Very difficult to predict next PM; I will remain neutral: Baba Ramdev

Agencies
December 26, 2018

Madurai, Dec 26: Yoga guru Baba Ramdev has said it was "very difficult" to predict the country's next Prime Minister in view of the current political situation.

Noting that he was "not focussed" on politics, the 53-year-old yoga guru said he would not support or oppose anyone in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

Talking to reporters at the airport here Tuesday, Ramdev said, "We can't say who will become the next prime minister (after the 2019 general elections)."

"We do not have a political or religious agenda... We want to make a spiritual India and world... Not Hindu India or communal India," he added.

His comments come days after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) suffered a big blow as it lost power in its earlier ruled Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.

The Congress won convincingly in Chhattisgarh, less so in Rajasthan and edged out the saffron party in a cliffhanger in Madhya Pradesh.

Referring to the Ayodhya dispute, Ramdev claimed that the BJP would lose trust if the 'Ram Mandir' was not built in Ayodhya now.

The yoga guru was in the state to attend a national executive meeting of Bharat Swabhiman in Rameswaram.

On Bollywood actor Naseeruddin Shah's remarks on mob violence in Uttar Pradesh, he said, "accusing India of religious intolerance amounts to degrading the country's pride".

The charge that country was religiously intolerant was tantamount to "ungratefulness, disrespect and treason," he added.

Apparently referring to the recent violence in Uttar Pradesh's Bulandshahr, Shah had said that at many places in the country the "death of a cow is being given more importance than the killing of a policeman".

The veteran actor had also expressed anxiety over the well-being of his children, who he said, have not been brought up as followers of any particular religion.

The violence, which occurred earlier this month over an incident of alleged cow slaughter, had claimed two lives, including that of a police inspector.

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News Network
December 19,2025

Mangaluru: In a decisive move to tackle the city’s deteriorating sanitation infrastructure, the Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC) has announced a massive ₹1,200 crore action plan to overhaul its underground drainage (UGD) network.

The initiative, spearheaded by Deputy Commissioner and MCC Administrator Darshan HV, aims to bridge "missing links" in the current system that have left residents grappling with overflowing sewage and environmental hazards.

The Breaking Point

The announcement follows a high-intensity phone-in session on Thursday, where the DC was flooded with grievances from frustrated citizens. Residents, including Savithri from Yekkur, described a harrowing reality: raw sewage from apartments leaking into stormwater drains, creating a "permanent stink" and turning residential zones into mosquito breeding grounds.

"We are facing immense difficulties due to the stench and the health risks. Local officials have remained silent until now," one resident reported during the session.

The Strategy: A Six-Year Vision

DC Darshan HV confirmed that the proposed plan is not a temporary patch but a comprehensive six-year roadmap designed to accommodate Mangaluru’s projected population growth. Key highlights of the plan include:

•    Infrastructure Expansion: Laying additional pipelines to connect older neighborhoods to the main grid.

•    STP Crackdown: Stricter enforcement of Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) regulations. While new apartments are required to have functional STPs, many older buildings lack them entirely, and several newer units are reportedly non-functional.

•    Budgetary Push: The plan has already been discussed with the district in-charge minister and the Secretary of the Urban Development Department. It is slated for formal presentation in the upcoming state budget.

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