Terror case: Mumbai police produce two youths in Mangaluru court

Bengaluru, Mar 11: Amid the prevailing political uncertainty in Madhya Pradesh with Jyotiraditya Scindia's exit, Congress leader DK Shivakumar on Wednesday asserted that "leaders may come and go but no one can destroy Congress."

"No one can destroy Congress. Leaders may come, leaders may go, that doesn't make any difference," said Shivakumar while speaking to news agency on the current political scenario for Congress in Madhya Pradesh.

Speaking about the Madhya Pradesh Congress MLAs, who are lodged in Bengaluru, he said: "All the Madhya Pradesh MLAs who are here do not want to lose their membership. I am sure they will understand, go back and save the government."

On Tuesday, Congress sent two of its leaders -- Sajjan Singh Verma and Govind Singh -- to Bengaluru in order to pacify some of the rebel MLAs who are lodged in a hotel there and who claimed to have resigned from the state Legislative Assembly.

After meeting with 19 party MLAs who have tendered their resignations, Congress leader Sajjan Singh Verma on Wednesday said they are neither willing to support Jyotiraditya Scindia nor in favour of joining BJP as they were "misled and taken to Bengaluru" in Karnataka.

"Nobody is ready to go with Scindia ji. They said they were misled and taken to Bengaluru, most of them said they are not ready to join BJP," Verma told ANI on being asked about the 19 MLAs.

"I just came from Bengaluru and now I am going to Jaipur. Besides 5-6 ministers and one MLA, we all are going to Jaipur. They (MLAs) have said they have the blood of Congress and they will remain in the party. Since Scindia was a senior party leader, all our MLAs followed his order as a courtesy," he said.

The Congress leader further claimed that BJP is using both "muscle and money power" to influence Congress MLAs.

He also claimed that he is strongly in contact with 7-8 BJP MLAs.

Most of the rebel MLAs are perceived close to Scindia and are apparently unhappy at Scindia being "ignored" in the party. The grand old party has been witnessing an internal turf war in Madhya Pradesh since the party formed the government in the state in 2018.

Scindia is likely to join BJP later today.

Udupi, May 24: Three among the 18 coronavirus positive cases reported in Udupi district today were policemen. 

A police constable of Karkala Rural Police Station and ASI of Ajekar Police Station were tested positive for COVID-19 on Sunday and authorities have taken steps to seal the Police Stations they were working. A policeman from Brahmavar police station also tested positive.

The district administration reported seal Karkala Rural Police station, Ajekar Police Station, and Brahmavar Police Station. Apart from them Karkala Town Station and Circle station are being sealed. All the policemen and policewomen working in these five stations will be quarantined.

Superintendent of Police N Vishnuvardha said that ''all the primary contacts of the police officers who were tested positive will undergo screening and their swabs will be collected and sent to Lab for test.''

Mangaluru, Mar 24: With four new coronavirus positive cases reported, surveillance against people coming out of their houses and wandering around in public places has been intensified in the coastal city of Mangaluru today.

With today's addition, the total number of positive cases of Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) has increased to five in Mangaluru.

All the four new patients are said to be Keralites. Among them three are undergoing treatment at Wenlock Hospital and another one in KMC Hospital.

There will be total restriction in place for the public to step out of their houses. Those who are found outside on the streets would be arrested, caution the district authorities.