No party invited to meeting; all interested parties have come: KC Venugopal on excluding JD(S)
Bengaluru: Leaders of all parties aiming to fight against the BJP will attend the two-day meeting of opposition parties here of their own accord, they need not be invited, Congress National General Secretary KC Venugopal said, when asked why the JD(S) leaders were not called for the meeting.
Addressing the media in the city on Monday, Venugopal said, “The JD(S) has already given a clear picture on its stand in the matter.” He also told the reporters to focus on the problems faced by the country rather than the leader of the opposition party’s confederation.
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said, “The high-level meeting being organized on Tuesday is to discuss the future of the country. It is not about a specific political party, but about the problems faced by the 140 crore people of India and we have gathered to try and find a solution to the problems.”
Shivakumar expressed confidence in the meeting, hosted by the Congress, bringing about a change in the national political field. “On behalf of the Karnataka Congress, I welcome the leaders of all parties to the meeting. Just as Karnataka witnessed a major political change through the Assembly elections this year, we are sure to see a change in the country with the results of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
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Another North Goa nightclub sealed; Kejriwal says corruption led to fire tragedy
Panaji (PTI): As part of a crackdown against tourist establishments violating laws and safety norms in the aftermath of the Arpora fire tragedy, Goa authorities on Saturday sealed a renowned club at Vagator and revoked the fire department NOC of another club.
Cafe CO2 Goa, located on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea at Vagator beach in North Goa, was sealed. The move came two days after Goya Club, also in Vagator, was shut down for alleged violations of rules.
Elsewhere, campaigning for local body polls, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said the fire incident at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora, which claimed 25 lives on December 6, happened because the BJP government in the state was corrupt.
An inspection of Cafe CO2 Goa by a state government-appointed team revealed that the establishment, with a seating capacity of 250, did not possess a no-objection certificate (NOC) of the Fire and Emergency Services Department. The club, which sits atop Ozrant Cliff, also did not have structural stability, the team found.
The Fire and Emergency Services on Saturday also revoked the NOC issued to Diaz Pool Club and Bar at Anjuna as the fire extinguishers installed in the establishment were found to be inadequate, said divisional fire officer Shripad Gawas.
A notice was issued to Nitin Wadhwa, the partner of the club, he said in the order.
Campaigning at Chimbel village near Panaji in support of his party's Zilla Panchayat election candidate, Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal said the nightclub fire at Arpora happened because of the "corruption of the Pramod Sawant-led state government."
"Why this fire incident happened? I read in the newspapers that the nightclub had no occupancy certificate, no building licence, no excise licence, no construction licence or trade licence. The entire club was illegal but still it was going on," he said.
"How could it go on? Couldn't Pramod Sawant or anyone else see it? I was told that hafta (bribe) was being paid," the former Delhi chief minister said.
A person can not work without bribing officials in the coastal state, Kejriwal said, alleging that officers, MLAs and even ministers are accepting bribes.
