AHINDA groups urge Rahul Gandhi to declare Siddaramaiah as CM for 5 years
Mysuru (PTI): AHINDA organisations here have appealed to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to declare that Siddaramaiah will serve as the chief minister for a full five-year term.
Representatives of various AHINDA organisations have launched a campaign here on Wednesday, posting letters to Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, urging him and AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge to intervene immediately to end the speculation over the leadership change.
AHINDA (Kannada acronym for minorities, backward classes, and Dalits) is a grouping that remains a support base for Siddaramaiah.
The move comes against the backdrop of speculations about chief minister change in the state, when the Congress government reaches the halfway mark of its five-year term in November.
"The Congress party won 135 seats in the 2023 assembly elections under the leadership of Siddaramaiah, the unrivaled leader and the strong voice of the oppressed communities, and the identity of the AHINDA communities, which led to the formation of the Congress party government in Karnataka again," AHINDA organisations said in a letter addressed to Rahul Gandhi.
The "huge victory" was due to the leadership of the Siddaramaiah and the AHINDA communities voting for the Congress party under his leadership, it said.
"The Congress party's base in Karnataka is very strong, and the main reason for this is the administration of Siddaramaiah, his pro-people guarantee scheme, his love and concern for the AHINDA communities, his ideology of social justice, his contributions to the welfare of exploited communities, and his belief in the principle of equality for all," it added.
The AHINDA groups pointed out that Siddaramaiah was elected as the leader of the legislature party in 2023 for five years by the Congress MLAs. But, the opposition parties such as the BJP, are creating confusion among the public through misleading statements that the chief ministers will be changed. Some Congress party leaders have also echoed this.
"This opposition may hinder the progress of the Congress party. The propaganda that Siddaramaiah will be removed from the post of chief minister is impossible for the AHINDA communities to tolerate. Therefore, we hereby request you and AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge to immediately intervene and declare that Siddaramaiah will continue as the Chief Minister of Karnataka for a period of five years, and clear all the confusion," they said, seeking time for a delegation of AHINDA leaders to meet Gandhi.
There has been speculation within state's political circles, especially within the ruling Congress, for some time now about the chief minister change later this year, citing alleged power-sharing agreement involving incumbent Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM D K Shivakumar.
Amid speculations, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday said he would continue in office for the full five year term, subject to the Congress high command's decision.
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2nd WT20I: Shafali, spin trio do star turns in India''s seven-wicket win
Visakhapatnam (PTI): Shafali Verma hit a blistering unbeaten 69 as India made short work of a paltry target to outclass Sri Lanka by seven wickets in the second Women’s T20 International here on Tuesday.
India now lead the five-match series 2-0 after another one-sided victory, having restricted Sri Lanka to a modest 128 for 9 through a collective display of disciplined bowling from the spin trio of seasoned Sneh Rana, ably complemented by young spinners Vaishnavi Sharma and Shree Charani.
During the chase, vice-captain Smriti Mandhana (14) fell cheaply but Shafali, enjoying new found confidence after a stellar show in the World Cup final, sent the bowlers on a leather-hunt during her 34-ball knock, winning it for her team in just 11.5 overs.
The hosts have now completed back-to-back successful chases within 15 overs which speaks volumes about the unit's sky-high confidence.
Shafali's innings had 11 punchy boundaries apart from a maximum.
The floodgates opened when left-arm spinner Inoka Ranaweera bowled a few flighted deliveries and Shafali would step out everytime to hit her over extra cover. Her footwork against slow bowlers was immaculate whether stepping out to loft the ball or rocking back to punch or pull.
Seeing her confidence, the newly appointed Delhi Capitals skipper Jemimah Rodrigues (26 off 15 balls) also attacked as the duo added 58 runs in just 4.3 overs.
By the time Rodrigues was out trying to hit one six too many, the match as a contest was over. Shafali completed her half-century off just 27 balls and completed the formalities in a jiffy.
Earlier, off-spinner Rana, who got a look-in after Deepti Sharma was ruled out due to fever, showed her utility keeping the Lankan batters under tight leash with figures of 1 for 11 in 4 overs, including a maiden which certainly is a rarity in T20 cricket.
Charani, who made an impression during India's ODI World Cup triumph, took 2 for 23 in her quota of overs, while Vaishnavi after an impressive debut in the opening encounter, finished with 2 for 32, not letting the Islanders get easy runs in her second spell.
The last six wickets fell for just 24 runs, but what stood out during India’s bowling effort was their superb ground fielding. After a patchy show in the previous game, the improved sharpness in the field resulted in three run-outs.
Sri Lankan skipper Chamari Athapaththu (31 off 24 balls) looked in good nick as she deposited length deliveries from seamers Kranti Gaud and Arundhati Reddy over the ropes but it was Rana, who kept her quiet by repeatedly pitching on good length.
Unable to manoeuvre the strike and with the big hits suddenly drying up, Athapaththu chanced her arm at another delivery in which Rana had shortened the length slightly.
Not having transferred the weight into the lofted shot, Athapaththu's hoick was pouched cleanly by Amanjot Kaur at long-off.
This was after Athapaththu's opening partner Vishmi Gunaratne (1) had offered a simple return catch to Gaud.
Hasini Perera (22 off 28 balls) and Harshitha Samarawickrama (33 off 32 balls) did stitch a stand of 44 but they could never set the tempo against the Indian spin troika.
Once Hasini offered a tame return catch off a Charani full-toss, Sri Lankans never recovered and lost wickets in a heap towards the end.
