A responsible opposition party: Much needed today
Having defeated every conspiracy planned by the BJP to collapse the Cong-JD(S) coalition, the government has been successful in presenting its first budget. Normally opposition parties cause embarrassment to ruling parties by exposing their lacunae and lack of good administration. The opposition parties must show their efficiency in the first few months after they sit in their position. Unfortunately, when we look at the last few months in Karnataka, the opposition party is trying to turn resorts into assembly house and is attempting to weaken the government.
BJP tried to create unrest with its ‘operation Kamala’ instead of the failure of administration if any, in the session. Yeddyurappa and his team insisted that the coalition government did not have majority and it should be allowed to present the budget. They even ensured a few days of session were lost with this ruckus. But One wouldn’t ever understand how they were claiming that the government had lost its numbers.
MLAs have not gone in groups to the Governor to claim they had withdrawn support. Even if that happens, vote of trust needs to be proved on the floor of the house. There have been no developments amounting to this step, even by the BJP. Some MLAs are in Mumbai and are expressing their displeasure about the government, and that they are in touch with the BJP should lead to the fall of a government? This is the biggest mockery of democracy.
After all this, it’s not the government that needs to resign but the BJP leaders who are claiming to form the government every fortnight or so. They need to quit their posts. They are indulging in horse trading in daylight which is against the spirit of constitution. Only an immature politician can claim the government has lost its support with the assurance that MLAs can be “bought”. Two days of session lost is a big loss for the state. BJP owes people an explanation on this.
Along with this, CM Kumaraswamy has released audio recording of Yeddyurappa’s ‘horse trading’ attempt in the session on Friday. Such an audio was released even before the government was formed and BSY was speaking to a JD(S) leader offering him a price for detracting. The recent audio only proves Yeddyurappa’s efforts have not stopped after all this, and he is still hopeful of collapsing a government. Though the BJP leaders are trying to sweep this under the carpet saying the voice is not that of Yeddyurappa, it does not quite seem like a mimic of his voice since he has openly made such efforts in the last few months.
A BJP leader who was victim of this horse trading had even held a press conference on this. Now this audio needs to be vetted to understand whether this is fake or original. And if indeed the horse trading is on, the culprits engaging in this have to be arrested and their financial statuses should be investigated into. Since centre has BJP government, this seems to be impossible as of now. But the horse trading has surely affected the administration. Hence JD(S) and Congress MLAs who are often seen in BJP camp trying to blackmail, have to be acted upon. The sale happens only when there’s something to be sold. If buying is a crime, selling too is one. Hence the MLAs have to be controlled as a primary step.
This horse trading has affected the image of BJP and especially of BSY. His claims of ‘government is weak, and we’ll be in the chair soon’ are weakening the already battered BJP. Party insiders say the leaders within BJP are prompting him to act this way so that his image suffers a beating. This way, he is projected like a power hungry leader. Operation Kamala is creating a tentative insecurity to the government and the government has to spend time taming the MLAs from going to BJP over carrying out developmental works.
More attempts of Operation Kamala will also mean there’d be more corruption within the government. To buy MLAs or to retain them, both parties will have to spend a lot of money. This may put the government into the hands of corrupt. Having lost the race to form the government, BJP should behave like a responsible opposition party and perform its duty. It should work towards the welfare of the people by exposing any inefficiencies in governance and administration by the government. Else, in this petty fight for power, a voter will be the biggest loser.
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Iran Shocks World, Hits F-35
America's most advanced fighter jet, the F-35, was never hit in combat — not once, in its entire history. Countries spend over ₹900 crore to buy just one of these aircraft. The whole world believed this plane was untouchable. Then, on March 19, something happened over Iranian skies that shocked military experts across the globe.
Iran hit it. And nobody saw it coming.
America Was Too Confident — That Was the Problem
Before understanding how this happened, you need to understand what America believed going into this. The US had been bombing Iran since February 28. After roughly 20 days of heavy strikes, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that Iran's air defences were completely destroyed — finished, flattened, gone.
US President Donald Trump even said proudly, "We can fly wherever we want, and no one is even firing at us."
Based on this confidence, America flew its prized F-35 deep into the heart of central Iran. That alone tells you how sure they were. You don't send your most expensive jet into enemy territory unless you believe there is zero danger.
But Iran, a country under heavy international sanctions, still had something left. And it used that something extremely well.
So How Did Iran Actually Hit a Stealth Jet?
Here is where it gets interesting for regular people to understand.
We have all heard the word "stealth" — it sounds like the plane is completely invisible. But India Today explained that stealth only means it is hard to detect by radar. Hard — not impossible. It does not mean the aircraft is totally invisible.
Think of it this way. Even if you cannot see someone in a dark room, you can still feel their body heat if they stand close enough. That is almost exactly what happened here.
The F-35's engines produce enormous heat. Iran's weapon likely used an infrared sensor — basically a heat-seeking system — to detect that heat, lock onto it, and follow the jet. No radar needed. The F-35's biggest advantage, its radar-invisibility, simply did not matter.
The weapon Iran likely used was the 358 missile — also called SA-67 — which is a loitering munition. Think of it as a slow, intelligent drone that flies around patiently waiting, scanning the sky for heat signals from aircraft engines. Once it finds one, it chases it down. Iran has used this exact weapon before against American MQ-9 Reaper drones — and since this war started, America has already lost more than 12 of those drones.
This Has Happened Before — In 1999
This is not the first time America's "invisible" aircraft was brought down by a smarter enemy.
In 1999, during NATO's bombing campaign over Serbia, the US flew its F-117 Nighthawk — which was then considered the world's most advanced stealth aircraft. Serbian forces shot it down using an old Soviet missile system from the 1960s. Not with new technology — with clever thinking. They briefly switched on their radar, caught the jet at the right moment when its stealth was less effective, and fired.
The lesson both then and now is the same — no aircraft is completely invincible. Smart tactics can beat expensive technology.
Why This Changes Everything in the Iran War
Here is the bigger picture that really matters.
America and Israel had told the world that Iran's air defences were basically dead. Based on that, they sent massive B-1 and B-2 bombers — aircraft that are normally used only when a country is 100% sure it controls the enemy's sky. That is a huge military risk to take.
But if an F-35 — the most advanced aircraft in the sky — can still be hit, then Iran's defences are clearly not dead. Some pieces are still very much alive and working.
This means the US and Israel may now be forced to completely rethink their war plan. Their jets may need to fly higher, use longer-range weapons, and spend far more time and money finding where Iran's remaining defence systems are hiding underground.
Around 15 countries use the F-35 today. Even India was offered this jet by Trump during PM Modi's White House visit — though India has not shown interest so far.
Geopolitical expert Adam summed it up simply — a heavily sanctioned country just tracked, chased, and hit the world's most expensive stealth jet. That is not a small thing.
Sometimes, one moment changes everything.
(Girish Linganna is an award-winning science communicator and a Defence, Aerospace & Geopolitical Analyst. He is the Managing Director of ADD Engineering Components India Pvt. Ltd., a subsidiary of ADD Engineering GmbH, Germany.)
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the views, policies, or position of the publication, its editors, or its management. The publication is not responsible for the accuracy of any information, statements, or opinions presented in this piece.
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