No leadership change, Yediyurappa will complete term as CM: Karnataka BJP chief Nalin Kumar Kateel
Bengaluru, May 28: Ruling out leadership change, Karnataka BJP president Nalin Kumar Kateel on Friday asserted that Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa is a "unanimous leader" and will complete the term, as he instructed party legislators not to indulge in any activities other than COVID-19 management.
He also ruled out any immediate possibility of holding a legislature party meeting, due to COVID, and said an explanation will be sought from Tourism Minister C P Yogeeshwara about his open expression of disgruntlement.
"There is no change, Yediyurappa is our unanimous leader. The centre (central leadership) has already made it clear that there is no change, there is no such discussion.... it is not the subject of discussion in the party," Kateel said.
Speaking to reporters here, he said, speculation about leadership change started ever since the 78-year-old Lingayat strongman took charge as the Chief Minister, and reiterated that "Yediyurappa has completed two years and will complete the remaining term too."
"There is no change.Covid management is the responsibility of every legislator, public representative and party worker.The Chief Minister is involved in it, all our leaders too are involved," he said.
Speculations have been rife for some time now that efforts were on within the ruling BJP to exert pressure for unseating Yediyurappa.
Recent activities such as visit by Yogeeshwara and Hubballi-Dharwad West MLA Arvind Bellad to Delhi, reportedly with an intention to meet the high command and express the feeling of some legislators against Yediyurappa's style of functioning and request them to rein in the Chief Minister, has given credibility to such speculation.
Also, citing certain decisions taken by the government, its handling of COVID crisis, and alleged instances of corruption, a few MLAs are said to be pushing for convening a legislature party meeting after June 7, the last day of the lockdown.
Ruling out any legislature party meeting immediately, Kateel said, "until COVID ends, party will not call any meeting...."
He said that all legislators have been given clear instructions to focus only on COVID and nothing else.
"I'm giving clear instructions that no legislator should be involved in any kind of activities other than COVID management.The only responsibility of every legislator is he should be in his constituency, serve people and take control measures," he added.
Earlier too there have been intense speculation in some quarters that the BJP high command is mulling leadership change in Karnataka in the days to come considering Yediyurappa's advancing age.
Though the BJP had officially rejected outright such speculation in the past, it refuses to die down, with some within the party like senior MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal giving credence to it with his statements, setting repeated deadlines for Yediyurappa's exit.
Responding to a question about comments by Yogeeshwara, the BJP state chief and MP said "I will seek an explanation on what he has said and why."
Yogeeshwara on Thursday had clarified that his Delhi visit was to discuss his own political future with national leaders and had nothing to do with leadership change in the State, but had dropped broad hints on his disgruntlement.
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Rajnath Singh chairs IGoM meet, urges constant vigil over West Asia crisis
New Delhi (PTI): Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday emphasised the need for round-the-clock monitoring of the West Asia conflict and called for a calibrated response to deal with any eventuality to ensure that national interests remain protected.
Singh made the comments while chairing a high-level meeting of the Informal Group of Ministers (IGoM) set-up to monitor the situation in West Asia.
The meeting was attended by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Oil Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, Power Minister Manohar Lal, Chemicals and Fertilizers Minister J P Nadda, Consumer Affairs Minister Prahlad Joshi and Minister of Railways, Information and Broadcasting, Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw.
In view of the "uncertain situation", the defence minister underlined the importance of round-the-clock monitoring of the situation and the need to respond in a calibrated manner to deal with any eventuality, an official readout said.
He stressed on the need to leave no stone unturned to ensure that the people of the country face the minimum effect of the conflict, it said.
It was the second meeting of the IGoM after it was set up last month.
The IGoM was apprised of the measures being taken by the government in the wake of the ongoing West Asia conflict, Singh said on social media.
"We also deliberated upon the next steps to be taken by the government to mitigate any adverse impact arising due to the ongoing conflict," he said.
The defence ministry said in the readout said, "In the meeting, the seven empowered groups of secretaries briefed the IGoM on the steps being taken to tackle the situation."
"The IGoM was apprised about measures undertaken by the Ministry of Finance to address concerns arising due to global trade disruptions and provide relief and support to the industry, especially manufacturing, and bolster investor confidence," it said.
It listed measures including notification issued on Wednesday on full customs duty exemption on 40 critical petrochemical products till June 30.
The ministry also mentioned announcement of a special one-time relief measure for eligible units in SEZs to sell manufactured goods in Domestic Tariff Area (DTA) at concessional customs duty rates to be effective from April 1 to March 31.
It also noted another notification issued by the Department of Revenue clarifying that the provisions of GAAR (General Anti Avoidance Rules) will not be invoked in respect of investments made prior to April 1, 2017.
"These measures will reduce cost pressures on downstream sectors including textiles, packaging and pharmaceuticals, facilitate supply stability in the country and provide requisite clarity for investors contemplating investments in India," the readout said.
Defence Minister Singh appreciated the government's decision to impose a 25 per cent cap on the monthly increase in aviation turbine fuel prices for domestic operations, with effect from April 1.
This step will help protect the people from sudden increase in fares, he said.
The government has accorded highest priority to domestic LPG supply, with refinery production enhanced to fully meet consumption requirements, according to the readout.
"The IGoM was informed that there have been no reports of dry-out at LPG distributorships, and delivery of domestic LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) cylinders continues as per the normal schedule. The temporary supply concerns arose due to instances of hoarding and black marketing, which triggered panic buying in certain areas," it said.
The ministers were informed that strict enforcement action is being undertaken, with raids being carried out across multiple states and Union territories to curb hoarding and black marketing of LPG, the ministry said in the readout.
Action has also been taken against some LPG distributors who engaged in malpractices, it said.
"To support migrant labour and low-consumption households, the government is ensuring adequate availability of 5 kg free trade LPG cylinders, and since March 23, over 4.3 lakh such cylinders have been sold. Special focus is being given to states where demand is higher," it said.
The IGoM was apprised that industrial requirements dependent on commercial LPG are being met, with over 80 per cent of pre-crisis supply levels being maintained to ensure continuity of operations.
"Special meetings have been held with ministries and stakeholders of different industries to understand their demand and meet their needs. Oil PSUs are ensuring continued supply of Auto LPG across the country," the readout noted.
"However, some supply constraints are being faced by private operators due to their procurement challenges, which is why lines are being observed at PSU auto LPG pumps. Wherever the autos are dual feed and can use petrol, they are being encouraged to use petrol," it said.
