Siddaramaiah dares BJP to come clean on bid to topple Cong-JDS govt
Bengaluru, Jan 2 : Former Karnataka chief minister and Congress leader Siddaramaiah Wednesday challenged the BJP to come clean on its alleged attempts to bribe his party MLAs to destabilise the coalition government in the state.
The Congress leaders are locked in a war of attrition with the BJP ever since the ministry was recently expanded and reshuffled, amid reports that the saffron party was in touch with disgruntled MLAs who missed ministerial berths.
"I am not indulging in a blame game with the BJP in connection with attempts to bribe the MLAs. There is a basis behind the statement. Is it not true that they (BJP) made an offer to B C Patil? When the time is ripe, I will disclose a few more things," Siddaramaiah said in a tweet.
Two days ago, the leader of the Congress Legislature Party had alleged that the BJP had made a fresh attempt to topple the Congress-Janata Dal (Secular) coalition government by offering Rs 25 to 30 crore to the legislators.
Rubbishing the charge, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state president B S Yeddyurappa had asked Siddaramaiah to speak responsibly and provide evidence to back his charge.
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara too had on Tuesday accused the BJP of making a fresh bid to topple the government, claiming that efforts were underway to arrange a meeting of his party's disgruntled MLAs with BJP president Amit Shah.
Parameshwara's charge had come amid reports that aggrieved Congress MLA, Ramesh Jarkiholi, who was dropped from the ministry in the recent reshuffle, was camping in Delhi.
Jarkiholi, who claims to have the support of a significant number of Congress MLAs, has remained incommunicado since he was removed from the ministry.
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Statewide ban on IV Ringer Lactate usage: Dinesh Gundu Rao
Bengaluru: In response to the deaths of postnatal women at Ballari District Hospital, the Karnataka government has temporarily suspended the use of IV Ringer Lactate solution across the state as a precautionary measure, Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao announced on Saturday.
Speaking to the media in Bengaluru, the minister explained that doubts about the quality of the IV solution had arisen, prompting the decision. He clarified that Ringer Lactate, along with glucose solutions, has been routinely used in hospitals for years. However, out of the 192 batches supplied by the Karnataka State Drugs Logistics and Warehousing Society, concerns were raised regarding two specific batches.
"In light of these concerns, we stopped the use of all 192 batches as a precaution. Following this, the supplying company obtained a High Court order for testing, and the Central Drugs Laboratory (CDL) conducted an analysis. The CDL report confirmed the usability of the solution, allowing the state to form a technical committee to review and permit the use of certain batches that met quality standards. Despite this, doubts have surfaced specifically at Ballari District Hospital," the minister stated.
To address these concerns, the batches supplied to Ballari Hospital have been sent for anaerobic testing to determine whether the IV solution contributed to the deaths. The test results are expected within a week, after which a final decision on the use of IV Ringer Lactate will be made.
"Until then, we have issued directives to hospitals statewide to suspend the use of IV Ringer Lactate. Every life is important to us, and precautionary measures are essential when suspicions arise," Gundu Rao emphasised.
