Shots fired near Venezuela presidential palace hours after Delcy Rodríguez sworn in
Caracas: Gunfire was reported near Venezuela’s presidential palace in Caracas late Monday night, just hours after Delcy Rodríguez was sworn in as interim president following the removal of Nicolás Maduro, witnesses said.
According to a report published by NDTV, the situation was brought under control. The source said unidentified drones were spotted flying over the Miraflores Palace in central Caracas, prompting security forces to open fire at around 8 pm local time (00:00 GMT).
Bursts of gunfire rang out, but not as strong as in the pre-dawn attack on Saturday that toppled Maduro, according to a person who lives five blocks from the palace, who said the incident lasted about a minute.
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"The first thing that came to mind was to see if there were planes flying overhead but there were not. I just saw two red lights in the sky," the resident near the palace said on condition of anonymity.
“Everyone was looking out their windows to see if there was a plane, to see what was happening.”
Videos circulating on social media appeared to show tracer rounds being fired into the sky, while other footage showed security personnel rushing towards the palace after the shots.
The Communications Ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Agence France-Presse.
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'Betrayal of people's mandate': Tejashwi on Nitish's Rajya Sabha entry
Patna (PTI): RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav on Thursday said Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's decision to enter the Rajya Sabha was a "betrayal" of the people's mandate.
Yadav, the leader of the opposition in the state assembly, alleged the BJP has always been opposed to Dalits and OBCs, and with Kumar leaving the CM's post, it will seek to implement its agenda in the socialist stronghold.
"The BJP has done a Maharashtra in Bihar," he said.
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"We have been saying from the very beginning that the BJP will not let Nitish Kumar remain the chief minister after the elections. This is exactly what has happened. This development is against the mandate of the people and amounts to a betrayal of it," he said.
Alleging that the BJP had "hijacked" Kumar, Yadav said that was the reason the veteran leader was now moving to the Rajya Sabha.
"BJP is against OBCs and Dalits. They never want a leader from these communities to occupy the top post. They want a chief minister who will function like a rubber stamp for the top BJP leadership," he alleged.
"I had said -- 'Nitish ji ko ghoda toh chadhaya hai dulha banake, lekin phera kisi aur ke saath dila raha hai' (They made Nitish Kumar mount the horse like a groom, but are getting someone else to take the wedding vows)," he added.
Kumar, the state's longest-serving chief minister, filed nomination papers for the Rajya Sabha polls, paving the way for the first BJP-led government in the state.
