Congress Goes To Chief Justice After Karnataka Governor Invites BJP To Form Government
NEW DELHI, May 16: Minutes after Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala invited BJP's BS Yeddyurappa to form the government on Wednesday evening, the Congress rushed to Chief Justice of Dipak Misra to ask him to cancel the governor's invitation to the BJP. The Congress, which has called the governor's decision an "encounter of the Constitution", has asked Chief Justice Misra to hold the hearing later in the night to ensure that Mr Yeddyurappa isn't sworn-in tomorrow.
Senior Congress leader Abhishek Singhvi had drawn up the petition in case the governor did invite Mr Yeddyurappa, the leader of the single largest party who did not have the majority and overlooked the claims of the Congress-Janata Dal Secular alliance which had the numbers.
Karnataka Governor invited BJP's BS Yeddyurappa to form government and gave him 15 days to prove majority on the floor of the house this evening.
The BJP has 105 lawmakers, including an Independent, in the 222-seat assembly, but is seven short of majority.
The Congress, which got 78 seats, has partnered with the Janata Dal Secular and together they have 116 seats, four more than the halfway mark. The Congress says it is them who should have been invited to form the party first.
Addressing the media, Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said, "The governor has shamed his office."
"Amit Shah and BJP today sanctioned an encounter of the constitution and the law. Governor has subjugated the law and shamed the office of governor and I don't think such a person has the right to continue," Mr Surjewala added.
JDS leader HD Kumarasway said, "By giving 15 days time (to prove majority), governor is encouraging horse-trading by BJP leaders, this is unconstitutional. We will discuss the future plan."
Courtesy:NDTV
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India harbouring big and bold dreams in space sector: Shubhanshu Shukla
Kolkata (PTI): Air Force Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, the first Indian astronaut to go to the International Space Station, on Wednesday said the country is harbouring “big and bold dreams”, foraying into human spaceflight after a hiatus of 41 years.
Shukla was the first Indian to visit the International Space Station as part of the Axiom-4 mission. He returned to India from the US on August 17, 2025, after the 18-day mission.
The space is a “great place to be”, marked by deep peace and an “amazing view” that becomes more captivating with time, he said, interacting with schoolchildren at an event organised by the Indian Centre for Space Physics here.
“The longer you stay, the more you enjoy it,” Shukla said, adding on a lighter note that he “actually kind of did not want to come back”.
Shukla said the hands-on experience in space was very different from what he had learnt during training.
He said the future of India’s space science was “very bright”, with the country harbouring “very big and bold dreams”.
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Shukla described his ISS flight, undertaken with support from the US, as a crucial “stepping stone” towards realising India’s ‘Vision Gaganyaan’.
“The experience gained is a national asset. It is already being used by internal committees and design teams to ensure ongoing missions are on the right track,” he said.
Shukla said the country’s space ambitions include the Gaganyaan human spaceflight programme, the Bharatiya Station (India’s own space station), and eventually a human landing on the Moon.
While the Moon mission is targeted for 2040, he said these projects are already in the pipeline, and the field will evolve at a “very rapid pace” over the next 10-20 years.
He told the students that though these targets are challenging, they are “achievable by people like you”, urging them to take ownership of India’s aspirations.
The sector will generate “a lot of employment opportunities” as India expands its human spaceflight capabilities, he noted.
Echoing the iconic words of India’s first astronaut Rakesh Sharma, Shukla said that from orbit, “India is still the best in the world”.
Shukla also asserted that the achievement was not his alone, but that of the entire country.
“The youth of India are extremely talented. They must stay focused, remain curious and work hard. It is their responsibility to help build a developed India by 2047,” he said.
Highlighting a shift from Sharma’s era, Shukla said India is now developing a full-fledged astronaut ecosystem.
With Gaganyaan and future missions, children in India will be able to not only dream of becoming astronauts, but also achieving it within the country, he said.
“Space missions help a village kid believe he can go to space someday. When you send one person to space, you lift million hopes. That is why such programmes must continue... The sky is not the limit,” Shukla said.
“Scientists must prepare for systems that will last 20-30 years, while ensuring they can integrate technologies that will emerge a decade from now,” he said.
Shukla added that he looked forward to more space missions, and was keen to undertake a space walk, which will require him to "train for another two years".
