several districts.
They claimed only a few communities, primarily Vokkaligas and Lingayats, and two major districts -- Bengaluru and Belagavi-- got more representation in the cabinet.
The chief minister had asked such sulking BJP leaders to take up the matter with the national leadership and urged them to refrain from making any remarks affecting the party.
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4 workers die after being buried under coal slurry in Jharkhand's Dhanbad
Dhanbad (Jharkhand) (PTI): At least four workers died after being buried under coal slurry in Jharkhand's Dhanbad district on Saturday, a police official said.
The incident took place at Moonidih coal washery in the command area of Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL).
"Bodies of all four workers were dug out of debris during a rescue operation," Putki police station in-charge Waqar Hussain told PTI.
The incident took place when coal slurry was being loaded into trucks by workers, during which a large chunk of slurry fell and trapped several workers underneath, officials said.
The deceased have been identified as Manik Bauri, Dinesh Bauri, Deepak Bauri, and Hemlal Gope.
Meanwhile, the family members of the deceased and local villagers placed the bodies in front of the washery gate and began a protest.
They demanded compensation, jobs for dependents and action against those responsible for the incident.
Police and administration officials are trying to pacify the protesters, an official said.
