Congress high command to decide on alliance with JDS after discussions: Siddaramaiah
Bengaluru, Dec 3: Senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the party leadership would take a call on possible tie-up with JD(S) to form a government in case the ruling BJP fails to retain its majority following the December 5 assembly bypolls in Karnataka.
His statement came even as several of his party colleagues maintained that they were not averse to the possibility of a post by-poll alliance.
"No, no such things, high command will discuss and decide about it," Siddaramaiah told reporters in Hunsur in response to a query on discussions on alliance with JD(S).
Earlier speaking to reporters in Mysuru, he said, there was no internal understanding between Congress and JD(S) during the bypolls, and both parties were seriously fighting against each other.
To another question on veteran Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge's recent statement about giving "good news" after bypolls results on December 9, he said, ".... it means we (Congress) will win in all 15 seats."
Several Congress leaders including Kharge have said the party was not averse to the possibility of joining hands with JD(S)once again to form a government, even as there were mixed signals from the regional party on post by-elections alliance.
The Congress and JD(S), who ran a coalition government for 14 months in the state and contested Lok Sabha polls in alliance, have parted ways after the collapse of the H D Kumaraswamy ministry in July following the rebellion by 17 MLAs, and are contesting the bypolls independently.
Siddaramaiah and JD(S) leaders- H D Deve Gowda and Kumaraswamy had indulged in war of words and accused each other as responsible for the collapse of the coalition government in the state.
The ruling BJP led by Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa needs to win at least six seats in the bypolls to 15 constituencies to remain in a majority in the 224-member assembly, which would still have two vacant seats-- Maski and R R Nagar.
Claiming that people were angry about disqualified legislators as they were "destroying" democracy, Siddaramaiah said, they have sold themselves for money and have insulted the voters.
Accusing the BJP of 'misusing' government machinery during the bypolls, he said people have decided to voted for the Congress in all 15 constituencies.
Among 15 constituencies going to the bypolls, 12 were held by Congress and three by JD(S), whose coalition government collapsed due to rebellion by the disqualified MLAs.
With winning majority of seats being crucial for the government's survival, BJP has fielded 13 of the 16 disqualified legislators who joined the party as its candidates from their respective constituencies.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Mumbai family deaths: FDA finds no watermelon vendor in area to check for affected stock
Mumbai (PTI): The Food and Drug Administration team probing the cause of death of four members of a family in south Mumbai's JJ Marg area have not been able to zero in on any watermelon vendor in the vicinity to check if the fruit had a role to play in the ill-fated incident, an official said on Thursday.
The Dokadia family, residents of Ghari Mohalla on Ismail Kurte Road, had hosted a get-together of relatives on the night of April 25. At around 1 am, hours after the guests had left, Abdullah Dokadia (40), his wife Nasreen (35), and daughters Ayesha (16) and Zaineb (13) ate pieces of a watermelon.
They suffered severe bouts of vomiting and diarrhoea in the early hours of April 26 and were rushed to a local hospital before being referred to the government-run J J Hospital where all four died during treatment.
"The FDA team visited the house of Dokadia and collected samples of chicken pulao and watermelon pieces. After two days, the leftover chicken pulao had developed fungus growth. The team also tried to locate watermelon vendors to check for any affected lots," he said.
But no vendors were found in the area for the past two days, preventing the FDA team from getting samples, the official added.
The FDA has requested the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) to share the report on the food samples collected by them, he added.
A senior Mumbai police official said the force is waiting for FSL reports in the case, adding that questions on presence of sedatives etc in the fruit could be answered only then.
The statements of the kin of the deceased are being recorded to ascertain if it is a case of mass suicide, and it is being checked if the Dokadia family were in debt or distressed over some issue, the police official said.
