431

#Arvind Kejriwal Shares PM Modi's 2013 Tweet Amid Tussle With Centre, 'Why Ordinance Sir?'

After the Centre brought an ordinance to give the control of 'services' back to Delhi Lieutenant Governor, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday retweeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi's tweet from 2013 and said, "Why ordinance Sir?".

PM Modi was the Chief Minister of Gujarat back then and had hit out at the ruling Congress party that was at the Centre over an issue. "Parliament is anyway meeting. Why could the Centre not take Parliament in confidence and give a good bill? Why ordinance? asks @narendramodi," the 2013 tweet read.

Amid the ongoing war of words over the Centre's decision on the ordinance on the transfer and posting of bureaucrats in Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday took to Twitter and shared the 2013 tweet while asking, "Why ordinance Sir?."

411

#RBI: Reserve Bank of India Withdraws Rs 2,000 Notes, But They Remain Legal Tender

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Friday announced the withdrawal of the Rs 2,000 banknote from circulation with the public being "encouraged" to deposit or exchange the notes at bank branches until September 30, 2023. At the same time, the central bank maintained that these notes will enjoy legal tender status even beyond the September 30 deadline.

The move came over six years after the Rs 2,000 notes were brought into the system along with the demonetisation of Rs 1,000 and the old Rs 500 notes in November 2016 to meet the urgent requirement at the time.

The central bank cited lack of use and the fact that the banknotes were nearing the end of their four-five-year lifecycle as reasons for the withdrawal.

341

#Swearing-In Ceremony: Several CMs, 11 Opposition Leaders To Attend Siddaramaiah's Swearing-In On May 20

Leaders of several "like-minded" opposition parties are likely to attend the swearing in ceremony of Karnataka chief minister-designate Siddaramaiah and deputy chief minister D K Shivakumar on Saturday in Bengaluru.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has extended the invitation to several chief ministers and party leaders and personally invited them to the event.

Kharge sent an invitation to Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren and he is likely to attend the swearing in.

311

#Karnataka: Siddaramaiah To Be CM, DK Shivakumar His Deputy in Congress Solution

Congress is believed to have clinched the deal for Karnataka chief ministership Wednesday, with Siddaramaiah likely to take up the top job and state party chief DK Shivakumar being persuaded to be his deputy. An announcement is expected to be made Thursday.

With Shivakumar's insistence on being given the chance to run the government dominating deliberations for over three days, a meeting between Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Sonia Gandhi via video conferencing late Wednesday evening is learned to have hammered out a solution. AICC general secretaries KC Venugopal and Randeep Surjewala were also present.

Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar have apparently been briefed about the formula in late-night meetings with Venugopal and Surjewala.

291

#Karnataka: Split Karnataka CM Terms For Siddaramaiah, DK Shivakumar Back On Table, Decision Likely Today

Karnataka Congress chief DK Shivakumar, who met party president Mallikarjun Kharge in Delhi on Tuesday, continued to stake claim to the chief minister’s post, forcing the leadership to put off the crucial decision until Wednesday. Party circles in both Bengaluru and New Delhi remained thick with speculation about Shivakumar sticking to his claim even after the leadership sweetened its offer to him by promising him a three-year term if he agreed to Siddaramaiah presiding over the CMO for the first two years of the tenure.

The party leadership will now hold another round of meetings on Wednesday before announcing who will lead the government in the state.

Rahul Gandhi held discussions with Kharge in the afternoon, before the string of meetings started for resolution of the logjam.