KPCC chief Dinesh Gundu Rao appeals to Cong-JDS to refrain from making controversial remarks
Bengaluru, May 20: With some leaders of the Congress-JDS coalition government engaging in verbal duels, KPCC chief Dinesh Gundu Rao appealed to both parties to refrain from making any controversial statements in public.
"It's my earnest appeal to the leaders of both Congress and JDS in Karnataka, to refrain from making any controversial statements in public," he tweeted.
On May 23, people will see the emergence of a new secular and progressive government at the Centre, he said.
"Hence, it is important that all parties who want a non-BJP government display unity and show citizens that they can work together and deliver a stable government," he added.
In a pre-poll deal, the partners fielded joint candidates in all the 28 seats, with the Congress in 21 and JDS in seven seats in Karnataka for the elections that were held in two phases on April 18 and April 23.
Commenting on exit polls, most forecasting another term for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP almost sweeping Karnataka in the Lok Sabha, Rao said the decimation of JDS-Congress alliance "is far from truth."
Instead the coalition partners will be performing much better, he said.
"Have seen all the #ExilPolls2019.Figures for Karnataka are showing that the @INCIndia-JDS alliance is getting decimated. This is far from the truth.
We will be performing much, much better that what's being predicted. Wait for 23rd May," he said in a tweet.
Rao also asked the leaders to focus their energies on ousting BJP from power at the centre.
"Our foremost goal at this juncture is to help oust the BJP from power at the centre.Let us focus all our energies on that," he added.
Rao said he along with K C Venugopal, Siddaramaiah, G Parameshwara and D K Shivakumar met Congress president Rahul Gandhi and discussed ways to strengthen the Congress party in Karnataka and the coalition government.
"Results of May 23rd are going to give us a huge boost," he added.
Backing Rao's appeal, State JDS president A H Vishwanath, in Mysuru, said the coalition government will continue to work for the people under Kumaraswamy's leadership for the full term as agreed by Gandhi and Deve Gowda after the assembly election gave a fractured verdict.
The recent verbal sparring began after the 'Siddaramiah for CM' clamour within a section of the Congress.
Vishwanath had blamed Siddaramaiah for causing the rift between the coalition partners.
Kumaraswamy also stirred a hornet's nest by saying Congress veteran Mallikarjun Kharge should have been made the chief minister long ago, but was denied the opportunity for reasons best known to Congress leaders.
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.
Another North Goa nightclub sealed; Kejriwal says corruption led to fire tragedy
Panaji (PTI): As part of a crackdown against tourist establishments violating laws and safety norms in the aftermath of the Arpora fire tragedy, Goa authorities on Saturday sealed a renowned club at Vagator and revoked the fire department NOC of another club.
Cafe CO2 Goa, located on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea at Vagator beach in North Goa, was sealed. The move came two days after Goya Club, also in Vagator, was shut down for alleged violations of rules.
Elsewhere, campaigning for local body polls, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said the fire incident at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora, which claimed 25 lives on December 6, happened because the BJP government in the state was corrupt.
An inspection of Cafe CO2 Goa by a state government-appointed team revealed that the establishment, with a seating capacity of 250, did not possess a no-objection certificate (NOC) of the Fire and Emergency Services Department. The club, which sits atop Ozrant Cliff, also did not have structural stability, the team found.
The Fire and Emergency Services on Saturday also revoked the NOC issued to Diaz Pool Club and Bar at Anjuna as the fire extinguishers installed in the establishment were found to be inadequate, said divisional fire officer Shripad Gawas.
A notice was issued to Nitin Wadhwa, the partner of the club, he said in the order.
Campaigning at Chimbel village near Panaji in support of his party's Zilla Panchayat election candidate, Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal said the nightclub fire at Arpora happened because of the "corruption of the Pramod Sawant-led state government."
"Why this fire incident happened? I read in the newspapers that the nightclub had no occupancy certificate, no building licence, no excise licence, no construction licence or trade licence. The entire club was illegal but still it was going on," he said.
"How could it go on? Couldn't Pramod Sawant or anyone else see it? I was told that hafta (bribe) was being paid," the former Delhi chief minister said.
A person can not work without bribing officials in the coastal state, Kejriwal said, alleging that officers, MLAs and even ministers are accepting bribes.
