Congress govt in Karnataka united, says AICC general secy Surjewala
Bengaluru (PTI): Trying to downplay the alleged power tussle within the ruling Congress amid speculation about a change of guard in Karnataka, AICC general secretary in-charge of the state, Randeep Singh Surjewala, said on Monday that the party's government was united and accused the opposition of manufacturing stories to attack it.
Claiming that there were differences within the BJP and its alliance with the JD(S), he also attempted to portray the alleged political power struggle within the Congress as a media creation.
"A select group of news channels, instead of questioning a fractured BJP, which is on a fratricidal path and tearing itself apart, are questioning a united government that is solidly executing a direct benefit transfer to every Kannadiga family, with a cumulative total of Rs 58,000 crore," Surjewala told reporters here, in response to a question.
The Karnataka Congress government's guarantee scheme is the biggest welfare initiative in India, and naturally, the BJP is perturbed by it, he said, and highlighted the differences within the saffron party in the state and even claimed that the BJP and its alliance partner, the JD(S), are engaged in a "fratricidal war".
"In an attempt to hide their misdeeds and failures, the opposition continues to fabricate stories to attack the Congress and its guarantees. They are not merely targeting Siddaramaiah, D K Shivakumar, or the Congress government but are, in fact, attacking the people of Karnataka. We will decisively counter every such malicious move by the BJP and JD(S) against the Congress guarantees and the people of Karnataka," he added.
Surjewala's comments came a day after Chief Minister Siddaramaiah stated that his chair was not vacant, but still the media was reporting that a change of guard in the state was in the offing.
"There is no confusion among us. The media repeatedly reports that the CM will be changed, even though the chair is not vacant. Yet, such claims continue to be made. It is speculated and reported as a political discussion if we meet over food. Sometimes, even dialogues are fabricated about what we might have discussed, based purely on speculation," the CM had said.
Following Siddaramaiah’s recent dinner with select Dalit and ST Cabinet colleagues, speculation is rife within the Congress about a possible change of guard in the state after the March budget, under a "rotational chief minister" or "power-sharing" formula.
Several party leaders, including ministers, have commented on the leadership change, with some hinting at its possibility, while others have dismissed it.
Minister K N Rajanna, who is close to Siddaramaiah, recently told Deputy CM D K Shivakumar, a chief ministerial aspirant, that he should aim to become CM by successfully leading the party in the next elections, rather than pursuing the top post during the remaining two and a half years of the incumbent government's term.
A meeting of Congress leaders, ministers, and lawmakers from SC/ST communities, scheduled for the evening of January 8 under the leadership of Home Minister G Parameshwara, was postponed following instructions from Surjewala.
According to sources, the decision to postpone the meeting came after Shivakumar met AICC general secretary (Organisation) K C Venugopal in New Delhi on the night of January 6.
Surjewala is in the city to attend Karnataka Congress meetings to review preparations for the mega 'Jai Bapu, Jai Bhim, Jai Samvidhan' convention, which will be held under the aegis of the AICC on January 21 in Belagavi. The event will commemorate the centenary of the 1924 Indian National Congress session, which was presided over by Mahatma Gandhi.
State Congress leaders may discuss the ongoing developments with Surjewala during today's meeting or at the legislature party meeting in the evening, party sources said.
Surjewala said that the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee meetings are regarding the 'Jai Bapu, Jai Bhim, Jai Samvidhan' convention and noted that it was originally scheduled for December 27, 2024, but had to be postponed following the death of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh last month.
He said, "Union Home Minister Amit Shah insulted and mocked Babasaheb Ambedkar on the floor of Parliament. It was not just an insult to Ambedkar, but an assault on every SC/ST, backward class, and poor person in the country. From Belagavi, through this convention, we will give a clarion call to the entire country to demand the resignation of Amit Shah."
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Mathura boat capsize tragedy: Death toll climbs to 13
Mathura (UP)(PTI): With the recovery of two more bodies on Sunday, the death toll in the boat capsize incident in the Yamuna river in Mathura has climbed to 13, officials said on Sunday.
Search for three more missing persons is underway.
Superintendent of Police (Rural) Suresh Chandra Rawat said renewed search efforts led to the recovery of the body of a college student, identified as Dinki Bansal, near Devraha Baba Ghat and that of a man identified as Rishabh Sharma approximately 3 km away from the accident site.
The incident occurred on Friday afternoon when a boat carrying over two dozen tourists, primarily from Punjab, hit a floating drum of a pontoon bridge and capsized near Kesi Ghat in Vrindavan.
Most of the victims were from Jagraon and Dugri areas of Ludhiana district.
Teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) along with the district administration and local police were actively engaged in the search for the missing pilgrims.
However, strong currents of the Yamuna river and the significant depth of the water at the ghats are proving a hindrance.
Circle Officer (Mant) Sandeep Singh said the Yamuna river stretch extending from Keshi Ghat to Gokul Barrage has been divided into seven sectors.
The search for the missing individuals will now be conducted within this specific 20-square-km zone. A Station House Officer (SHO) has been designated as the in-charge for each sector.
Acting on the orders of the DIG (Agra Range), seven SHOs will oversee operations across the seven sectors of river Yamuna.
Giving details about the operation, Additional District Magistrate (Finance and Revenue) Pankaj Kumar Verma, citing NDRF officials, on Saturday had said although the search for the missing persons is currently focused within a 14-km radius from the spot where the boat had capsized, there is a possibility that they may have been swept much further downstream.
SHO of Vrindavan police station Sanjay Pandey said boat operator Pappu was arrested late on Friday night.
He is accused of failing to provide life jackets to passengers before allowing them to board the boat, and operating the boat at high speed. This resulted in the boat losing control and colliding with a pontoon bridge's drum, which led to the accident, officials said.
Police have registered a case and also arrested the contractor, Narayan Sharma, responsible for the repair work on the pontoon bridge.
Rawat said that on Friday evening, police registered a case under section 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) against the boatman Pappu (alias Dauji) and Sharma, and subsequently arrested them.
According to the case details, Pappu's boat did not have any safety equipment or provisions whatsoever.
Moreover, despite repeated pleas from pilgrims, Pappu operated the boat at high speed. By the time he realised the danger upon approaching the pontoons of the bridge, it was already too late.
Consequently, after colliding with a pontoon drum, the boat lost control and capsized. It has also come to light that he is among those operators who have not obtained the requisite license to operate a boat.
Sharma was carrying out the work of dismantling and reassembling the pontoon bridge without providing any prior notification.
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