State Cong chief to take action to rein in leaders weighing in for CM post: Minister Parameshwara
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara on Wednesday said the Congress state President D K Shivakumar will respond to calls by some party leaders to rein in those weighing in for the Chief Minister post, in the event of leadership change in the state.
As Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's petition challenging the Governor's sanction for his prosecution in a site allotment case is being heard in the High Court, Congress leaders seem to be preparing for a race to become CM with several of them openly expressing their desire.
A group of Congress leaders on Tuesday wrote to Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi requesting him to warn party leaders including senior Ministers, who are weighing in for the Chief Minister's post, in the event of leadership change.
The signatories of the letter, including current and former lawmakers and some ex-Ministers, have also asked him to direct them not to issue damaging statements in future.
State Congress working president Manjunath Bhandary and MLC Dinesh Gooligowda on Monday wrote to AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge, asking him to curb speculation over the Chief Minister’s tenure.
"Some office-bearers and leaders of the party have written to the high command, and the state president D K Shivakumar will take necessary action," Parameshwara told reporters in response to a question.
Noting that repeated discussion on the post of Chief Minister is unnecessary at this point, he said: "Being in government we have to administer the state and fulfill the promises made to the people by implementing them."
"BJP is indulging in vendetta politics, they want to destabilise the government and want to ensure that the government's programmes don't reach the people, we will have to side step them and function," he added.
Asked as to why disciplinary action is not being taken against those in the party making staking claims for CM post, Parameshwara said the state president will look into it, on returning from the US trip.
On Shivakumar, who is also the Deputy Chief Minister, meeting Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha and senior Congress leader meeting Rahul Gandhi in the US, he said he was not aware of it. "I have only seen photos on social media and felt happy..."
When pointed at speculations linking Shivakumar meeting Rahul Gandhi to alleged efforts towards ensuring Siddaramaiah steps down as CM, he said: "Shivakumar has gone with family to US, coincidentally Rahul Gandhi was in the same city and hotel, they might have exchanged greetings, other than that I don't know."
While Shivakumar is seen as a prime contender for the post in case of any change in leadership, names of Parameshwara and PWD Minister Satish Jarkiholi too are doing rounds, especially following their recent meeting with party leadership in New Delhi.
A verbal duel of sorts had erupted between two senior Ministers -- M B Patil and Shivanand Patil -- about seniority as the yardstick to become the Chief Minister.
Senior Congress MLAs -- Administrative Reforms Commission Chairperson R V Deshpande and Basavaraj Rayareddy, who is Siddaramaiah's financial adviser -- too have expressed their wish to become the Chief Minister.
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Hazrat Nizamuddin-bound Vande Bharat Express gets delayed by 11 hours; passengers protest
Bhopal, Nov 25: High drama was witnessed at Rani Kamalapati railway station in Bhopal after the Vande Bharat Express for Hazrat Nizamuddin in Delhi was delayed on Monday by nearly 11 hours due to a technical snag, officials and eyewitnesses said.
Before the premium train, which otherwise departs from Rani Kamalapati station at 5.40 am, left for its destination in the evening, angry passengers staged a protest on railway tracks alleging they had not been intimated about the delay.
As a result of the delay, the Vande Bharat Express (20172) from Hazrat Nizamuddin to Rani Kamalapati station was cancelled on Monday evening. Similarly, the Vande Bharat Express (20171) from Kamalapati to Nizamuddin stands cancelled on Tuesday, Jabalpur-based West Central Railway (WCR) Chief Public Relation Officer Harshit Shrivastava told PTI when contacted over phone.
The semi-high speed train left for its destination in the evening instead of its scheduled time in the morning, WCR's Acting Public Relation Officer (Bhopal Division) Naval Agrawal confirmed to PTI.
Agrawal, however, maintained he does not know the exact departure time, but eyewitnesses said the train left for Hazrat Nizamuddin at around 4.30 pm, nearly 11 hours late.
The train was delayed due to technical reasons, he said, adding passengers were kept in the loop via different mediums, including train-related apps, about the delay.
Many passengers boarded the Vande Bharat Express (20171) headed to Nizamuddin, he said.
The Railways did not cancel the train on Monday keeping the interest of passengers in mind, the acting PRO emphasised.
Agrawal said the rail yard at Rani Kamalapati station (formerly Habibganj) was well equipped and has the expertise to repair and do maintenance work of the new-age Vande Bharat trains.
According to eyewitnesses, passengers who turned up at Rani Kamalapati station protested after the train did not depart for Hazrat Nizamuddin at its scheduled time of 5.40 am.
Some of the passengers, after a long wait, tried to entered the Shatabdi Express (which goes to New Delhi) at around 3.10 pm, but were pushed back by Railway Protection Force personnel, they said.
A group of angry passengers with backpacks then squatted on the tracks in protest, the eyewitnesses added.
The Vanda Bharat Express (20172), upon returning from Hazrat Nizamuddin to Rani Kamlaapati station at around 10.20 pm on Sunday, suffered a technical malfunction as a spring of C11 coach went kaput, sources said.
The train was taken to the yard for repair, but the snag could not be fixed in time, thus delaying its early morning departure, they explained.
वंदे भारत जैसी ट्रेनों का कोई भी मोबाइल एप्लिकेशन सही समय ही नहीं बतापा राहा है तो कैसी चलेगी रेलवे?? 8 hrs already delayed
— Ankit Swarnkar (@swarnkar_ankit) November 25, 2024
Train number 20171 Rani kamlapati to Hazrat Nizamuddin station @IRCTCofficial @AshwiniVaishnaw @ntes @irctcnorthzone pic.twitter.com/P9J7lyexW5
