Cong candidates from DK district miss Ministerial berth in the first phase of swearing-in ceremony
Mangaluru: The Dakshina Kannada district Congress MLAs were left out of the initial phase of ministerial appointments in the cabinet led by newly appointed Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. Among those who missed out on the opportunity were former minister and Mangaluru MLA U.T. Khader, MLC B.K. Hariprasad, and Dr. Manjunath Bhandari.
Out of the 8 ministers who were sworn in, none represented Dakshina Kannada district, despite expectations that the district would secure a position. U.T. Khader, who had been widely anticipated to receive a ministerial berth, was not sworn in alongside CM Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM DK Shivakumar. There will be 28 new ministers taking oaths in total.
In the state assembly elections, the Congress managed to win only two out of the eight seats in Dakshina Kannada district, one more seat than in the previous election. However, as per reports the defeat of former minister Ramanath Rai resulted in the loss of a potential ministerial post for the district.
Despite missing out initially, U.T. Khader is expected to secure a ministerial position, and there is a possibility of another position being granted. There had been speculation that the MLC from the neighboring Udupi district, where the Congress failed to win any seats, could be appointed as the minister in charge. However, further developments are awaited in the coming days.
During Siddaramaiah's previous cabinet, B Ramanath Rai, Abhayachandra Jain, and U.T. Khader served as a minister.
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Bengal: On way to PM's rally, 3 mowed down by train amid dense fog
Kolkata (PTI): Three persons died and three others were injured after being hit by a train amid dense fog on Saturday, while travelling to attend Prime Minister Narendra Modi's rally at Taherpur in West Bengal's Nadia district, a senior official said.
The incident occurred between Taherpur and Badkulla railway stations under the Sealdah-Krishnanagar section of Eastern Railway, he said.
Modi, whose helicopter could not land at Taherpur due to dense fog and low visibility, condoled the death of the “BJP workers” in his virtual address from Kolkata airport.
“I have come to know that some BJP workers, while travelling to the rally, lost their lives in a rail accident. My condolences are with the families of those who have lost their loved ones, and I pray for the speedy recovery of the injured,” Modi said.
The Eastern Railway official told PTI that the incident occurred in the morning when these people, who were travelling by a bus, had stopped the vehicle and walked to the railway tracks to answer nature's call.
"While three persons died on the spot, two others with injuries were admitted to a local hospital," he said.
Another person with minor injuries was released after having been administered first aid, the official said.
The deceased have been identified as Ramprasad Ghosh (74), Shaktipada Sutradhar (55) and Gopinath Das (38).
Meanwhile, Mahua Moitra, Trinamool Congress MP from Krishnanagar constituency in Nadia district, alleged that the BJP ignored the incident and went ahead with the rally.
"Terrible tragedy hushed up at altar of @narendramodi ego. @BJP4India supporters brought from far Murshidabad for PM rally in Ranaghat today," she said in a post on X.
"4 went to answer nature's call and were killed by 31814 down local train near Taherpur. BJP ignored, blacked out & went ahead with rally," Moitra claimed.
Reacting to her remarks, the West Bengal BJP, in a post on X, asserted that the TMC "has always been adept at milking tragedies", and was being "disrespectful to the unfortunate victims of this tragedy".
The TMC alleged that BJP leaders have not shown "neither concern nor compassion" over the mishap.
"The loss of three lives in Taherpur should have united everyone in grief. But @BJP4India leaders showed neither concern nor compassion," it said in another post on X.
"At this painful moment, Smt @MamataOfficial and Shri @abhishekaitc put humanity above party lines and stood beside the families of the deceased," the party said.
TMC’s on-ground leaders promptly reached out to the grieving family members, ensuring them of help and assistance, it said.
"While Delhi’s rulers chase Bengal with arrogance, our leadership chose empathy. This is the difference between politics of power and politics of people!" the TMC added.
