India News
Yeddyyurappa exits as CM, skips floor test in Assembly
Failing to notch up a majority in the Supreme Court ordered curtailed time frame, BS Yeddyurappa skipped the floor test and resigned as chief minister on the fourth day of being sworn in.
Parallels were drawn with former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee’s resignation before a trust vote in the Parliament in 1996, when the BJP was the single largest party but over 100 seats short of majority.
Yeddyurappa, being no Vajpayee, had been claiming he would manage a majority right up to the time he got up to speak before the question – whether he had a majority of MLAs with him – was put to vote.
In his emotional address to the House, Yeddyurappa said he had many dreams of developing Karnataka. “If only people would have given us 113 seats instead of 104, we would have made this state a paradise.” Attacking Congress and JDS over their ‘unholy alliance’, the outgoing CM said, “Those who were swearing on the names of each other’s fathers and calling each other names before polls, have now come together to form this unholy alliance.”
Yeddyurappa said, “I will lose nothing if I lose power, my life is for the people.”
“During the election campaign, I have traveled throughout the state for the last two years and have seen pain on the faces of people. I can’t forget the love and affection I received from people. I am very grateful to the people of Karnataka for the support we recieved everywhere,” said BS Yedyurappa.
“My only aim to form the government in Karnataka was to help the poor and farmers and waive off their loans. All that Congress has done is try to divide the society on the basis of caste and religion. I wanted to serve the poople of Karnataka,” Yeddyurappa told the House ahead of the floor test.
“People have blessed us with 104 seats. The mandate wasn’t for Congress or JD(S) yet they formed an alliance to form the government. I condemn the backdoor politics done by Congress and JD(S),” Yeddyurappa said.
“People have blessed us with 104 seats. I have everything in life: houses, land, money. But I have faced many a tests in my life,” Yeddyurappa said. “My entire life has been a test, today is one more test,” he added.
“If only people would have given us 113 seats instead of 104, we would have made this state a paradise. But I will fight for the state till my last breath. We will get 28 out of 28 seats in Lok Sabha and I will win 150 Assembly seats for Narendra Modi,” Yeddyurapa said.
He then said that he will resign as the chief minister of Karnataka. He will meet the governor after the Assembly session and submit his resignation.
Meanwhile, the swearing-in of 210 MLAs was completed before the Assembly adjourned for a small recess. The House reopened at 3.30 pm. BJP leader Soma Sekhara Reddy, Congress leaders Anand Singh, Prathap Gouda who were not present in the morning, were sworn in after the House reconvened.
About half an hour before the floor test was to take place, all MLAs were reported present. ANI reported at 3:14 pm: Congress MLA Pratap Gowda Patil who was said to be missing, entered Vidhana Soudha.
At 3:24 pm came report that Somashekar Reddy, BJP MLA and one of the Reddy siblings, made a grand entry into the Assembly hall for oath taking, five hours late. “I was with my brother in Taj West End. Nobody was in my contact. I don’t even know who are they, Anand Singh and Pratap Gowda Patil (Congress MLAs). I did not even go to Goldfinch Hotel,” Somashekara Reddy, BJP MLA from Bellari and brother of Janardan Reddy told ANI.
At 3:34, a report said, “Congress MLA Anand Singh reaches Vidhan Soudha; all legislators present in House”.
Earlier, there was speculation about the MLAs being pressured and lured by BJP to switch sides. Audio clips of BJP leaders allegedly offering money to Congress MLAs were released, though their authenticity was not verified and BJP denied the charge stoutly.
Muralidhar Rao, BJP state in-charge, denied having spoken to the BC Patil, the Congress MLA of Hirekerur. Audio clips of him and Sriramulu offering money and posts to Patil over the phone have emerged though its authenticity couldn’t be verified.
Congress leader BK Hariprasad, speaking to CNN-News18 alleged that Union home minister Rajnath Singh was controlling the two Congress MLAs by using central agencies like Enforcement Directorate and the CBI.
All that was over with Yeddyurappa’s resignation. As JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy awaited Governor’s invitation to form government, congratulations poured in.
“Democracy has won in Karnataka. The conspiracy made by the BJP has failed to authorize the anti-constitutional measures,” former chief minister and Congress leader Siddaramaiah tweeted.
Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee said: “Democracy wins. Congratulations Karnataka. Congratulations DeveGowda Ji, Kumaraswamy Ji, Congress and others. Victory of the ‘regional’ front.”
India News
Chhattisgarh: Prime Minister Narendra Modi hits out at Congress, accuses party of dividing Hindus
PM Modi quoted his predecessor PM Manmohan Singh and said the minorities had the first right to the country’s resources. PM Modi added Congress is now saying the population of the community will decide who will have the first right to the country’s resources.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi slammed Congress after the Bihar government’s caste census results were declared. He said the Congress party is dividing the Hindus as the poor people formed the largest part of the population. PM Modi was addressing a rally in Poll bound Chhattisgarh Jagdalpur
PM Modi quoted his predecessor PM Manmohan Singh and said the minorities had the first right to the country’s resources. PM Modi added Congress is now saying the population of the community will decide who will have the first right to the country’s resources. PM Modi asked if the Congress party wanted to decrease the rights of the minority. He further inquired whether the Congress party wanted to remove the minorities.
PM Modi continued to his attack on the Congress and asked whether the Hindus who formed the largest section of India’s population come forward and take their rights. PM Modi further added the Congress party is not run by its people and has been outsourced. He said senior Congress leaders did not have their say in the decisions made by the Congress party.
PM Modi said the Congress party is trying to divide the Hindus. He added the Congress party is dividing the poor. They are trying to destroy the country. PM Modi slammed the Congress party for playing with the emotions of the poor. He added the Congress party has divided India on the basis of caste lines for sixty years.
The Bihar government released the findings of its caste census. According to the survey extremely Backward classes (EBC’s) and other backward classes (OBC’s) constitute 63 percent of total population of Bihar. The Congress party has promised a caste based census in the country if it came to power at the Centre.
India News
India-Canada ties: India asks Canada to withdraw 40 diplomats by October 10
Canada has currently a total of 62 diplomats in India. New Delhi has instructed Canada to decrease the number to 41 at their high commission.
India has asked Canada to withdraw around 40 diplomats by October 10 as the diplomatic row between the two nations over Ottawa’s allegations of New Delhi’s involvement in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada. According to reports India has threatened to remove the diplomatic immunity of any candian diplomat if they remained in India after October 10.
Canada has currently a total of 62 diplomats in India. New Delhi has instructed Canada to decrease the number to 41 at their high commission. Boehm said PM Justin Trudeau does not expect to back down. He added India sees Canada as an easy mark. He said India is aware of Ottawa’s limited capacity to retaliate because of the presence of a minority government in Canada.
Trudeau is the leader of the Liberal Party. He shares power with Canadian Sikh leader and Indian origin Jagmeet Singh who is the head of the New Democratic Party in Canada. India had previously said it wanted an equal number of diplomats posted in the country and Canada. At the High commission in Delhi Canada has many diplomats compared to what India has in Ottawa.
Diplomatic crisis between Canada and India emerged after Canadian PM Justin Trudeau said the Canadian agencies have been actively pursuing credible allegation of a potential link the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar and the Indian government. India had stated Nijjar as a terrorist in 2020. India rejected Canada’s allegations and called them motivated and absurd.
Hardeep Singh Nijjar was the chief of the banned Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF). He was shot dead outside a Gurudwara in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada in the month of June. Ottawa expelled an Indian official over the case. India in response expelled a Canadian diplomat. Visa services were also expelled by the Indian government for Canadian citizens.
India News
Earthquake of 6.2 magnitude on Richter scale shakes up Delhi-NCR, North India
Reports said the tremors were felt acutely by people residing in high rises and many fled by staircase to the groundfloor and were awaiting more aftershocks.
Strong tremors lasting almost a minute rocked parts of Delhi-National Capital Region, and several northern states after a 6.2 magnitude earthquake at its epicentre hit Nepal.
Reports said the tremors were felt acutely by people residing in high-rises and many fled by staircase to the groundfloor and were awaiting more aftershocks. Similar sights were visible in the region’s office districts. The tremors were also felt in parts of Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand just after 2.45 pm. According to the Delhi Disaster Management Authority website, “Delhi is located in zone IV which has fairly high seismicity where the general occurrence of earthquakes is of 5-6 magnitude, a few of magnitude 6-7 and occasionally of 7-8 magnitude. Delhi thus lies among the high-risk areas.” The site adds that Delhi and the union territory region has already seen five earthquakes of the 5.5 to 6.7 scale since 1720.
There has been no report of damage to life and property as of now and reports are awaited on the situation in Nepal. Seismologists said the epicentre was 5 km underground in Bhatekhola in Nepal. The Himalayan country has already faced a massive quake on April 25, 2015 of 7.8 magnitude. Some 9,000 people died and injured more than 20,000.
According to the National German Research Centre for Geo sciences has said that magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck Nepal region. According to National Siesmological Centre an earthquake measuring 5.3 magnitude hit western parts of Nepal. No loss of property or life has been reported.
The earthquake was recorded with epicenter at Talkot area of Bajhang district, 700 km west of Kathmandu. Two earthquakes of magnitude 4.6 and 6.2 on the Richter scale jolted Nepal. The two tremors were felt within half an hour time. Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya came out of Nirman Bhawan with others, as strong tremors hit different parts of North India.
