26 Naxals arrested in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district
Bijapur (PTI): At least 26 Naxals, six of them carrying a cumulative bounty of Rs 13 lakh on their heads, were arrested from separate places in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district on Thursday, police said.
Eight Naxals each were apprehended from Awapalli and Usur, four from Tarrem and three each from Gangalur and Bhairamgarh police station limits, an official said.
The District Reserve Guard of the local police, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and its elite Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) units were involved in the operation, he added.
Of the arrested Naxals, Munna Potam carried a bounty of Rs 8 lakh on his head and was active as a member of Battalion Number 1 of the outlawed Maoist outfit.
Rama Kaka was the Dandakaranya Adivasi Kisan Mazdoor Sangh (DAKMS) president and carried a reward of Rs 1 lakh on his head. Both Potam and Kaka were held in Usur area.
Janatana Sarkar president Mani Madkam alias Gola Mandi was held from Tarrem police station limits. He carried a bounty of Rs 1 lakh.
Arjun Atami alias Guddi, a militia section commander, and woman cadre Payko Madvi alias Soni alias Tokdi, a party member, were nabbed from Bhairamgarh area, the official said. The two carried a reward of Rs 1 lakh each on their heads.
Krishna Podiyam, nabbed from Awapalli police station limits, was a militia section commander and carried a bounty of Rs 1 lakh.
An IED, `cooker bomb', tiffin bomb, wire, safety fuse, detonator multimeter, electric wire and a battery besides earth digging tools and Maoist banners, posters and pamphlets were recovered from the arrested Naxals, said the police official.
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Karnataka power tussle: BJP leader calls Siddaramaiah 'Sultan for 15 days'
Bengaluru/Bagalkot (PTI): In the midst of the ongoing power tussle within the ruling Congress in Karnataka, senior BJP leader and MP Govind Karjol called CM Siddaramaiah "Pandrah din-ka-Sultan" (Sultan for 15 days), and said after that, he will not be the chief minister of the state.
Speculation has once again surfaced within the Congress party and political circles about a possible decision on leadership change and cabinet reshuffle after May 4, once the results for Assembly elections in four states and one union territory, along with bypolls to two Assembly constituencies in Karnataka, are announced.
"With the fight for the CM chair in the Congress, there seems to be no administration at Vidhana Soudha. The result for Siddaramaiah's CM chair fight will also be declared, along with election results for five states (four states and one union territory) and bypoll results for Bagalkot and Davanagere South Assembly seats in Karnataka," Karjol, a former Deputy CM, said.
Speaking to reporters here, he said, "As per today's information, Siddaramaiah is a Sardar for fifteen days, he is Pandrah din-ka-Sultan, after that Siddaramaiah will not be the chief minister of the state."
Stating that Shivakumar is ready to take up the top job, the MP said that this is the reason Siddaramaiah's supporters have gone to New Delhi to meet the Congress President.
"Already 40-odd legislators have lobbied in support of Siddaramaiah; about 50 are lobbying in support of Shivakumar. Amid this fight for the CM chair, the administration has completely collapsed," he said, urging the government to focus on addressing drinking water issues in various parts of the state amid summer by releasing at least Rs 50 crore per district.
PWD Minister Satish Jarkiholi on Monday met Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and General Secretary (in charge of Karnataka) Randeep Surjewala in New Delhi and requested them to address the speculation regarding the change of leadership in Karnataka.
Subsequently, Social Welfare Minister H C Mahadevappa too met the party leadership in Delhi.
Both Jarkiholi and Mahadevappa are considered close to Siddaramaiah.
While MLAs and leaders who want Shivakumar to be elevated as CM have recently claimed they expect some "sweet news" by May 15, which is their leader's birthday.
Meanwhile, a team of 40 MLAs is preparing to visit New Delhi to press the Congress high command for a Cabinet reshuffle.
Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly R Ashoka hit out at the Congress leadership for indulging in "power tussle" instead of addressing the people's concerns. He called the government "anti-people" and "dead" to the people of the state.
With the fight for the CM chair, the ruling Congress in Karnataka seems to be shifting to Delhi. Congress MLAs are repeatedly touring Delhi, upset over the state leadership amid a power struggle between the CM and Deputy CM. This proves that there is no value for the state leadership," he said.
Pointing out that the Deputy CM Shivakumar was not present at the recent special cabinet meeting, which decided on internal reservation among SCs, the opposition leader said, "If the cabinet meeting was held purposely, despite knowing that Shivakumar was in Delhi, it proves that there are factions within the party"
"This government is dead in a way," he said, as he hit out at the Congress MLAs and Ministers, including Shivakumar, for doing "Delhi Yatras" instead of addressing drinking water issues in various parts of the state amid summer, picking up in the state.
