Former CM H D Kumaraswamy slams BJP over degrading Karnataka CM post
Bengaluru, Jan 23: Citing delay in the state cabinet expansion, JD (S) leader H D Kumaraswamy on Thursday accused the BJP leadership of degrading the post of Karnataka Chief Minister.
Kumaraswamy also claimed that the Special Protection Group did not let chief minister B S Yediyurappa inside the Raj Bhavan the day Prime Minister Narendra Modi was staying there during his Karnataka visit early this month.
"..this is the plight of the chief minister of our state.
Does he need the post of chief minister for this?... This is the situation here," Kumaraswamy said.
BJP spokesperson Go Madhusudan rejected the claims made by Kumaraswamy terming it false and baseless.
Addressing the JD(S) convention here, Kumaraswamy said: "Is this the dignity shown to the Chief Minister? He is not even getting an interview (with party leadership).
He is being pestered on the issue of cabinet expansion," the former chief minister said.
Hitting out at Kumaraswamy, Madhusudan said: "The claims are false and concocted.
The fact is Prime Minister Modi was instrumental in bringing Yediyurappa back to the party fold. The two leaders have devoted five decades in building the party. We deny these statements outright."
Yediyurappa is currently at Davos for the World Economic Forum Meet.
He was awaiting the high command's nod to expand his ministry amid intense lobbying by aspirants but was asked to visit Delhi after returning from Davos, according to party sources.
Kumaraswamy asked the Veerashaiva community not to expect much from Yediyurappa.
"If you think that Yediyurappa is going to do a big favour to the Veerashaiva community, then it is for sure that he will make you repent in future."
On the issue of illegal foreign immigrants in the state, Kumaraswamy said many shanties were razed in Bellandur area in the city a few days ago but none of the illegal Bangladeshis were found there.
"Those who were found were the flood victims from North Karnataka who were residing in the shanties here," he claimed.
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Austrian police detain suspect in case of rat poison found in baby food jars on supermarket shelves
Vienna (AP): Police in eastern Austria say a 39-year-old suspect has been arrested after rat poison turned up in some HiPP baby food jars on supermarket shelves in central Europe.
HiPP, which recalled some of its baby food jars in Austria, Slovakia and the Czech Republic after the case came to light last month, said in a statement Saturday it was “greatly relieved” by the arrest, and would provide further updates as verified details come in.
The Burgenland State Criminal Police Office, under the direction of prosecutors, said a probe was launched after poison turned up in a baby food jar purchased at a supermarket in the city of Eisenstadt on April 18.
It said the suspect was being questioned, and that no further details would be immediately provided. The Burgenland public prosecutor's office has announced an investigation into suspected “intentional endangerment of the public.”
The Austrian Press Agency reported that an expert report on the toxicity of the poison was pending. A total of five tampered baby food jars were seized before they could be consumed, APA reported.
Authorities said previously they believe the tampering occurred in 190-gram (6.7-ounce) jars of baby food made with carrots and potatoes for 5-month-olds that were sold from SPAR supermarkets in Austria.
HiPP responded by recalling all of its baby food jars sold at SPAR supermarkets — which include SPAR, EUROSPAR, INTERSPAR and Maximarkt stores — in Austria as a precaution. Vendors in Slovakia and the Czech Republic also removed all of the brand's baby jars from sale.
The company said the recall was not due to any product or quality defect on its part, and said the jars left its facility in “perfect condition.”
Police said a customer at the time of the discovery had reported that a jar appeared to have been tampered with, but no one had consumed the baby food.
