Karnataka BJP strongly refutes reports about changing Yediyurappa as CM
Bengaluru: The BJP in Karnataka on Tuesday termed as baseless and misleading reports about leadership change in the state by replacing Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa.
State BJP spokesperson Captain Ganesh Karnik said a few TV channels have repeatedly reported that there is going to be a change in the leadership of Chief Minister Yediyurappa.
"BJP strongly refutes this report," he clarified in an official statement.
"We categorically state that such reports are absolutely baseless, misleading and far from truth," he added.
There have been strong speculations about possible change in leadership in the future, considering Yediyurappa's age.
The speculation had gained momentum during the 77-year-old leader's recent visit to New Delhi, during which he met Prime Minister Narendra Modi, several union ministers and BJP national president J P Nadda.
There were reports that Yediyurappa might be replaced after the Bihar assembly polls or after him presenting the budget in March 2021.
They suggested that looking at BJP's policy towards seniors crossing 75 years of age, the party was considering honourable exit to the Lingayat strongman by giving him a gubernatorial position and a key post for his younger son B Y Vijayendra, who is now the state BJP vice president.
Several state BJP leaders, including state unit President Nalin Kumar Kateel, minister R Ashoka among others have rejected such reports.
Despite this, there were rumours that several Lingayat legislators, especially from the north Karnataka region, were unhappy with the Chief Minister and were rallying behind a leader from the community who belongs to their region.
Yediyurappa on Monday had said he was awaiting the high command's directive to undertake the much awaited expansion of his cabinet.
The cabinet currently has 28 members, and six berths are still vacant.
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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.
