Senior Congress leader C M Ibrahim resigns from Congress, likely to join JD(S)
Bengaluru, Mar 12: Senior Congress leader and MLC C M Ibrahim on Saturday said he has resigned from the primary membership of the party, and was inclined to join the JD(S).
The senior politician, however, said he will announce his decision to join the regional party after discussing with the JD(S) leadership, including former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda, in a couple of days.
Reacting to the possibility of Ibrahim joining JD(S), Deve Gowda said the party will discuss and take a decision.
"I'm resigning from the primary membership of the Congress. I have sent a signed letter to Sonia Gandhi (Congress National President)," Ibrahim told reporters here.
Stating that he is also resigning as MLC, he said, "I have sent in the letter addressed to Chairman Legislative Council to Leader of Opposition (Assembly) Siddaramaiah, he can get it accepted by submitting. I have done this because, in case my resignation is accepted, BJP will get majority in the council and can easily get the anti-conversion bill (which is pending in the Council) passed. I leave it to them."
"I'm a free man now and have freedom to make any decision," he added, as he thanked national and state Congress leaders, including Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Siddaramaiah and PCC chief D K Shivakumar.
Ibrahim, a former Union minister and one-time close associate of Deve Gowda, had joined Congress in 2008, and had been sulking for some time now, upset with the party and Siddaramaiah.
His decision to quit the Congress comes in the wake of the party appointing B K Hariprasad as the Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council, the post which he was eyeing.
He has also accused the Congress of neglecting the minority community leaders, and using the community only as vote bank.
Noting that he has resigned from Congress for the sake of "self-esteem", Ibrahim said he will be meeting JD(S) patriarch Deve Gowda and former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy in a couple of days and will announce his decision.
"Though I had pressure from other friends (from various parties), my wish is JD(S) as Deve Gowda knows me and I know him. Instead of taking an unknown path, it's better to take a known path...I will discuss with them and make an announcement," he said, adding that the JD(S) has all the possibility of coming to power in the state in the 2023 assembly polls.
Ibrahim had left JD(S) after the 2004 Lok Sabha elections. He was later associated with "AHINDA" (a social movement forged by minorities, backwards and Dalits) in Karnataka led by Siddaramaiah, before both joined the Congress.
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Delhi-bound Air India flight carrying MPs diverted due to snag, Venugopal says it was 'harrowing'
New Delhi (PTI): Senior Congress leader and Chairman of Parliament's Public Accounts Committee K C Venugopal has claimed that an Air India flight carrying him and several other MPs from Thiruvananthapuram to Delhi "came frighteningly close to tragedy".
In a statement, the airline said that Air India flight AI2455, flying from Thiruvananthapuram to Delhi, was diverted to Chennai on Sunday evening due to a technical issue.
In a post on X on Sunday night, Venugopal said, "Air India flight AI 2455 from Trivandrum to Delhi -- carrying myself, several MPs and hundreds of passengers -- came frighteningly close to tragedy today."
"What began as a delayed departure turned into a harrowing journey. Shortly after take-off, we were hit by unprecedented turbulence. About an hour later, the Captain announced a flight signal fault and diverted to Chennai...
"For nearly two hours, we circled the airport awaiting clearance to land, until a heart-stopping moment during our first attempt -- another aircraft was reportedly on the same runway. In that split second, the Captain's quick decision to pull up saved every life on board. The flight landed safely on the second attempt," he said.
"We were saved by skill and luck. Passenger safety cannot depend on luck. I urge @DGCAIndia and @MoCA_GoI to investigate this incident urgently, fix accountability, and ensure such lapses never happen again," the Congress leader wrote.
Responding to Venugopal on X, Air India said, "We would like to clarify that the diversion to Chennai was precautionary due to a suspected technical issue and poor weather conditions."
"A go-around was instructed by Chennai ATC (air traffic control) during the first attempted landing at Chennai airport, not because of the presence of another aircraft on the runway ... Our pilots are well-trained to handle such situations, and in this case, they followed standard procedures throughout the flight," Air India claimed.
"We understand that such an experience can be unsettling and regret the inconvenience the diversion may have caused to you. However, safety is always our priority," the airline added.
The flight AI2455, operated with an Airbus A320 aircraft, was airborne for more than two hours, according to information available on the flight tracking website Flightradar24.com.
"The flight crew of AI2455 operating from Thiruvananthapuram to Delhi on August 10 made a precautionary diversion to Chennai due to a suspected technical issue and given the weather conditions en route," the airline said in a statement earlier.
Air India said the flight landed safely in Chennai, where the aircraft will undergo the necessary checks.
Alternative arrangements are being made to fly the passengers to their destinations at the earliest, Air India said, and regretted the inconvenience caused.
Details about the number of passengers were not available.
The flight took off a little past 8 pm from Thiruvananthapuram and landed in Chennai at around 10.35 pm, according to Flightradar24.com.
In recent weeks, there have been instances of Air India's aircraft facing technical snags.
