Decision on leadership change should be made by Rahul Gandhi, says CM Siddaramaiah
Mysuru: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday said that any decision on a change in Congress leadership will be taken only by Rahul Gandhi, and the party will accept whatever he decides.
Speaking to reporters in Mysuru, Siddaramaiah said he has already discussed the matter with senior leaders. “Rahul Gandhi will decide, we are committed to accepting his decision,” he said.
The Chief Minister dismissed ongoing speculation about leadership change, calling it a “media creation”. He said the issue had already been addressed in the Legislative Assembly and there was no need to repeatedly raise the same question.
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Responding to a question on former minister K.N. Rajanna meeting Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, Siddaramaiah said there was nothing unusual about it. “Let him meet, Shivakumar is the state Congress president, what is wrong in meeting him?” he asked.
It doesn’t matter whether I was in power or someone else was. It is not correct to say that I made, Rajanna the Apex Bank chairman. The appointment was made by the government when S.M. Krishna was the Chief Minister, Siddaramaiah said.
When asked about the status of the upcoming state budget, Siddaramaiah said he would share details once the preparation process begins.
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Heavy rain, hailstorms likely to lash Uttarakhand on Tuesday; IMD issues warning
Dehradun/Pithoragarh (PTI): The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a warning for heavy rain and hailstorms across several districts of Uttarakhand on Tuesday, as temperatures remained markedly below normal in the region.
Heavy rainfall is likely at isolated places in Dehradun, Haridwar, Tehri, Pauri, Nainital, Champawat, and Udham Singh Nagar districts. Most places across all districts are expected to receive light to moderate rain or thunderstorms, while higher reaches are likely to witness snowfall, officials said on Monday.
The weather department warned of thunderstorms accompanied by lightning, hail and intense spells of rain in six districts, including Dehradun and Nainital. Gusty winds with speeds reaching 40-50 kmph are also expected at isolated locations in these areas and other hilly districts.
In the state capital, Dehradun, the sky is forecast to remain partly cloudy with light rain and thunderstorms accompanied by gusty winds of 30-40 kmph.
The maximum and minimum temperatures in the city are expected to hover around 31 degrees Celsius and 19 degrees Celsius, respectively.
Maximum temperatures during the past 24 hours remained markedly below normal in the hills and appreciably below normal in the plains. While no significant change in temperature is expected over the next 2-3 days, the IMD predicts a rise of 3-5 degrees Celsius during the subsequent 3-4 days.
Rainfall was recorded in several areas after 8.30 am today, with Ramnagar receiving 31.5 mm and Nainital recording 26.5 mm. Other areas, including Pithoragarh, Khatima and Champawat, also reported moderate precipitation.
Authorities have stopped a batch of 36 Adi Kailash pilgrims at the Dharchula base camp and placed the high-altitude yatra route on high alert following heavy rains and hailstorms in the district on Monday.
Dharchula SDM Ashish Joshi said the pilgrimage was halted due to adverse weather conditions. The issuance of new inner-line passes has been suspended until the weather normalises.
With 1,700 passes issued so far, pilgrims already at higher camps are being monitored for safety, the official added.
