Operation Kamala: Shameless show of lust for power
People are seething with the developments in state politics since the last few days. BJP had tried to clinch power through the ‘Operation Kamala’ route soon after the assembly election results had been out. It had even submitted a memorandum to the governor seeking permission to form the government despite knowing the fact that the party didn’t have required number of seats to do so. But owing to the strong political acumen of DK Shivakumar Operation Kamala fell flat on its face.
Yeddyurappa was humiliated to no end during that time even by his own party members. Owing to BJP’s hunger for power, HD Kumaraswamy’s installation as CM was delayed. Just when people assumed that BJP has taken the role of a responsible opposition leader allowing the coalition government to work on its duties, BJP has started out to play dirty politics again to clinch the chair of the CM. Since the last two weeks, BJP has taken all its MLAs and is sitting in a resort outside the state. Those MLAs who have totally forgotten their duties towards the people who voted for them and are totally drowned in luxury. Yeddyurappa has undergone humiliation second time over. The media kept crying hoarse that the government would be toppled by Sankranthi and dissenting MLAs would join the BJP soon. But that hasn’t happened, and the dissidents have returned to identify themselves with Congress.
This has given rise to some anxiety in the Congress camp and they have now taken their MLAs to another resort in the state, and have been safeguarding them with great care. This bad politics by the BJP is having a negative effect on the state administration. This has not only led to the loss of face for Yeddyurappa, his image is suffering a beating with every such move of his. People are viewing BJP with a lot of mistrust. Normally when the election results are out, every party would consider its possibilities of clinching power in some manner or the other. BJP did that and unsuccessfully too since they couldn’t get even a handful MLAs to be on their side.
With this being the case, Yeddyurappa should have spent time consolidating and organizing people to turn into a successful opposition leader passing on the benefits to the people of the state. A leader needn’t be a CM to serve the people. One can do that even as the leader of opposition by identifying the mistakes of the government and forcing the administration to correct its course. If the ruling party has to work well, it needs to have a good opposition party. Yeddyurappa is a very able opposition leader. But instead of using that, trying shortcuts to gain access to the seat of CM does not suit Yeddyurappa. His repeated failures do not show him in good light. Some leaders within the BJP are encouraging Operation Kamala most probably to turn Yeddyurappa into a laughing stock. And BSY is falling into their trap.
But one cannot blame only BJP for these developments. When goods are on sale, there’d be prospective buyers too. Those who are ready to sell their integrity for the sake of money, despite having won elections from one party and now all set to defect to another, are enemies of democracy as well. They are selling all the faith people have placed on them. Those who are in coalition government should know when they slip into the cesspool of operation Kamala, they are going to lose the faith of people forever.
They are using the greed of BJP to gain power, to ensure their own greed for power and money is met. Had they joined hands with other parties over ideological differences with their party leaders, that move would have had some weight. Instead, they are ‘using’ the BJP like the party is using them. They are pretending to join BJP only to threaten the leaders within JD(S) and Cong. And BJP is jumping with joy even at the mere projection of their willingness to join. Even the dissenting MLAs know BJP can never clinch the power. But the victims of lust for power, the opportunism within the coalition government and the others happen to be the hapless voters.
The BJP is spending crores on resort politics hosting their leaders in luxury resorts away from the state. MLAs who had to attend to people’s works are spending time in the resort. Tragically enough, some media are projecting ‘Operation Kamala’ as some moment of pride for the BJP. Media is an inseparable part of this dirty exercise. This happens when media and politics become illicit partners to defeat the democracy. BJP needs to gain foothold in the next elections in some states at least. Since it lost base in the five central states, it is now being anxious. As a result of this, BJP leaders are wondering if they can gain some power in Karnataka by hook or crook.
Recently, a Modi bhakt had said people had to walk for Modi, leaving hesitation behind. ‘Lajje Bittu Hejje Haaki’ when written in Kannada also means leave the ‘shame’ behind. This slogan was for people, but looks like the leaders themselves have taken this way too seriously that they have left shame behind. These are the most tragic moments in the history of democracy in this country.
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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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