Many top opposition leaders to share stage during Siddaramaiah's swearing-in ceremony
Bengaluru (PTI): Several prominent opposition leaders and Chief Ministers of Congress-ruled states will attend the swearing-in ceremony of Siddaramaiah as Chief Minister and D K Shivakumar as the Deputy Chief Minister here on Saturday as the grand old party seeks to promote opposition unity ahead of next year's Lok Sabha elections.
Eight newly-elected legislators are set to take oath as Ministers along with Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar.
Prominent among those who will be the star attractions of the event are Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Tamil Nadu CM M K Stalin, Nationalist Congress Party president Sharad Pawar, Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel and former Jammu & Kashmir CM Farooq Abdullah, the sources said.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, however, would be conspicuous by her absence at the event at Sree Kanteerava Stadium.
Former union minister M Veerappa Moily said the swearing-in ceremony could also be a launchpad for opposition unity and demonstration of strength and solidarity.
Congress President M Mallikarjun Kharge has also invited leaders of JMM, RJD, Shiv Sena, SP, PDP, CPI(M), CPI, MDMK, RSP, CPI(ML), VCK, RLD, Kerala Congress and IUML for the ceremony, the sources said.
Banerjee has designated TMC Deputy Leader in Lok Sabha Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar for the programme.
"Banerjee skipping the event has come as some kind of a dampener, especially after her recent statement that in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, her party will support the Congress where it is strong," a Congress leader said.
"Wherever the Congress is strong, let them fight. We will give them support; there is nothing wrong (in that). But they also have to support other political parties," Banerjee said recently.
Her statement came soon after Congress scored the emphatic victory over the BJP in the southern state bagging 135 seats in the 224-member Assembly.
"I have been invited by the Congress president (Mallikarjun Kharge). It (Karnataka Assembly poll) was an important election. Also, I have an old friendship with him (Siddaramaiah). I will be going tomorrow," Nitish Kumar told reporters in Darbhanga on Friday.
Kumar asked journalists to hold their horses upon being repeatedly asked about a meeting of opposition leaders, which his West Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee has asked him to hold in Bihar.
"Let me come back from the function tomorrow. We will take a call in due course," said the JD(U) supremo, who had hinted that the meeting could be held after the election in the southern state.
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GRAP 3 curbs revoked in Delhi-NCR amid dip in air pollution levels
New Delhi, Jan 12: The Centre's panel on Delhi-NCR's air quality on Sunday revoked Stage-III curbs under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) amid a dip in air pollution levels due to favourable meteorological conditions, according to an official order.
Light rainfall in and around Delhi triggered by a Western Disturbance -- weather systems that originate in the Mediterranean region and bring winter rain and snow to northwest India -- significantly improved the city's air quality.
The national capital's air quality index (AQI) stood at 278 at 4 PM on Sunday, 72 points below the 350-mark threshold for the implementation of Stage-III curbs, which include a ban on non-essential construction work.
Another Western Disturbance is likely to affect northwest India around January 14–15.
GRAP Stage 3, which was brought back on Thursday, entails a ban on non-essential construction work. Classes up to grade V are required to shift to hybrid mode under Stage 3. Parents and students have the option to choose online education wherever available.
Under Stage 3, the use of BS-III petrol and BS-IV diesel cars (4-wheelers) is restricted in Delhi and nearby NCR districts. Persons with disabilities are exempt.
Stage 3 also bans non-essential diesel-operated medium goods vehicles with BS-IV or older standards in Delhi.
During winters, the Delhi-NCR region enforces restrictions under GRAP, which categorizes air quality into four stages – Stage I (Poor, AQI 201-300), Stage II (Very Poor, AQI 301-400), Stage III (Severe, AQI 401-450), and Stage IV (Severe Plus, AQI above 450).
Unfavourable meteorological conditions, combined with vehicle emissions, paddy-straw burning, firecrackers, and other local pollution sources, lead to hazardous air quality levels in Delhi-NCR during winters.
