Karnataka BJP will face Assembly polls under collective leadership: Yediyurappa
Belagavi (KTK) (PTI): Karnataka BJP strongman B S Yediyurappa on Tuesday said 2023 assembly polls in the state will be under a "collective leadership", and that he along with other leaders will travel across to bring the party back to power.
The 79-year-old former Chief Minister even stated that he is committed to travel across the state for another 10-years, aimed at strengthening the party.
"There is no question of (me taking) leadership, under collective leadership we will travel across the state and will put in all the efforts to win the upcoming polls."
"As voters are with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP, there will be no hurdles in our path towards victory. We don't have any doubts about it," Yediyurappa told reporters in response to a question.
The senior leader said he is ready to travel any time anywhere across the state.
"I will travel across the state for another 10 years and will see to it that no party worker is hurt. I will take everyone into confidence and work towards strengthening the party. This is my commitment," he added.
The "Lingayat strongman" had led the BJP become the single largest party in 2018 assembly elections and subsequently ensured it came to power in 2019, with the support of a few Congress and JD(S) MLAs who defected to his party.
He stepped down as Chief Minister in July last year, paving the way for his confidant Basavaraj Bommai to succeed him.
Hitting out at Leader of Opposition Siddaramaiah, Yediyurappa said, the Congress leader is speaking lightly about RSS and BJP leaders as he is desperate, after getting to know about Congress's "defeat" in the upcoming elections.
"He (Siddaramaiah) is speaking indiscriminately, as he is desperate. He is speaking lightly about others as he is sure about his party's defeat", Yediyurappa said.
"Speaking lightly about RSS and others has become an obsession for him; it will in no way benefit him. In fact he is belittling his position as Leader of Opposition and former CM, by his statements," he said.
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Air India Express crisis: 5 flights cancelled in Kolkata; efforts on to get back to normalcy
Kolkata (PTI): Air India Express on Friday cancelled five flights on four routes from Kolkata as the airline is making efforts to get back to normalcy following the cabin crew-related crisis, an official said.
The airline cancelled two flights between Kolkata and Hyderabad, one each to Chennai, Cochin and Ayodhya, an Air India Express spokesperson told PTI.
These were among the total of 120 flights, both domestic and international, that were cancelled across the country on Friday, even after the section of the cabin crew who had been on strike since Tuesday night had called it off on Thursday.
According to the spokesperson, besides the 120 cancellations, the airline operated 246 flights to various destinations of which 20 flights were operated by Air India and two by Vistara.
Sources in the airline said though the cabin crew started reporting back to work, putting them on flights was not possible immediately due to a lot of technicalities related to rostering and re-rostering.
Things are expected to be fully normal in one-and-a-half days.
Sources also said that some time will also be consumed in the medical check-up of the cabin crew who reported back to work, besides working out the entire duty roster.
Notably, the strike (sudden mass sick leave) by a section of the cabin crew since Tuesday night had resulted in cancellation of more than 170 flights was called off on Thursday evening.
The airline also had withdrawn the termination letters issued to 25 striking cabin crew.
The cabin crew had started reporting sick to protest against alleged mismanagement at the airline.
