No renaming of Ramlila ground, say BJP, NDMC
New Delhi, Aug 25 : Delhi BJP leaders and New Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) on Saturday denied reports that the iconic Ramlila Maidan in the heart of the capital would be renamed Atal Maidan.
In an interview to CNN News18, Delhi BJP President Manoj Tiwari said reports about Ramlila Maidan being renamed after former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee are "completely baseless".
"I have no idea where the news emerged from, but we can never change the name of the Ramlila Maidan. All such reports are completely baseless," he said.
On the other hand, NDMC ward commissioner Jayprakash, speaking to CNN News18, also denied reports about renaming Ramlila grounds by saying that "NDMC never held a meeting or presented a proposal to rename the Ramlila ground."
Earlier in the day, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in a tweet said that "changing the name of Ramlila Maidan won't fetch them votes but changing the name of the Prime Minister might".
In a reply to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo's allegations, Leader of Opposition Delhi Vijender Gupta said AAP is getting over excited over an issue that never even existed.
"There was never a proposal to rename the Maidan. No meeting was held, and no one even suggested it, so why is the Aam Aadmi Party overly excited," Gupta, an MLA from Rohini constituency, said.
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'Will do whatever the party asks me to': Shivakumar on Odisha Cong MLAs camping in Bengaluru
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Friday said though he had not brought the Congress MLAs from Odisha to Bengaluru ahead of the Rajya Sabha elections in that state, he will follow the party's directives.
His remarks come after a group of Odisha Congress legislators were moved to Bengaluru amid apprehensions of cross-voting in the March 16 biennial election.
According to party insiders, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister and state Congress president D K Shivakumar oversaw the logistical arrangements for their stay in the city.
The legislators are currently staying at the resort facility of an amusement park, located about 35 kms from Bengaluru.
Congress sources said the MLAs are expected to remain there until Monday morning before returning to Bhubaneswar to participate in the voting for the Rajya Sabha election.
Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, Shivakumar said he did not bring them, though he will do whatever the party leadership asks him to.
“Look, whatever the party asks us to do, we must do. These things are happening in every state across the country; it’s nothing new. Since they (Odisha MLAs) have come, I will meet them. They asked me for time, but I told them not to come here (Vidhana Soudha) because the Assembly session is going on. I said I would come after finishing the Assembly work,” the Deputy CM said.
According to party sources, around eight MLAs from the party’s Odisha unit were flown from Bhubaneswar to Bengaluru late on Thursday night and have been accommodated at a resort on the outskirts of the city.
Six more legislators from Odisha along with their Congress Odisha unit president will be reaching Bengaluru in the night.
The move, party insiders said, is aimed at ensuring unity among the legislators in the run-up to the election.
Sources added that the decision was taken as a precautionary measure after the BJP fielded a second candidate for the Rajya Sabha seat, triggering intense political manoeuvring in the state.
“There were concerns about possible cross-voting and attempts to influence MLAs. As a safeguard, the leadership decided to move them out of the state until the voting,” a Congress functionary said.
“Six more MLAs and their party president are expected to arrive in Bengaluru by Friday night.”
The Congress currently has 14 MLAs in the Odisha Assembly and requires additional support to ensure the success of its Rajya Sabha nominee.
Sources said the party leadership feared possible political bargaining and inducements involving legislators from different parties ahead of the poll.
