Shatrughan Sinha says will contest from Patna Sahib 'whatever the situation'
Lucknow : Notwithstanding his differences with the BJP, Shatrughan Sinha said Sunday he will not change his constituency in the coming Lok Sabha election "whatever the situation", making clear he would contest again from Patna Sahib seat irrespective of the party decision.
"Situation kuch bhi ho, location wahi hogi (Whatever the situation, location would be same)," Sinha told PTI on the phone from Ranchi.
The sitting Patna Sahib lawmaker has been at loggerheads with the current BJP leadership since the 2015 Bihar election, over several issues.
He has often taken a stance at variance with the official party line, including on demonetisation and Goods and Services Tax, and shared the stage with opposition leaders at an anti-BJP rally in Kolkata in January, where he was projected as the "star speaker".
On a recent visit to Lucknow, he had held a meeting with Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, giving rise to speculation his wife Poonam Sinha may enter active politics from the Uttar Pradesh capital, currently represented in Lok Sabha by Home Minister Rajnath Singh.
Asked about it, the actor-turned-politician said he will neither confirm nor deny this.
"Poonam Sinha has been busy with social work for long. She is liked by all. People want her to contest but whether this will happen or not only time will tell," Shatrughan Sinha, 72, said.
Following his meeting with Yadav, there was also a talk that Sinha could contest the general election, which must be held by May, on a Samajwadi Party ticket.
He had also visited the Samajwadi Party headquarters and joined Yadav on Jai Prakash Jayanti programme with Yashwant Sinha.
The SP and Bahujan Samaj Party have forged an an alliance in Uttar Pradesh for the general election, deciding to contest 37 and 38 seats respectively. They have left Amethi and Rae Bareli for Congress president Rahul Gandhi and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and three other seats ostensibly for RLD.
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Another North Goa nightclub sealed; Kejriwal says corruption led to fire tragedy
Panaji (PTI): As part of a crackdown against tourist establishments violating laws and safety norms in the aftermath of the Arpora fire tragedy, Goa authorities on Saturday sealed a renowned club at Vagator and revoked the fire department NOC of another club.
Cafe CO2 Goa, located on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea at Vagator beach in North Goa, was sealed. The move came two days after Goya Club, also in Vagator, was shut down for alleged violations of rules.
Elsewhere, campaigning for local body polls, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said the fire incident at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora, which claimed 25 lives on December 6, happened because the BJP government in the state was corrupt.
An inspection of Cafe CO2 Goa by a state government-appointed team revealed that the establishment, with a seating capacity of 250, did not possess a no-objection certificate (NOC) of the Fire and Emergency Services Department. The club, which sits atop Ozrant Cliff, also did not have structural stability, the team found.
The Fire and Emergency Services on Saturday also revoked the NOC issued to Diaz Pool Club and Bar at Anjuna as the fire extinguishers installed in the establishment were found to be inadequate, said divisional fire officer Shripad Gawas.
A notice was issued to Nitin Wadhwa, the partner of the club, he said in the order.
Campaigning at Chimbel village near Panaji in support of his party's Zilla Panchayat election candidate, Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal said the nightclub fire at Arpora happened because of the "corruption of the Pramod Sawant-led state government."
"Why this fire incident happened? I read in the newspapers that the nightclub had no occupancy certificate, no building licence, no excise licence, no construction licence or trade licence. The entire club was illegal but still it was going on," he said.
"How could it go on? Couldn't Pramod Sawant or anyone else see it? I was told that hafta (bribe) was being paid," the former Delhi chief minister said.
A person can not work without bribing officials in the coastal state, Kejriwal said, alleging that officers, MLAs and even ministers are accepting bribes.
