Belagavi: In response to the Governor granting permission for the prosecution of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in connection with the Muda scam, Women and Child Development Minister Lakshmi Hebbalkar stated that there is no question of the Chief Minister resigning. She accused the opposition of using the case for political gain and asserted that the Congress would respond in kind.
Speaking to reporters, Hebbalkar highlighted that the investigation is being led by a retired judge and that no report has been issued yet. She claimed that the constitutional powers have been misused for political motives.
"I will not speculate on whether the Chief Minister will resign if he is arrested. Every time a non-BJP government comes to power, we see this kind of harassment. All Congress MLAs and Ministers stand firmly behind the Chief Minister, and there is no question of him stepping down," Hebbalkar stated.
She also drew a distinction between this case and the one involving former BJP Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa, stating that Yediyurappa was betrayed by his own party members.
Hebbalkar reiterated that the Congress is a disciplined party and that Siddaramaiah, who has maintained a spotless political career for 40 years, is being unfairly targeted.
"The people of Karnataka have entrusted us with 5 years of safe governance, and we intend to fulfill that mandate," Hebbalkar concluded.
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Dhanbad (Jharkhand) (PTI): At least four workers died after being buried under coal slurry in Jharkhand's Dhanbad district on Saturday, a police official said.
The incident took place at Moonidih coal washery in the command area of Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL).
"Bodies of all four workers were dug out of debris during a rescue operation," Putki police station in-charge Waqar Hussain told PTI.
The incident took place when coal slurry was being loaded into trucks by workers, during which a large chunk of slurry fell and trapped several workers underneath, officials said.
The deceased have been identified as Manik Bauri, Dinesh Bauri, Deepak Bauri, and Hemlal Gope.
Meanwhile, the family members of the deceased and local villagers placed the bodies in front of the washery gate and began a protest.
They demanded compensation, jobs for dependents and action against those responsible for the incident.
Police and administration officials are trying to pacify the protesters, an official said.
