Avert further crisis, remove mud over water pipeline: MLA directs MCC officials

Bengaluru, May The BJP Legislature Party meeting scheduled early this week is expected to choose the Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly where the saffron party will have 66 members.

Under the present circumstances, a large section of BJP leaders seem in favour of Caretaker Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai to become the Leader of the Opposition, a crucial position to corner the government in the Assembly. 

Senior lawmakers R Ashoka (Vokkaliga), Basanagouda Patil Yatnal (Panchamasali-Lingayat) and Karkala MLA V Sunil Kumar (Idiga) are contenders for the position, it is said. 

Speaking to reporters after a meeting of top BJP leaders, Bommai said the party's state president Nalin Kumar Kateel has convened a meeting of new MLAs in the next 3-4 days where various issues would be discussed. 

A senior leader said that Bommai - who belongs to the Sadar section of Lingayats - is in the race to become the Leader of the Opposition due to his experience of handling crucial departments like water resources, finance and home.

“He's a good debater, too. Therefore, he has an edge over others unless the party's central leadership wants to overhaul the state unit entirely and pick fresh faces ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls,” the leader said.

There are calls within the party to go for a Hindutva face like Yatnal or Sunil Kumar to take on the new Congress government that is expected to overturn several decisions of the previous BJP government such as repealing laws banning cow slaughter and regulating religious conversion.

They may be considered for the position of Deputy Leader of the Opposition, sources said. Even Ashoka and S Suresh Kumar (Brahmin) could be considered, it is said. 

Mangaluru, May 25: Major tragedy was averted at the Mangaluru International Airport in Karnataka’s Dakshina Kannada district when a Dubai-bound Indigo flight suffered a bird hit while taking off on Thursday.

According to sources at the airport, the incident happened at 8.30 a.m. and caused panic among the passengers. The flight was going from Mangaluru to Dubai.

One of the wings got hit by a bird when the flight had crossed the taxiway and was all set to take off. The pilot immediately informed the Air Traffic Control (ATC) about the incident and cancelled the take off, sources said.

The authorities made alternate arrangements for the passengers to fly to Dubai. The flight is being inspected by the technicians, according to sources.

More details are yet to emerge regarding the incident.

The Congress won the Karnataka assembly elections by promising free electricity, free ration and unemployment allowance in its poll manifesto, taking cue from the Aam Aadmi Party, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Sunday.

He said the AAP has succeeded in its efforts to bring some change in the country's political discourse as other parties are also now seeking votes on issues like education and health.

He was addressing AAP leaders who won seats in just-concluded Uttar Pradesh local body elections.

"The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has tried to change the narrative of the country's politics. If you look at Karnataka polls, the Congress party has won on our manifesto," Kejriwal said.

"We said we will provide free electricity, they (Congress) also said so. We said we will provide unemployment allowance, free ration, and Rs 1,000 (per moth to women, They also said so," he said.

The BJP is also now making such promises, he said, adding, political parties earlier used to seek vote on the basis of caste and religion.

The AAP won three Nagar Palika chairperson seats, six Nagar Panchayat chairperson seats and six Nagar Nigam councillor seats besides several wards in the urban local body polls that were held in Uttar Pradesh in two phases — on May 4 and May 11.

More than half of the AAP's victorious candidates belonged to the minority community, according to the poll results available on the state election commission's website.

Kejriwal congratulated the AAP's Uttar Pradesh unit leaders, saying it was a "difficult" election as the state is considered a BJP stronghold. "You worked hard and defeated the BJP, the SP and other parties."

Kejriwal said the AAP leaders' victory in several seats in the local body elections is an indication that people of Uttar Pradesh "are ready for change". "They want good governance and development in the state," he added.

He said the AAP will now focus on expanding its foothold in Uttar Pradesh and contest the next assembly polls with full strength.

"We will build our organisation with the help of Sandeep Pathak (AAP national organisation secretary). We will form active committees of 10 members in every village and booth. Once our organisation is built in Uttar Pradesh, no one can stop us," he said. 

Kejriwal asked the elected representatives to work for the people in various sectors like health and education so that the AAP is strengthened in the state.  

"All of you have got more responsibility now… If you do good work in Uttar PRadesh that fragrance will spread across the state. We will get an entry in Uttar Pradesh through you," he added.