Will continue in politics till I have people's blessings: Siddaramaiah
Haveri (Karnataka) (PTI): Siddaramaiah, who on Wednesday etched his name in history as the longest serving Chief Minster of Karnataka said he has come so far in politics with the blessings of the people and doesn't know how long he will be active.
While asserting that he will remain in politics until he has the blessings of the people, he also expressed satisfaction about his administration.
In his second term as chief minister, the 77-year-old Congress leader surpassed Devaraj Urs' record as the longest serving CM of the state for 2,792 days.
"One has to have the blessings of people to be in politics. With the blessings of the people I have come so far, I don't know how long I will be there (in politics). I have come so far, and will continue in the future too. Will remain in politics until I have the blessings of the people," Siddaramaiah said.
Speaking to reporters here, he said he is satisfied with his administration.
Hitting back at the BJP for claiming that Siddaramaiah's achievements were zero and that he has emptied the state's coffers, he said the opposition party leaders are experts in lying, and they keep doing it.
"Who brought the SCP/TSP (Special Component Plan and Tribal Sub-Plan) act? Did they (BJP) do it? Did they provide reservation in promotions? Who gave Anna Bhagya scheme? How can they say I did not do anything? They should ask people what we have done," he added
Siddaramaiah's unique record as the longest serving CM of the state has come even as the power tussle within the ruling party has intensified amid speculations about a change in chief minister in the state, after the Congress government reached the halfway mark of its five-year term on November 20.
The speculation was fueled by the "power-sharing" pact between Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM D K Shivakumar in 2023.
Stating that he has not done politics to break any record, Siddaramaiah had on Tuesday expressed confidence about him completing the full five-year term. He had also maintained that the Congress high command will have to decide on it.
Reacting to Siddaramaiah's statement his deputy Shivakumar had wished him "good luck".
Several ministers and Congress leaders considered close to Siddaramaiah have expressed confidence about him completing a full five years term.
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Nine dead as fire breaks out in residential building in east Delhi
New Delhi (PTI): A fire broke out in a residential building in east Delhi's Vivek Vihar early Sunday, leaving nine people belonging to two families dead, including a toddler, officials said.
The incident was reported around 3.48 am at a four-storey building in Vivek Vihar Phase-I, following which police, fire and disaster management teams rushed to the spot.
According to the police, the blaze engulfed flats on the second, third and fourth floors of the building, prompting a large-scale rescue operation.The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained.
The Delhi Fire Service (DFS) said nine charred bodies were recovered from different floors.
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"One body was recovered from the first floor, five from the second floor and three from the staircase which was found locked," the DFS officer said.
Those found dead on the second floor have been identified as Arvind Jain (60), his wife Anita Jain (58), son Nishant Jain (35), daughter-in-law Anchal Jain (33) and grandchild Akash Jain.
On the third floor, three members of a family were found dead. They were identified as Nitin Jain (50), wife Shailey Jain (48) and son Samyak Jain (25).
On the first floor a woman identified as Shikha Jain (45) was found dead while her husband Naveen Jain (48) sustained injuries.
A senior police officer said, "Around 10 to 15 people were rescued from the premises during the firefighting operation. Two of them, who sustained minor injuries, were shifted to the Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital."
A total of 12 fire tenders were pressed into service to douse the flames, while teams from the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), traffic police and local police assisted in the rescue and evacuation efforts.
Police said the fire was brought under control after several hours. Efforts are underway to determine the cause of the fire, police said.
Further investigation and proceedings are underway.
