No MLA is quitting party, says JDS chief Deve Gowda
Bengaluru, Sep 14: Former Prime Minister and JDS supremo H D Deve Gowda on Saturday scotched reports of any MLA quitting the party due to internal strife amid claims by disqualified MLA K C Narayana Gowda that at least 20 MLAs were waiting to leave the outfit.
"Nobody is going to run away. What did he say? He spoke in a bad way," the former prime minister told reporters in Bengaluru when his reaction was sought on Narayana Gowda's claims.
Admitting there could be differences between Chamundeshwari MLA G T Deve Gowda and Krishnarajanagara MLA Sa Ra Mahesh, both from the JDS, the former prime minister remarked G T Deve Gowda never said he was quitting the party.
K C Narayana Gowda on Saturday lashed out at the first family of the JDS led by H D Deve Gowda and his two sons former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy and former minister H D Revanna.
"I request Deve Gowda with folded hands to come out of your obsession for your family," Narayana Gowda told reporters on Saturday.
He accused Revanna of misbehaving with the MLAs, which made 17 MLAs including ministers, resign.
"I never wanted to quit but I am not the only one to leave. Seventeen people have left including ministers. Imagine their plight. They were saying that they could not tolerate the torture of Revanna. Twenty MLAs are ready to quit," Narayana Gowda said.
Two days ago, Chamundeshwari MLA G T Deve Gowda and Gubbi MLA S R Srinivas issued statements, criticising the party leadership.
Srinivas alleged in Tumakuru on Thursday that his phone was also tapped when Kumaraswamy was the chief minister.
"Whoever has done things that are illegal should be punished... according to my information, phones were getting tapped. Whoever has committed mistake has to be punished mercilessly," he told reporters.
The BJP government has handed over the phone-tapping case to the CBI for investigation.
G T Deve Gowda too lashed out at Kumaraswamy, saying he has never seen any struggle in his life and was only reaping the benefits of being the son of H D Deve Gowda.
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Indian visa application centre suspended indefinitely in Bangladesh's Chattogram
Dhaka (PTI): India on Sunday suspended visa operations at its mission in Bangladeshi port city of Chattogram until further notice, according to media reports.
The move comes in the wake of a fresh wave of unrest witnessed in the country following the death of prominent youth leader Sharif Osman Hadi.
His death triggered attacks and vandalism across Bangladesh, including stone-hurling at the Assistant Indian High Commissioner's residence in Chattogram on Thursday.
Hadi, a prominent leader of the student-led protests last year that led to the ouster of the prime minister Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government, was a candidate for the scheduled February 12 general elections.
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He was shot in the head on December 12 by masked gunmen at an election campaign in central Dhaka’s Bijoynagar area and died while undergoing treatment in Singapore on December 18.
“Due to the recent security incident at Assistant High Commission of India (AHCI) Chittagong, Indian visa operations at IVAC Chittagong (Chattogram) will remain suspended from 21/12/2025 until further notice,” the Indian Visa Application Centre (IVAC) said in a brief statement.
The announcement for reopening the visa centre will be made after reviewing the situation, the statement added. The decision came into effect on Sunday.
There are five IVAC facilities across Bangladesh at Dhaka, Khulna, Rajshahi, Chattogram and Sylhet. An IVAC official told PTI that the other four offices have remained operational as of Sunday.
India on Thursday resumed operations at its visa application centre in Dhaka, a day after closing it over escalated security concerns, but closed for a brief period two other identical facilities in Rajshahi and Khulna as anti-India protestors tried to march towards the Indian missions there.
On Saturday, security was strengthened at the Indian Assistant High Commission office and the visa application centre in Bangladesh's Sylhet city.
The enhanced security measures were put in place to ensure that “no third party can exploit the situation,” Additional Deputy Commissioner (Media) of the Sylhet Metropolitan Police Saiful Islam was quoted as saying by The Dhaka Tribune newspaper on Saturday.
Hadi, 32, was laid to rest on Saturday amid extra-tight security beside the grave of National Poet Kazi Nazrul Islam near the Dhaka University mosque.
Tens of thousands of people attended the funeral prayers, and ahead of the ritual, chanted anti-India slogans like “Delhi or Dhaka - Dhaka, Dhaka” and “brother Hadi’s blood will not be allowed to go in vain.”
Earlier on December 17, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) summoned Bangladesh envoy Riaz Hamidullah and conveyed its strong concern over certain extremist elements announcing plans to create a security situation around the Indian mission in Dhaka.
“We expect the interim government to ensure the safety of Missions and Posts in Bangladesh in keeping with its diplomatic obligations,” it said.
The envoy was apprised of India's strong concerns about the deteriorating security environment in Bangladesh, it added.
