The sellers and the buyers
There seems to be a small relief to the mega saga of politics that was unfolding in the state in the last few days. The move of the governor who invited BJP to form the government has come under question. Instead of considering JD(S) and Cong coalition which has majority numbers of seats required to form the government, the governor had invited BJP which clearly lacks the numbers and had said the party will have 15 days’ time to show the numbers. Now the Supreme Court has ordered for a floor test to be held by Saturday evening 4 pm to show the strength of numbers, bringing a small relief to all those who believe in democracy. In the given situation, one can clearly say, this order was more than what we expected from the Supreme Court which has honored the governor’s words and has also reduced chances of horse trading by reducing time gap given for the show of strength by the BJP.
This has obviously been a discouragement to the office of Governor and to the BJP which tried to subvert the powers of this office. If the two weeks’ time as given by the governor was continued, the next two weeks in Karnataka would have been nothing short of hell. Hence, the ruling of the court has curtailed big chances of horse trading. If there is a majority in actual sense, it can be proved now. One need not seek two weeks’ time to shore up the numbers. A government, acting in haste, took some significant decisions to shift officers on transfer and acted on decisions of a few nominations too. This undue exigency in taking a few decisions is inexplicable and obviously these decisions have ulterior motives behind them. Hence the SC has insisted that the CM should not take any decisions on administration till majority vote is proved. The BJP leaders insist that they have the numbers and t’s just a matter of time to prove the majority.
Soon as he became the CM, Yeddyurappa withdrew the security cover around Eagleton Resort where the Cong and JD(S) MLAs were being hosted. This is a matter of concern since all elected representatives in one place demands high security cover, by the rule book. How would the lone-man cabinet explain should there be any attempt to harm the lives of elected representatives? All attempts have been made to subvert the democracy and buy out MLAs. If there are any supporters within that camp of JD(S) and Cong, who support BJP why would the party put pressure on them to come out and be on their side? Yeddyurappa has accused Congress of doing goondagiri on the MLAs. How does he know these details and how can be defend such statements? If any of the MLAs had complained against Cong for the same charges as the ones levelled by Yeddyurappa, the government should undertake serious probe into the matter. But then, what would one call the BJP leaders who are trying to hijack the MLAs from opposite camps?
JD(S) and Cong must remember one thing. It is obvious that BJP needs to buy the numbers. So long as they are bound to sit for a trading. But then, a transaction will be done only when there is a buyer and a seller. This ‘politics on sale’ is worse than sex trade. Prostitution has some amount of honesty in it. But politics has none of it. If this ‘sale’ continues, the dignity and prestige of Vidhana Soudha will be thrown into the drain, let’s have no doubt about it. It now depends on the keepers of the consciousness to ensure this does not happen.
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Modi should leverage his ties with world leaders to de-escalate war in West Asia: Omar Abdullah
Jammu (PTI): Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday said India can play a meaningful role in de-escalation in West Asia, given Prime Minister Narendra Modi's strong relations with the warring countries and their neighbours.
He said Pakistan was leveraging ties with Iran and the United States, and that any effort towards ending the war should be welcomed.
"As I said in the House (Assembly), we would like the war to end as soon as possible. The role that the prime minister can play may not be possible for anyone else because of his good relations with all these countries," Abdullah told reporters on the sidelines of a function here.
He, however, said any escalation would not be easy to manage.
"Any such move by US President Donald Trump, despite the long history of Iran resisting external domination, would not be easy," the chief minister said.
Asked about Pakistan mediating in the war, he said, "I will simply say that if any country can play a role in preventing this war, no one should have any objection to it."
He added, "I will repeat what I said … our prime minister has good and close relations with all countries — whether it is Israel, the United States, Iran, or the countries around Iran. If those relationships can be used to make some progress and help ease the situation, it would be a good thing."
Abdullah said attacks by terror groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed in India, as suggested by a report from the United States, are not unlikely.
Meanwhile, he asserted that any efforts to end the war, be it from Pakistan, must not be resisted.
"Pakistan is using its good relations with Iran and the United States to its advantage, and it has done so. How can we object to that? If that angle helps in stopping the war, would you want them not to act and let the war continue? We want the war to stop. If any country can play a role in that, it should. And if we can play an even better role, then we should do so," he said.
On unemployment in J-K, the chief minister said the issue cannot be resolved overnight, and government jobs alone are not the solution.
He stressed the need to explore alternative avenues, highlighting the importance of Mission Yuva in promoting entrepreneurship.
"Mission Yuva provides not just funding but also support in preparing DPRs and post-startup assistance, such as marketing. In just nine months, distributing Rs 1,000 crore and approving numerous schemes is a significant achievement," he said.
Abdullah credited the coordination between the government and Jammu and Kashmir Bank for the scheme's progress.
