JD(S) Kerala unit will stand independently, says Minister Krishnankutty
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): Amidst the raging controversy over JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda's statement on his party's alliance with the BJP, Kerala Electricity Minister K Krishnankutty on Sunday said that the state unit has decided to stand independently.
Krishnankutty said he and state JD(S) president Mathew T Thomas met with the party leadership in Karnataka and informed them that an alliance with the BJP was not acceptable.
We told them that what they did was not right, he told a TV channel.
"We informed them that we are ending the relationship and that we would remain independent and then we came back. We had a committee meeting here and decided to stand independently. Everyone was in agreement with that and that is the factual position," he said.
The Congress-led UDF alliance has been accusing the ruling CPI(M) in the state of not severing ties with the JD(S), which has joined hands with the BJP at the national level.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had, on Friday, rejected the claim that he had endorsed LDF's partner JD(S) having an alliance with the BJP in Karnataka and said it was "both baseless and devoid of truth".
Deve Gowda had on the next day said that there was 'some confusion' in Kerala's CPI(M) with regard to his party's alliance with the BJP in Karnataka, and clarified he never said that the ruling Left party in the neighbouring state supported the tie-up.
CPI(M) state secretary M V Govindan had on Saturday said there was no need to remove Krishnankutty from the Kerala cabinet as the state unit of the JD(S) had clarified that they 'stand strong' on the Left front.
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Police refused to file FIR in Baramati plane crash; our suspicion growing stronger, says Rohit Pawar
Mumbai (PTI): NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar on Wednesday claimed that the Mumbai police refused to file an FIR in connection with the plane crash, in which Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar was killed, and said the refusal has deepened the suspicion surrounding the accident.
The government and the machinery appeared to be protecting someone, he alleged.
Aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Tuesday directed the grounding of four aircraft of VSR Ventures, whose plane crashed at Baramati on January 28, killing Ajit Pawar and four others.
Following the crash of the Learjet 45 aircraft (VT-SSK), the aviation regulator had ordered a special safety audit of VSR Ventures, and the audit team observed several non-compliances of approved procedures in the area of airworthiness, air safety, and flight operations.
In a message posted on a social media platform, Rohit Pawar claimed, "While awaiting appropriate action regarding Ajitdada's plane crash, yesterday the DGCA report arrived stating that this accident was caused by the negligence of VSR company."
However, since no FIR has been filed in this regard, he along with party MLC Amol Mitkari, Idris Naikwadi and MLA Sandeep Kshirsagar, went to the Marine Drive police station in south Mumbai to demand registration of an FIR under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), he said.
He claimed that when the process to record his statement began, a senior police official refused to register the FIR and instead accepted their application merely as a formality.
"The conduct of the police has further intensified our suspicion regarding the plane crash. If even after demands by elected representatives from both the opposition and the ruling parties the police are discarding the demand to register an FIR, it is unfortunate for Maharashtra," Pawar, who represents the Karjat-Jamkhed assembly constituency in Ahilyanagar district, said in the post.
The government and the machinery appeared to be protecting someone, he alleged, and questioned whether Ajit Pawar would get justice if such a situation persisted.
The NCP (SP) legislator said they would not relent until the matter is taken to its logical conclusion.
He added that at 9 am on Thursday, all those who love his uncle Ajit Pawar would go to the Baramati taluka police station to press for registration of an FIR.
While the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is expected to come out with its preliminary report into the fatal crash before February 28, concerns have been raised in certain quarters claiming there could have been a conspiracy that led to the crash.
