Karnataka Congress to check in all MLAs in city hotel ahead of RS polls
Bengaluru, Feb 23: Apparently aimed at keeping the flock together ahead of the Rajya Sabha polls, all ruling Congress MLAs in Karnataka will stay put together at a hotel here on Monday after the budget session of the state legislature concludes and will later also travel together for voting the next day.
This was revealed by Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, also the state Congress President, while speaking to reporters today about the biennial election to fill four vacancies from Karnataka in the Rajya Sabha by the elected MLAs on February 27.
"We have to be careful....all the MLAs will be staying together at the hotel, we will be coming together to vote (to Vidhana Soudha on Tuesday). We have extra votes. We will do whatever is necessary to secure our party. Others are also in touch with us. I don't want to disclose it," he told reporters here, adding that a mock voting drill would also be held.
ALSO READ: No issues over alliance and seat-sharing with BJP for LS poll: HD Kumaraswamy
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has called the Congress legislature party meeting at 3:30 PM on Monday in the presence of AICC General Secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala and party treasurer Ajay Maken.
Arrangements have been made to take all the MLAs together from the hotel to the Vidhana Soudha, the seat of the state legislature and secretariat here, in a bus for voting on Tuesday, party sources said.
Eight party leaders including two Ministers have been assigned for coordination with MLAs, they said.
The Rajya Sabha election scene in Karnataka has heated up with BJP-JD(S) combine fielding its second candidate, even though the alliance has the strength to win only one out of the four seats.
The ruling Congress, whose strength is 135 in the 224 member Assembly, along with the support of Darshan Puttanaiah from Sarvodaya Karnataka Paksha and two Independents, is expected to retain the three seats.
The BJP and JD(S) with 66 and 19 members, respectively, are in a position to together win one seat.
According to official sources, each candidate has to get 45 votes to win, if there are only four candidates in the fray, but in case of more candidates, preference votes kick in.
Responding to a question on JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy reportedly discussing Rajya Sabha polls with Union Home Minister Amit Shah during their meeting in New Delhi on Thursday, Shivakumar said, "There is no need to worry. We know what we have in our quiver, they too are aware of what we have."
"We are aware of what discussions they have done, we are also aware of which MLA they are making phone calls and what they are talking to them. All MLAs are telling us. They are trying to contact them through their relatives and friends and others, we are aware of it. We have our watch on every one from all parties," he said.
Asked whether Congress MLAs have received calls from Delhi, the KPCC chief said he wouldn't like to comment on it now.
"138 people (MLAs), including Janardhana Reddy (of Kalyana Rajya Pragathi Paksha), I have requested. We have several others also with us," he said.
The Congress has fielded Ajay Maken, Syed Naseer Hussain and G C Chandrasekhar as party candidates, while the BJP has fielded former MLC Narayansa Bandage as its candidate.
In a surprise move, JD(S) leader and former Rajya Sabha Member D Kupendra Reddy too has filed a nomination, necessitating a contest.
The election is necessitated to fill in four Rajya Sabha seats from the state that will become vacant due to the retirement of Union Minister Rajeev Chandrashekar from BJP, and Congress' Chandrashekar, L Hanumanthaiah and Hussein, on April 2, after the expiry of their six-year term.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Centre must roll back LPG price hike, says Kerala CM
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Sunday demanded that the Centre immediately roll back the recent steep hike in LPG prices, alleging that it has severely impacted common people and small businesses.
In a statement, Vijayan described the increase as "one of the most cruel" in the history of cooking gas price revisions, saying it has pushed ordinary households and entrepreneurs into distress.
He said the price of commercial LPG cylinders had been raised by Rs 993 in one go, crossing Rs 3,000, which would adversely affect the hotel and restaurant sector.
The hike in the price of 5-kg LPG cylinders by Rs 251.50 would hit migrant workers and small families who depend on them, he added.
The chief minister alleged that the hike came immediately after the conclusion of Assembly elections in states, placing an additional burden on common people, small-scale entrepreneurs and migrant labourers.
Pointing to the ongoing crisis in West Asia, Vijayan said the hospitality sector has already been facing a shortage of cooking gas for months and the latest price increase would be difficult to absorb.
The burden would ultimately be passed on to consumers, he said, warning that several small establishments, including those in Kerala, could be forced to shut down.
Accusing oil companies of prioritising profits over public welfare, he said such a trend of imposing additional financial burden on people cannot be accepted.
Vijayan also alleged that the Centre's policies favour corporate interests and called for a correction in approach.
He urged the Union government to withdraw the excessive hike without delay.
The price of commercial LPG was hiked by the steepest ever Rs 993 per 19-kg cylinder on May 1, marking the third straight monthly increase due to rising global energy prices linked to the West Asia conflict.
