Cabinet expansion: The veiled discontentment
The very first labour of coalition government has borne great results. History has shown that even absolute majority governments often face challenging situations while distributing the power offices to MLAs, and this government is resting on a weak foundation in terms of coalition partners. Cabinet expansion is much like proving the trust vote second time over, just so that no one leaves your side and the government remains safe and sound. And just as it happens, dissidence too has set in among the berth aspirants who weren’t made ministers this time. Some had expected at least a handful of disappointed MLAs would go and join the other side that’s waiting for its chance. But with no such thing happening, those seeking some drama over this are being disappointed. The major achievement as of now is that the whole unit is staying together.
The baby of a cabinet that was born after this difficult labour, is healthy and happy. Even the mother is doing good! So this is a massive accomplishment. Dissidence in this context is running like an undercurrent now. CM Kumaraswamy has to continue functioning even amidst this chaos. Some MLAs in Congress have made their unhappiness over not being made part of the cabinet so evident that it can take the party by storm anytime now. As expected, Vokkaligas have got maximum seats in the cabinet. Even in Congress, the control indirectly exists in minister D K Shivakumar’s hands. Lingayats are in second position on this, while the man who spearheaded the Lingayat-separate-dharma movement in last government, M B Patil has been kept out of the cabinet. The Lingayat movement had created some massive strides in RSS circles because lakhs of people had come together demanding a separate religion tag for their community. This had created a massive division between Lingayats and Veerashaivas. Congress had to face the accusation of having tried to polarize in the name of separate dharma. Owing to the fact that Lingayats didn’t vote favourably for Congress, the party seems to have set this agenda aside for the moment and hence M B Patil has been ignored. Patil voiced his unhappiness rather openly too.
How will this influence the Lingayat movement in the coming days? Only time holds the answer for this. Another Congress leader Satish Jarkiholi, who is trying to build his own political force, has also been ignored in the new cabinet. Coming from a Dalit community, Satish has set up a secular brigade ‘Manava Bandhutva’ (Human bonds) and was a major aspirant of a berth this time. He is also economically very strong as well and can be a fit alternative for D K Shivakumar among the Dalits. Hence the Cong leaders are keeping Jarkiholi at a distance, by using his brother Ramesh Jarkiholi and made him the minister. Now obviously, one family cannot have two ministers! That’s a smart move. Almost inactive but influential leaders such as R V Deshpande have been successful in clinching a berth owing to their caste and economic prowess. U T Khader and Zameer have managed a berth each, representing coastal Karnataka. Having come from JD(S) Zameer had to be made the minister from Cong side, but one does wonder if he would have been given bigger responsibility had be stayed loyal to JD(S). H Vishwanath too is an aspirant in JD(S). He has played a massive role in defeating Siddaramaiah in Chamundeshwari. He has also been kept at an arm’s length now. Shamanur and H K Patil are among deserving ministers, but many others have been kept out of the berth. Datta should have been nominated to upper house. But all values have fallen flat before money power.
All those dissident voices are sure to blackmail the new government, with BJP using this to its advantage. CM Kumaraswamy will have to ensure he runs a government managing every elected representative. But then ever since he took oath, the second time CM has been busy conducting rituals after rituals and watching out for auspicious time for every government duty. Dalit leader Parameshwar who is the Deputy CM, has surrendered himself to Vaidika rituals completely forgetting the ideals of Ambedkar. The only ray of hope in this situation is Mahesh from BSP who has been given a berth. The community hopes he’d hold up their ideals for better future.
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US SC rejects 26/11 attack accused Tahawwur Rana’s plea seeking stay on his extradition to India
New York, Apr 7 (PTI): The US Supreme Court has rejected 26/11 Mumbai terror attack accused Tahawwur Rana's appeal seeking a stay on his extradition to India, moving him closer to being handed over to Indian authorities to face justice.
Rana, 64, a Canadian national of Pakistani origin, is currently lodged at a metropolitan detention centre in Los Angeles.
He is known to be associated with Pakistani-American terrorist David Coleman Headley, one of the main conspirators of the 26/11 attacks. Headley conducted a recce of Mumbai before the attacks by posing as an employee of Rana’s immigration consultancy.
Rana had submitted an ‘Emergency Application For Stay Pending Litigation of Petition For Writ of Habeas Corpus' on February 27, 2025, with Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States and Circuit Justice for the Ninth Circuit Elena Kagan.
Kagan had denied the application earlier last month.
Rana had then renewed his ‘Emergency Application for Stay Pending Litigation of Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus previously addressed to Justice Kagan’, and requested that the renewed application be directed to US Chief Justice John Roberts.
An order on the Supreme Court website noted that Rana's renewed application had been “distributed for Conference” on April 4 and the “application” has been “referred to the Court.”
A notice on the Supreme Court website Monday said that “Application denied by the Court.”
Rana was convicted in the US of one count of conspiracy to provide material support to the terrorist plot in Denmark and one count of providing material support to Pakistan-based terrorist organisation Lashker-e-Taiba which was responsible for the attacks in Mumbai.
New York-based Indian-American attorney Ravi Batra had told PTI that Rana had made his application to the Supreme Court to prevent extradition, which Justice Kagan denied on March 6. The application was then submitted before Roberts, “who has shared it with the Court to conference so as to harness the entire Court’s view.”
The Supreme Court justices are Associate Justice Clarence Thomas, Associate Justice Samuel A. Alito, Jr., Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Associate Justice Elena Kagan, Associate Justice Neil M. Gorsuch, Associate Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh, Associate Justice Amy Coney Barrett, and Associate Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson.
In his emergency application, Rana had sought a stay of his extradition and surrender to India pending litigation (including exhaustion of all appeals) on the merits of his February 13.
In that petition, Rana argued that his extradition to India violates US law and the UN Convention Against Torture "because there are substantial grounds for believing that, if extradited to India, the petitioner will be in danger of being subjected to torture."
"The likelihood of torture in this case is even higher though as petitioner faces acute risk as a Muslim of Pakistani origin charged in the Mumbai attacks,” the application said.
The application also said that his “severe medical conditions” render extradition to Indian detention facilities a “de facto" death sentence in this case.
The US Supreme Court denied Rana's petition for a writ of certiorari relating to his original habeas petition on January 21. The application notes that on that same day, newly-confirmed Secretary of State Marco Rubio had met with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.
When Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Washington on February 12 to meet with Trump, Rana’s counsel received a letter from the Department of State, stating that “on February 11, 2025, the Secretary of State decided to authorise” Rana’s "surrender to India,” pursuant to the “Extradition Treaty between the United States and India”.
Rana’s Counsel requested from the State Department the complete administrative record on which Secretary Rubio based his decision to authorize Rana’s surrender to India.
The Counsel also requested immediate information of any commitment the United States has obtained from India with respect to Rana’s treatment. “The government declined to provide any information in response to these requests,” the application said.
It added that given Rana’s underlying health conditions and the State Department’s findings regarding the treatment of prisoners, it is very likely “Rana will not survive long enough to be tried in India".
During a joint press conference with Prime Minister Modi in the White House in February, President Donald Trump announced that his administration has approved the extradition of "very evil" Rana, wanted by Indian law enforcement agencies for his role in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, "to face justice in India”.
A total of 166 people, including six Americans, were killed in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks in which 10 Pakistani terrorists laid a more than 60-hour siege, attacking and killing people at iconic and vital locations in Mumbai.
