Today's Big StoryRebel Karnataka MLAs moved from Mumbai to Goa, one threatens to join BJP as Kumaraswamy govt hangs by a thread
The Janata Dal (Secular)-Congress government teetered on the brink of collapse on Monday as two independent MLAs withdrew their support and resigned as ministers.
All 30 ministers of the two parties also resigned “voluntarily" to allow Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy to reshuffle his cabinet to include rebel MLAs. The spurt of resignations (now at 18) has sent the coalition partners in a flurry with the JD(S) fencing off their lawmakers in a resort on the outskirts of Bengaluru.Fenced off: Meanwhile, 10 of the 13 rebel MLAs are still holed up in a luxury hotel in Mumbai. They were joined by H Nagesh, one of the two Independent MLAs and a minister who quit, on Monday.
Nagesh and R Shankar, the other independent who tendered his resignation, had been made ministers less than a month ago in a bid to give stability to the government. They have now extended their support to the BJP.‘Wait and watch’: The Congress has blamed BJP for fueling the split by ‘buying’ MLAs. BJP leaders like Rajnath Singh and BS Yeddyurappa, however, completely denied the allegations with Singh telling the Lok Sabha on Monday that it was “Rahul Gandhi himself who had started this string of resignations".
The Congress Legislative Party will be meeting today and the party has also issued a whip to ensure the attendance of their MLAs.In Other NewsAadhar amendment passed: Parliament on Monday passed an amendment bill that allows the voluntary use of Aadhaar as proof of identity for users to open bank accounts and get mobile phone connection. The Bill, which was passed by a voice note, also provides for a stiff Rs 1 crore penalty and a jail term for private entities violating the Aadhaar data provisions.Mumbai rains: A total of 11 flights were cancelled and another three diverted on Monday due to heavy rains that briefly affected operations at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport. The IMD has predicted heavy to very heavy rainfall in the next 48 hours in the city and suburban areas.ICC World Cup 2019: All eyes will be on the semi-final clash between India and New Zealand at Old Trafford. Although India is likely to stick to the five-bowler strategy, skipper Virat Kohli on the eve of the game indicated that he might have other plans. Read to know what you can expect from today’s match.Seeking reprieve: The founder of a trailblazing restaurant chain Saravana Bhavan, P Rajagopal, sentenced to life for the murder of a love rival launched a Supreme Court appeal to delay the beginning of his term Monday, citing ill-health. His request will be taken up for consideration on Tuesday.The big trial: The billionaire sex offender Jeffrey Epstein on Monday pleaded not guilty to charges of sex trafficking. Epstein, who was arrested on Saturday, had allegedly “sexually exploited and abused dozens of minor girls" from 2002 to 2005. The investigations also heralded a trove of nude photos.On Our SpecialsMore controversy: Midway through its term, the CPM government has been hurtling from one controversy to another in Kerala, its last fortress after the loss of West Bengal and Tripura. Barely managing to douse the public ire over unprecedented floods that ravaged the state last year, the shoddy handling of the communally charged Sabarimala temple issue and the rout in the recent Lok Sabha elections, the CPM is now convulsed by a spate of fresh controversies. Kay Benedict writes about how incidences of custodial deaths, the suicide of an NRI and rape show the deep malaise ailing Kerala’s CPI(M).Unjustified: On Sunday, actor Shabana Azmi stirred controversy by alleging that anyone critical of the Narendra Modi government was being branded anti-national. Former Union minister and BJP leader Shahnawaz Hussain was quick to retaliate saying that similar allegations had been levelled by the ‘award wapsi gang’ in 2014. Rasheed Kidwai argues how Shahnawaz Hussain’s criticism of the actor is a bit unfair as it does not take into account her courageous stand against Congress over Safdar Hashmi’s killing.On Reel
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