Surjewala meets Muniyappa amid speculations of him leaving Congress
Bengaluru, Aug 28: Amid recent speculations about him quitting the party, Congress national General Secretary in-charge of Karnataka Randeep Singh Surjewala on Sunday met veteran party leader K H Muniyappa and held talks.
There were speculations about the former Union Minister joining the BJP following his meeting with Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and Health Minister K Sudhakar on August 26.
However, Muniyappa, who is upset with the State Congress leaders for their decision to admit a couple of local leaders in Kolar into the party without his knowledge, had immediately clarified that there is no question of him leaving the party and that his meeting with CM was regarding the development of Adi Jambava mutt .
Both AICC General Secretary and Muniyappa maintained that today's meeting was personal in nature as they share a cordial bond from the time of Surjewala's father.
"I had come here to meet him (Muniyappa) , as also to discuss the Bharat Jodo Yatra of Rahul Gandhi and the campaign related to it in Karnataka, as also to see that the downtrodden sections which he has championed for the last three decades of his life- their issues are addressed by the Congress party in a most effective manner," Surjewala told reporters after the meeting.
Noting that it was a personal visit, Muniyappa said they also discussed organising the party and bringing it back to power in the state.
"I have already aired my concerns to the high command- Sonia and Rahul Gandhi- also to Surjewala earlier and will wait for their decision.....I'm in the Congress party and will remain in it. There will be certain ups and downs in a large party and one can do nothing about it," he said responding to a question.
Muniyappa, a veteran leader, who has been a member of Lok Sabha seven times, had recently expressed displeasure over State Congress president D K Shivakumar and Leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah keeping him away while deciding on admitting local leaders M C Sudhakar and Kothanur Manjunath into the party.
He is also said to be upset at few of his own partymen for causing his defeat in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, and particularly angry at former Speaker K R Ramesh Kumar, who is Srinivaspura MLA in Kolar district, for the the way in which Congress affairs have been managed in the district, which has for long been a Congress stronghold.
Muniyappa had openly hit out at Ramesh Kumar on several instances.
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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.
