Poor floor management in Karnataka Assembly: LoP Ashoka admits to communication gap
Belagavi (PTI): With a section of BJP MLAs reportedly miffed over "poor" floor management by their leadership in the Karnataka Assembly, its Legislature Party leader R Ashoka on Friday admitted that there was lack of coordination in communicating decision to its members seated on back benches.
Ashoka's decision to stage a walk out from the House on Thursday, accusing the Congress government of trying to protect the accused involved in the attack on a BJP leader by a ruling party MLC and his supporters, and their alleged inaction over police "highhandedness" against its workers, had ticked off a section of party MLAs, who wanted to adopt a different strategy.
Some legislators had openly expressed their displeasure against Ashoka, the Leader of Opposition in the Assembly.
BJP state President and MLA B Y Vijayendra, along with other legislators of the party, reportedly wanted to protest inside the House, and were surprised by the walk-out decision.
"There are media reports about confusion in the BJP. I would like to clarify that -- when we were taking decision on whether to stage a protest or walk out of the House yesterday, our party leader Basangouda Patil Yatnal (MLA) said that if we stage a protest, the debate on drought and (issues facing) north Karnataka will get hampered, and suggested that we stage a walkout," Ashoka told reporters.
He discussed Yatnal's suggestion with other senior BJP legislators seated on the front row in the House -- C N Ashwath Narayan, C C Patil, Araga Jnanendra, Suresh Kumar and also Vijayendra -- and accordingly staged a walkout, as ruling Congress had been accusing BJP of not allowing debate on north Karnataka by holding protests and causing disruptions.
"The decision to stage a walk out instead of protest inside the House, was taken with a good intention of allowing debate on drought and north Karnataka issues in the Assembly, but there was lack of coordination in communicating the same to party legislators seated on back benches. We will rectify it in the days to come," Ashoka added.
The developments on Thursday in the Assembly had caused embarrassment to the party and confusion among some legislators, as some MLAs had staged a protest inside the House, despite Ashoka's decision to walk out. However, they were later persuaded to withdraw their agitation, and stage walk out.
Asked if there is lack of coordination in BJP since the beginning of the session, he said, "we have been successfully confronting the government every day...if anyone has any issues, we will talk to them personally".
Ashoka said, on Monday and Tuesday the BJP will raise issues such as female foeticide, the Cabinet withdrawing consent given to CBI to investigate a disproportionate assets case against Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, and Minister B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan's alleged comments "disrespecting" the position of the Speaker.
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Punjab: Blast near army cantt area in Amritsar, hours after explosion in Jalandhar
Chandigarh (PTI): An explosion occurred near the army cantonment area in Khasa late Tuesday night in Punjab's Amritsar, the second such incident which took place around three hours after a blast outside the headquarters of the Border Security Force's Punjab Frontier in Jalandhar.
According to the police, an investigation into both blast incidents is currently underway, and no injuries have been reported.
The first explosion happened around 8 pm in Jalandhar, while the second blast occurred at approximately 11 pm in Amritsar.
Amritsar (Rural) Senior Superintendent of Police Suhail Mir Qasim stated that police received reports of a loud sound at around 11 pm on a road in Khasa. "Our teams arrived on the scene immediately," he said.
Preliminary inspections indicated that someone had thrown an explosive device towards the boundary wall, leading to the explosion, according to the SSP.
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Police mentioned that a piece of a tin sheet covering the boundary wall had fallen as a result of the blast.
Following the explosion, a team of forensic and bomb disposal squad visited the site to collect samples.
Amritsar Rural Superintendent of Police Aditya S. Warrier, who also visited the scene, confirmed that further investigations are ongoing. Police added that a team of army officials also assessed the situation, after which the area was cordoned off.
CCTV footage from the vicinity shows the explosion occurring at night. A local villager reported that his family was awakened by the loud sound and came outside their home to see what had happened.
Before the Amritsar explosion, a blast took place outside the headquarters of the Border Security Force's Punjab Frontier in Jalandhar district around 8 pm on Tuesday, causing panic in the area.
CCTV footage captured the explosion, which resulted in a cloud of smoke. An unidentified man was seen running for cover following the blast.
The blast ripped apart a scooter, damaged a traffic signal pole and windowpanes of a nearby shop. Locals recounted that the scooter, which was parked outside the BSF headquarters, Punjab Frontier, caught fire shortly after a loud sound. It belonged to Gurpreet Singh, who regularly delivers parcels in the area.
Talking to reporters on Tuesday night, one of Gurpreet's relatives said that the scooter caught fire as he was approaching it. He immediately called his father and informed him about the incident.
Jalandhar Police Commissioner Dhanpreet Kaur confirmed to reporters late Tuesday that an Activa scooter parked near the gate caught fire suddenly. She stated that Gurpreet is fully cooperating with the investigation.
Witnesses nearby reported hearing a loud sound following the explosion.
On April 27, an explosion occurred at a freight corridor rail track in Shambhu in Patiala. Police had arrested four members of a pro-Khalistan terror module, backed by Pakistan's ISI, for the blast.
In light of these incidents, opposition parties have condemned the AAP government for its handling of the situation.
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) President Sukhbir Singh Badal criticised Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, who also holds the home portfolio, over the recent blasts.
"Three blasts in 10 days, two in a single day, May 5: Jalandhar outside BSF headquarters and Sri Amritsar Sahib Army area, April 27: Rajpura rail track. Continued intelligence failures and the collapse of law and order are a matter of grave concern. Chief Minister @BhagwantMann, who is also the state Home Minister, is busy with mimicry and cheap politics. He has forfeited the right to remain in office," Badal said in a post on X.
Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring also slammed the Mann government over the two blasts.
"Back-to-back blasts have shaken Punjab. Yesterday in Jalandhar, and now near Khasa Camp in Amritsar, this is deeply alarming. Who is trying to destabilise our state? Why has the Punjab Government failed to prevent such incidents? What is the Government of India doing? Repeated lapses point to a serious breakdown of intelligence and security. Punjab's peace cannot be compromised. We demand accountability and immediate action," Warring said in a post on X.
