Will present a 'pro farmer' budget in February: CM Yediyurappa
Bengaluru: Exuding confidence about the BJP winning in all 15 constituencies going to bypolls on December 5, Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Tuesday said there would be a stable government in the state and he would present a "pro farmer" budget in February.
Observing that the Congress and JD(S) were only making statements about a possible tie-up after the by-elections, but there was nothing happening on ground, he said in a way both parties have already conceded defeat.
"I have visited twice all the 15 constituencies and there is a pro BJP atmosphere everywhere, beyond our expectation. I have already said that we will win all the fifteen constituencies," Yediyurappa claimed.
Speaking to reporters in Hubballi, he said, Congress and JD(S) leaders have been giving statements about they being united, but there was nothing happening on ground.
"(JDS leaders) Kumaraswamy makes a statement, Deve Gowda makes a different statement, I don't want to react to it, but in all the 15 constituencies people are supporting us beyond our expectation, with an intention that Yediyurappa should give a stable and good government.
I'm committed to giving a good administration," he added.
The ruling BJP needs to win at least six seats in the bypolls to 15 constituencies to remain in a majority in the 224-member assembly, which would still have two vacant seats-- Maski and R R Nagar.
Pointing out that Congress and JD(S)could not come together and field a candidate against K C Ramamurthy of BJP for Rajya Sabha by-election, Yediyurappa said, "they (Congress-JDS) in a way have already accepted the defeat, so where is the question of Yediyurappa resigning?"
"Mostly Congress may seek Siddaramaiah's resignation as the leader of opposition after bypolls....
people will give answer to them on December 9 (results date), let them be peacefully until then at least."
Among 15 constituencies going to the bypolls, 12 were held by Congress and three by JD(S), whose coalition government collapsed due to rebellion by the disqualified MLAs.
With winning majority of seats being crucial for the government's survival, BJP has fielded 13 of the 16 disqualified legislators who joined the party as its candidates from their respective constituencies.
Assuring that he would present a pro farmer budget in February, Yediyurappa said, my intention is that farmers should come out of all difficulties and lead a peaceful life.
"I will try to find a solution to their problems and announce new programmes in the budget during the February session," he said.
As Tuesday is the last date for campaigning, political leaders in the state have intensified electioneering in various constituencies, in a last bid to woo the voters.
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Mumbai family deaths: FDA finds no watermelon vendor in area to check for affected stock
Mumbai (PTI): The Food and Drug Administration team probing the cause of death of four members of a family in south Mumbai's JJ Marg area have not been able to zero in on any watermelon vendor in the vicinity to check if the fruit had a role to play in the ill-fated incident, an official said on Thursday.
The Dokadia family, residents of Ghari Mohalla on Ismail Kurte Road, had hosted a get-together of relatives on the night of April 25. At around 1 am, hours after the guests had left, Abdullah Dokadia (40), his wife Nasreen (35), and daughters Ayesha (16) and Zaineb (13) ate pieces of a watermelon.
They suffered severe bouts of vomiting and diarrhoea in the early hours of April 26 and were rushed to a local hospital before being referred to the government-run J J Hospital where all four died during treatment.
"The FDA team visited the house of Dokadia and collected samples of chicken pulao and watermelon pieces. After two days, the leftover chicken pulao had developed fungus growth. The team also tried to locate watermelon vendors to check for any affected lots," he said.
But no vendors were found in the area for the past two days, preventing the FDA team from getting samples, the official added.
The FDA has requested the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) to share the report on the food samples collected by them, he added.
A senior Mumbai police official said the force is waiting for FSL reports in the case, adding that questions on presence of sedatives etc in the fruit could be answered only then.
The statements of the kin of the deceased are being recorded to ascertain if it is a case of mass suicide, and it is being checked if the Dokadia family were in debt or distressed over some issue, the police official said.
