The slip between the cup and the lip
The current assembly election results were quite a surprise for many. The voters had not exhibited their inclination despite highly charged speeches by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and the popularity of Siddaramaiah. Adityanath, Modi, Amit Shah and other leaders from the north delivered highly charged speeches to the voters. This hadn’t borne any tangible results. Ananta Kumar Hegde, Prathap Simha and Shobha Karandlaje’s attempts to fan communal fires hadn’t borne any fruits. The voters kept their cards close to their chest. Though Sangh Parivar tried its best to start communal tension in Bantwal, it couldn’t be assumed that it could have its impact on the elections. Every political pundit thought Cong will emerge victorious from this.
But the results now show JD(S) is a decisive party with 38 seats, Cong has been reduced to 78 seats and BJP is at least 10 seats short of majority at 104 seats. But the percentage of votes is high in the favour of Congress which suffered a defeat. The sitting cabinet has suffered massive drubbing. This is a shocking verdict to Siddaramaiah and his friends. The main beneficiary in this is JD(S) which has secured enough number of seats to be able to negotiate a deal with any interested party to form the government.
The government led by Siddaramaiah wasn’t all that bad to be rejected by the government. This government had responded to people better than the BJP government led by Yeddyurappa. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had achieved a good hold over the matters relating to administration. There were hardly any corruption charges that could be proved, so much so that the people would reject it. On the other hand, the candidates within BJP weren’t too conducive for the people. Modi and Amit Shah travelled across the state and hypnotized people. Veerashaiva votes polled against Congress. Lingayat community did not stand by Siddaramaiah. JD(S) had, anyway, held Vokkaligas against Siddaramaiah. Upper class and caste votes, expectedly, went against Siddaramaiah. And some of his mistakes showed up to be big blunders and began to brew as discontentment within the party and among the voters too. In Varuna, Siddaramaiah showed he was for ‘dynasty’ politics by ensuring his son Yatheendra gets a ticket and posts victory. Though there was no tangible dissidence, it was difficult to sideline Siddaramaiah within the party for its leaders. The role of Congress in ensuring his defeat in Siddaramaiah in Chamundeshwari is as much as JD(S) too. If he had not chosen to contest from Badami where he emerged victorious from, his political journey would have come to a standstill today. However the difference of votes in victory, are big enough to provide any solace to the stature of a popular chief minister.
The opponents of BJP are interpreting its emergence as largest party in the current elections as victory based on money. BJP spent a lot of money from both state and centre. Central leadership had to do well in Karnataka because this is an indicator of 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Though there were enough ‘rich’ candidates in Congress, the fear of IT raids had tied their hands. Along with this, Congress leaders are expressing their suspicions about EVM functioning too. The difference in votes between the victorious and the ones who didn’t make the cut, has given them this feeling. But to say this after the results are declared, doesn’t really make sense. The cong leaders had to ensure this problem was sorted even before the elections started. Now they will have to approach the Election Commission over this matter along with other secular forces.
Yet, amidst the humiliating defeat, Cong has been able to find a way of staying on the side of the government by joining hands with JD(S) and ensuring Kumaraswamy becomes the CM. Any delay in this decision would have cost it dearly. But Cong lost no time to do this. This may allow Parameshwar to be Dy CM too. Devegowda and sons are happy that they could cut Siddaramaiah to size with this move. Many have had their cake and eaten it too in this deal. The fact that they have kept the communal forces away is a big achievement enough. They have to be congratulated for keeping Karnataka free of the communal mess as of now.
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China slaps a 34 pc tax on all US imports in retaliation for Trump's tariffs
Bangkok (AP): China announced Friday that it will impose a 34 per cent tax on all US imports next week, part of a flurry of retaliatory measures to US President Donald Trump's new tariffs that delivered the strongest response yet from Beijing to the American leader's trade war.
The tariffs taking effect Thursday match the rate that Trump this week ordered imposed on Chinese products flowing into the United States. In February and March, Trump slapped two rounds of 10 per cent tariffs on Chinese goods, citing allegations of Beijing's role in the fentanyl crisis.
The US stock market plunged Friday following China's retaliatory moves. They include more export controls on rare earth minerals, which are critical for various technologies, and a lawsuit at the World Trade Organization over what Trump has dubbed reciprocal tariffs.
China also suspended imports of sorghum, poultry and bonemeal from six US companies, added 27 firms to lists of companies facing trade restrictions, and launched an anti-monopoly investigation into DuPont China Group Co., a subsidiary of the multinational chemical giant.
Trump posted Friday on Truth Social: “CHINA PLAYED IT WRONG, THEY PANICKED - THE ONE THING THEY CANNOT AFFORD TO DO.”
Yet he also indicated he could still negotiate with China on the sale of TikTok even after Beijing pressed pause on a deal following the new tariffs. On Friday, he extended the deadline for the social media app to divest from its Chinese parent company, per a federal law, for another 75 days.
“We hope to continue working in Good Faith with China, who I understand are not very happy about our Reciprocal Tariffs,” Trump posted on his social media site. “We look forward to working with TikTok and China to close the Deal.”
China's response to tariffs grows tougher
Beijing's response is “notably less restrained” than during the recent two rounds of 10 per cent tariffs on Chinese goods, and that “likely reflects the Chinese leadership's diminished hopes for a trade deal with the US, at least in the short term,” wrote Gabriel Wildau, managing director of the consultancy Teneo.
He said Beijing's tough response could trigger further escalation, with no sign that Chinese President Xi Jinping and Trump might meet soon or get on the phone to ease the tensions.
If China's previous responses were scalpels, this time it drew a sword, said Craig Singleton, senior China fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a Washington-based think tank.
“China's new tariffs stop short of full-blown trade war, but they mark a clear escalation — matching Trump blow-for-blow and signaling that Xi Jinping won't sit back under pressure,” Singleton said.
But the escalation also is squeezing out space for diplomacy, he warned.
“The longer this drags, the harder it becomes for either side to deescalate without losing face,” Singleton said.
What China's retaliatory measures look like
In Beijing, the Commerce Ministry said it would impose more export controls on rare earths — materials used in high-tech products such as computer chips and electric vehicle batteries. Included in the list was samarium and its compounds, which are used in aerospace manufacturing and the defense sector. Another element called gadolinium is used in MRI scans.
China's customs administration said it had suspended imports from two US poultry businesses after officials detected furazolidone, a drug banned in China, in shipments from those companies. It said it found high levels of mold in the sorghum and found salmonella in the bonemeal feeds from four other US companies.
The Chinese government said it also added 16 US companies to the export control list, subjecting them to an export ban of dual-use products. Among them are High Point Aerotechnologies, a defense tech company, and Universal Logistics Holding, a publicly traded transportation and logistics company.
An additional 11 US companies were added to the unreliable entity list, including the American drone makers Skydio and BRINC Drones, banning them from import and export activities as well as making new investments in China.
In announcing its WTO lawsuit, the Commerce Ministry said Trump's new tariffs move “seriously violates WTO rules, seriously damages the legitimate rights and interests of WTO members, and seriously undermines the rules-based multilateral trading system and international economic and trade order.”
The ministry called the tariffs “a typical unilateral bullying practice that endangers the stability of the global economic and trade order.”
Beijing's previous tariff moves
In February, in response to Trump's first 10 per cent tariff, China announced a 15 per cent tariff on imports of coal and liquefied natural gas products from the US It separately added a 10 per cent tariff on crude oil, agricultural machinery and large-engine cars.
A month later, Beijing responded to Trump's second round with additional tariffs of up to 15 per cent on imports of key US farm products, including chicken, pork, soy and beef. Experts then said Beijing exercised restraint, leaving room for negotiations with Washington.
By now, dozens of US companies are subject to controls on trade and investment, while many more Chinese companies face similar limits on dealings with US firms.
While friction on the trade front has been heating up, the two sides have maintained military dialogue.
US and Chinese military officials met this week for the first time Trump took office in January to share concerns about military safety on the seas. The talks held Wednesday and Thursday in Shanghai were aimed at minimizing the risk of trouble, both sides said.
