Former PM Deve Gowda's grandson Nikhil meets Yediyurappa
Bengaluru (PTI): Days after the JD(S) forged an alliance with the BJP for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, former prime minister H D Deve Gowda's grandson Nikhil Kumaraswamy met BJP stalwart B S Yediyurappa at his residence here on Sunday.
According to Yediyurappa, Nikhil made a courtesy visit and had cordial discussions with him.
He said Nikhil's father and former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy too had called him.
"Kumaraswamy had called me and asked me to visit his house. I will go there and talk to him. Now that we have formed an alliance, people should know about it," the former BJP chief minister said.
On September 22, Kumaraswamy and his son Nikhil met Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP president J P Nadda in New Delhi and agreed that their party JD(S) would become part of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
The BJP as well as the JD(S) had suffered a drubbing in the assembly elections this year as the Congress swept to power with a thumping majority by winning 135 seats in the 224-member assembly. The BJP got just 66 seats while the JD(S) secured only 19.
#Karnataka.#JDS leader and actor Nikhil Kumaraswamy met senior #BJP leader @BSYBJP today. @JanataDal_S has joined @BJP4India-led NDA recently.@NewIndianXpress@XpressBengaluru@Cloudnirad@AshwiniMS_TNIE @hd_kumaraswamy@H_D_Devegowda pic.twitter.com/nxg63yYzug
— Ramu Patil (@ramupatil_TNIE) September 24, 2023
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.
Ban is not shocking, if I join BJP my ban will be lifted: Bajrang on NADA suspension
New Delhi (PTI): Suspended for four years due to his "refusal" to provide sample for dope test, Olympic medallist Indian wrestler Bajrang Punia on Wednesday said it was a vindictive move by the government which would quash the ban if he joins the BJP.
NADA said Bajrang violated the rules by refusing to give sample during selection trials for the national team on March 10.
The anti-doping body had first suspended the Tokyo Games bronze medallist wrestler on April 23 for the offence following which, the sport's world governing body UWW had also slapped him with a suspension.
"It is not shocking because this issue about trial has been going on for last one year. I have said in the past too that I have not refused to give sample to NADA. When they visited my home to conduct the dope test, they came with an expiry kit (in December, 2023). I have also posted this on social media," Barjrang told reporters.
Punia, along with fellow wrestler and Olympian Vinesh Phogat, have joined the Congress Party earlier this year.
Bajrang added in his defence, "You can't give expiry kit to any player and as far as I am concerned, my team was there, so they saw it. They came carrying expiry kits dated 2020, 2021, 2022.
"I gave my urine sample but then my team checked the kit and found out that it was expired. So we made a video of the kit and we mailed NADA, called them to inform about the mistake. But they did not accept their mistake."
The wrestler alleged that the government is looking to get back at them for their involvement in the long-drawn sit-in protest against former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, a BJP politician.
"I also feel that because of our protest in support of the women wrestlers, they are trying to exact revenge because all the agencies are fall under the purview of the government.
"I have been competing for the last 10-12 years and I have given sample during all tournaments, during the India camps. But the government's motive is to break us, make us bow down to them. If I join the BJP then I think all my bans will be lifted," Bajrang claimed.
The suspension means that Bajrang will not be able to return to competitive wrestling or apply for a coaching job abroad, if he aspires to, till April 22, 2028.
