With spike of 29,429 cases, India's COVID-19 tally reaches 9,36,181

Bhopal, Mar 15: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath on Saturday sought the intervention of Home Minister Amit Shah for the "release" of 22 Congress MLAs in Karnataka, saying they had been held "captive" and were under "pressure".

In a letter to Shah, Chief Minister Nath said the BJP's demand for floor test had "no meaning" till the MLAs do not reach the state.

He said that the MLAs do not have any means of personal communication and all efforts to reach them have failed.

In the four-page letter, Nath said Governor Lalji Tandon had told him that the responsibility of security of those who will come to meet the Speaker should be with the CRPF but as the Chief Minister, it is his duty to ensure the security of all residents of the state including MLAs.

"I assure you that if these 22 MLAs are released by the Karnataka Police, then I will ensure maximum security by the state government so that they are able to convey their views without fear and take part in the proceedings of the assembly," Nath said.

He urged Shah to use his powers as Home Minister so that 22 MLAs safely reach Madhya Pradesh and discharge their responsibilities "without fear or greed" in the assembly session beginning on March 16."

Chief Minister Nath said that he had been informed that the MLAs had been deprived of all personal communication facilities.

He said that a father was not allowed to meet his son and two ministers who were accompanying the father of the legislator were "arrested" and manhandled by the Karnataka Police.

"My efforts to reach them as also of their relatives have failed which proves my apprehension that they are under captivity."

He said the videos released in the name of MLAs to "mislead" the people of the state were similar. "This proves that all these MLAs are under pressure and they are being forced to act in a particular way," he said.

Nath said that he was drawing Shah's attention to the developments in the state since March 3 which were aimed at destabalising the government.

He said three Congress MLAs, one BSP, and one independent MLA were taken to Gurugram and two ministers of his government were able to "rescue" the BSP legislator.

He said the three Congress MLAs and the independent MLA were later taken to Bengaluru by the BJP. He said a BJP MLA and a party functionary accompanied them.

"Later, 19 Congress MLAs were taken to Bengaluru in chartered planes and the arrangement was done by the BJP," he said, adding that they were accompanied by two former BJP MLAs and a former minister.

Kamal Nath said the number of MLAs in Bengaluru grew to 22 and they are all in the protection of the Karnataka Police.

He said some BJP leaders from Madhya Pradesh can be seen in pictures of the place where the MLAs were staying. "All reported expenses on these MLAs are being borne by the BJP," he said.

He said the BJP leaders had told the media about the resignation of MLAs and they had not presented themselves before the assembly Speaker.

Kamal Nath said he was concerned about the security of the MLAs and had written to the Governor earlier.

"You would agree with me that the demand for floor test has no meaning till the 22 MLAs are in captivity. This is unprecedented that the BJP is demanding floor test and several Congress MLAs have been kept outside the state,' he said.

Houston, Jul 22: China said on Wednesday that the US has ordered it to close its consulate in Houston in what an official called an outrageous and unjustified move that will sabotage China-US relations.

Foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin condemned the action, which comes as tensions rise between the world's two largest economies. He warned of firm countermeasures if the US does not reverse its decision.

The unilateral closure of China's consulate general in Houston within a short period of time is an unprecedented escalation of its recent actions against China, Wang said at a daily news briefing.

There was no immediate confirmation or explanation from the U.S. side.

Media reports in Houston said that authorities had responded to reports of a fire at the consulate. Witnesses said that people were burning paper in what appeared to be trash cans, the Houston Chronicle reported, citing police.

Jun 13: The Congress on Saturday accused the BJP-led government of burdening the common man with high taxes on petrol and diesel and earning Rs 2.5 lakh crore since March 5.

Congress leader Kapil Sibal said while international crude oil prices have fallen and are at the lowest level in 15 years, yet petrol and diesel prices are skyrocketing and common people continue to suffer under the Modi dispensation.

He said instead of passing the benefit of lower crude prices to consumers, petrol and diesel prices were hiked for the seventh straight day on June 13.

"The government has earned as much as Rs 44,000 crore in the last six days due to hike in petrol, diesel prices. Since March 5, the government has earned as much as Rs 2.5 lakh crore by way of increasing petrol, diesel prices.

"If the government had even the slightest feelings for the common man, instead of benefitting the companies and the government, the prime minister would have helped the common man with reduced fuel prices," Sibal said at an online press conference.

According to a report by Care Ratings, he said the hike effectively meant that the Central government is collecting around 270 per cent taxes on the base price of petrol and 256 per cent in case of diesel.

The former union minister said petrol was selling at Rs 71.41 in Delhi on May 1, 2014, when international crude oil prices were USD 106.85, while on June 12, 2020, the price of petrol was Rs 75.16 when the crude oil was at USD 38.

He said central excise and VAT cumulatively account for 69 per cent of tax on fuel in India which is higher than anywhere else in the world. He said the tax of fuel in the US was 19 per cent, Japan 47 per cent, the UK 62 per cent, France 63 per cent and Germany 65 per cent.