BJP high command summons Yediyurappa to Delhi amid delay in electing LoP, K'taka party chief
Bengaluru (PTI): Senior BJP leader B S Yediyurappa on Sunday left for New Delhi after being summoned by the party's top leadership amidst a delay in electing the Leader of Opposition in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly.
Though the BJP stalwart, who is the BJP parliamentary board member, expressed ignorance over the reason for the call, party sources said he has been summoned to decide on the candidates for the posts of leader of the opposition as well as the party's state chief.
"BJP National president J P Nadda has summoned me to New Delhi. I don't know what the subject is," Yediyurappa told reporters here.
He said, "I will go there, talk to him and if possible, I will return by tonight because a massive protest by thousands has been planned for day-after-tomorrow. So I will try to return by tonight or tomorrow morning."
Asked whether he has been called to New Delhi to discuss the appointment of LoP, Yediyurappa said he was not aware.
"... After talking to him, I will get to know what is running in his mind. I don't have any clue why he has summoned me," the former CM said.
To a query about the lobbying in the party for the two top posts, Yediyurappa said only the national leaders would take a call on such matters.
"Many people demand many things... Our national leaders will decide. Since he (Nadda) has called me, I will go there and talk to him," he added.
Regarding the BJP's agitation on Tuesday, Yediyurappa said a massive protest will be organised against the ruling Congress for its "failure" to fulfill its election promises.
"It has been decided to protest the failure of the state government. Thousands of people will participate. I will also take part in it," he added.
With just one day left for the budget session of the assembly to start, the BJP is yet to finalise its leader of opposition.
There is a stiff contest in the saffron party in the state for these two prime posts. There are many frontrunners for the role of opposition leader, sources in the BJP said.
Among them are former Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, former ministers Araga Jnanendra, R Ashoka and Vijayapura MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal.
Recently, former Minister V Somanna had expressed his desire to become the BJP state president.
The incumbent Nalin Kumar Kateel said although his term got over a year ago he was continuing in the post due to the assembly elections.
Now, the decision on his replacement would be made by the party high command, he said.
According to party sources, the BJP legislative party meeting to elect their leader, which was scheduled for today has been cancelled.
"Today there is no meeting of the BJP legislative party. We expect that the leader of opposition will be decided by tomorrow (Monday) afternoon," a senior BJP leader told PTI.
Meanwhile, the Congress mocked the BJP's indecisiveness to finalise the leader of opposition.
In a tweet on Saturday, the party posted a picture of a chair with a caption which read, "Advertisement -- Urgently needed. A suitable person for the vacant post of leader of opposition of Karnataka assembly is required."
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MP: Woman, lover conspire to get husband killed; police looking for contract killer
Dhar (MP) (PTI): A 25-year-old woman and her lover have been arrested in the district for allegedly conspiring to kill her husband by hiring a contract killer, police said on Thursday.
The case was solved within 36 hours of the murder though the woman initially tried to mislead the police by claiming that robbers killed her husband, an official said.
Dev Krishna Purohit (28) was stabbed to death on the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday at his house in Gondikheda Charan village, about 60 km from here.
Superintendent of Police Mayank Awasthi told reporters that accused Priyanka Purohit (25) was married to Dev Krishna when she was around 15 years old. Priyanka moved to her matrimonial home after attaining adulthood but was unwilling to live with her husband, leading to frequent disputes between them.
During investigation, it emerged that she was in a relationship with Kamlesh (32), the SP said.
The duo allegedly hatched a plan to kill Dev Krishna and hired a man identified as Surendra for Rs 1 lakh do the job, he said
After Dev Krishna was killed, Priyanka told police that unidentified persons broke into the house, attacked her husband with a sharp weapon while holding her captive in another room, and fled with valuables.
But the inconsistencies in her statements raised suspicion, and eventually she confessed to hatching the murder conspiracy, the SP said.
While she and Kamlesh were arrested, police are looking for the contract killer, the official added.
