Blow to Cong as former Union minister Suresh Pachouri, ex-MP Rajukhedi among leaders who join BJP
Bhopal (PTI): In a jolt to the Congress in Madhya Pradesh ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, senior leader and former Union minister Suresh Pachouri, ex-MP Gajendra Singh Rajukhedi and several others, including the party's former MLAs, joined the BJP here on Saturday.
Pachouri, Rajukhedi and other leaders joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the presence of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, state BJP president V D Sharma and former CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan at the party's state headquarters in the morning.
Former MLAs Sanjay Shukla, Arjun Paliya, Vishal Patel were among the leaders of the grand old party who also joined the ruling outfit.
Pachouri, who was close to the Gandhi family, was Union minister of state for defence (defence production and supplies), and also served as a four-time Rajya Sabha member of the grand old party.
Pachouri had earlier held several key positions in the Congress, including the post of the party's Madhya Pradesh unit president. He was also the state unit president of the Youth Congress.
Rajukhedi, a prominent tribal leader, was elected as an MP from Dhar (Scheduled Tribes) Lok Sabha seat on the Congress ticket for three terms - 1998, 1999 and 2009. Before joining the Congress, he was elected as a BJP MLA in 1990.
VIDEO | Senior Congress leader and former Union minister Suresh Pachouri, ex-MP Gajendra Singh Rajukhedi join BJP in #Bhopal.#LSPolls2024WithPTI #LokSabhaElections2024
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) March 9, 2024
(Full video available on PTI Videos - https://t.co/n147TvrpG7) pic.twitter.com/6sOhpmuevO
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K'taka govt contemplating hiking water tariff by 1 paise per litre: DK Shivakumar
Bengaluru, Mar 14 (PTI): Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Friday said the government was planning to hike the water tariff by one paise per litre, claiming that water rates in Bengaluru have not been revised since 2014.
In view of the losses, the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) has proposed a hike of seven to eight paise per litre, he said.
"But I have told them that 7-8 paise is too much. The government is contemplating a one-paise hike per litre. We will discuss the matter with city MLAs before making a decision," said Shivakumar, who also holds the Bengaluru Development portfolio.
The minister was responding to Congress MLC Ramoji Gowda, who urged the government to expedite the supply of Cauvery water to households given the approaching summer.
"We had a difficult year last year. As many as 7,000 borewells dried up, forcing the government to take over private water tankers. We have executed the Cauvery 5th Stage project, which is providing water to 110 villages," he said.
March 22 is Water Conservation Day, and the government has decided to observe a month-long campaign to create awareness about water conservation, he added, in a statement issued by his office.
Shivakumar alleged that builders had constructed large apartment complexes but had not paid deposits to the BWSSB.
"They have taken connections illegally. We have issued notices to them," he said.
He also warned that the government would take over water tankers this summer as well.
"The water tanker business has become a mafia. We have also decided to fill all the lakes with treated water to help recharge groundwater. The Cauvery 6th Stage plan is also ready," he said.
Noting that many people were using drinking water to wash livestock and water gardens, the minister added, "Many of them are covering bare ground with concrete, which affects water absorption. We will take action on these issues. The water conservation month will help create awareness about all these concerns."
Responding to BJP MLC Keshava Prasad, who raised concerns about compensation for those displaced by the Alamatti Dam and objections raised by Maharashtra, the Deputy Chief Minister said, "I believe an all-party delegation must go to Delhi and urge the Centre to issue a Gazette notification on the third stage of the Upper Krishna project."
When MLC Nagaraj Yadav drew attention to delays in waste disposal, Shivakumar said, "Solid waste management has become a mafia. A tender was called in the past, but vendors collectively moved the court, halting all work."
He added, "The court has yet to deliver a judgment. Some MLAs are blackmailing us over garbage dumping pits—I don’t want to name them. They are demanding Rs 800 crore for their constituencies. Garbage trucks have been parked in Mahadevapura constituency for several days now, and it has become a major issue."
"We are planning to visit Indore to study their waste management model. We haven’t called for a tender, yet the Opposition is claiming I have made Rs 15,000 crore," Shivakumar stated.
