Sringeri, May 28: MLA TD Raje Gowda alleged that because of the BJP’s conspiracy, he had to stay in the resort for ten days despite he has been opposing the resort politics culture.

Raje Gowda who was in a resort in Bengaluru for almost ten days because of the political high drama, has come to his constituency for the first time after his election, on Monday and held a press conference.

As no party has got clear mandate to form the government, the BJP leaders have tried to induce all Congress MLAs and put pressure on them. At one stage, the BJP leaders have made a futile attempt to kidnap him. In order to protect them from poaching and democracy, the party has taken them to the resort. But he was pained because of this reason and such incident would not happen again, he said.

After his defeat in the last election, he has close contact with the voters and travelled the entire constituency extensively and this has ensured his victory. Though party workers and people wanted to celebrate his victory, as of the code of conduct of MLC election is in force, they could not do it. After June 10, he would personally meet the people of Sringeri, Koppa and NR Pura and thank them, he said.

Block Congress president MH Nataraj said that the party was lagging behind since many years. But this time, the situation is improved and the party has maintained lead in 24 booths. The difference of votes between Congress and BJP was also decreased considerably, for which he would thank all voters and party workers, he said.

Party spokesperson Umesh Puduval, Venkatesh of campaign committee, Vidyaranyapura gram panchayat president Rajesh Shetty and others were present.

“During the period of previous MLA, we have staged protests for several times to solve the problems. Now, I would give priority to solve them. Distribution of Akrama-Sakrama title deeds, filling vacant posts of doctors in hospitals, dissolving all inactive committees and forming new ones, college building, road repairs and other works are before me. People of the constituency should cooperate with me now. I will receive all suggestions, criticisms and praises equally”, said TD Raje Gowda.

Visited Sringeri Peetham

Newly elected MLA TD Rajegowda on Monday visited Sri Sharada Peetham and offered pooja to Goddess Sharade. Later, he met the seer and got his blessings. Later, he has been to Sri Adichunchanagiri Shakha Mutt and got blessings from Gunanatha Swamiji.

After his press conference, he participated in the party workers meeting and paid his homage to Jamkhandi MLA Siddu Nyamagouda who was killed in an accident.



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Cairo (AP): Iran swiftly reversed course on reopening the Strait of Hormuz, reimposing restrictions on the critical waterway on Saturday after the US said it would not end its blockade of Iran-linked shipping.

Iran's joint military command said on Saturday that “control of the Strait of Hormuz has returned to its previous state ... under strict management and control of the armed forces.” It warned that it would continue to block transit through the strait as long as the US blockade of Iranian ports remained in effect.

The announcement came the morning after US President Donald Trump said that even after Iran announced the strait's reopening on Friday, the American blockade “will remain in full force” until Tehran reaches a deal with the US, including on its nuclear programme.

The conflict over the chokepoint threatened to deepen the energy crisis roiling the global economy after oil prices began to fall again on Friday on hopes the US and Iran were drawing closer to an agreement. Roughly one-fifth of the world's oil passes through the strait, and further limits would squeeze already constrained supply, driving prices higher once again.

Control over the strait has proven to be one of Iran's main points of leverage and prompted the United States to deploy forces and initiate a blockade on Iranian ports as part of an effort to force Iran to accept a Pakistan-brokered ceasefire to end almost seven weeks of war that has raged between Israel, the US and Iran.

Iran said it fully reopened the Strait of Hormuz to commercial vessels after a 10-day truce was announced between Israel and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon. But after Trump said the blockade would continue, top Iranian officials said his announcement violated last week's ceasefire agreement between Iran and the US and warned the strait would not stay open if the US blockade remained in effect.

A data firm, Kpler, said movement through the strait remained confined to corridors requiring Iran's approval.

US forces have sent 21 ships back to Iran since the blockade began on Monday, US Central Command said on X.

 

Truce in Lebanon could help US-Iran peace efforts

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The ceasefire in Lebanon could clear one major obstacle to an agreement. But it was unclear to what extent Hezbollah would abide by a deal it did not play a role in negotiating, and which will leave Israeli troops occupying a stretch of southern Lebanon.

Trump said in another post that Israel is “prohibited” by the US from further strikes on Lebanon and that “enough is enough” in the Israel-Hezbollah war.

The State Department said the prohibition applies only to offensive attacks and not to actions taken in self-defence.

Shortly before Trump's post, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel agreed to the ceasefire in Lebanon “at the request of my friend President Trump,” but that the campaign against Hezbollah is not complete.

He claimed Israel had destroyed about 90 per cent of Hezbollah's missile and rocket stockpiles and added that Israeli forces “have not finished yet” with the dismantling of the group.

In Beirut, displaced families began moving toward southern Lebanon and Beirut's southern suburbs despite warnings by officials not to return to their homes until it became clear whether the ceasefire would hold.

The Lebanese army and UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon reported sporadic artillery shelling in some parts of southern Lebanon in the hours after the ceasefire took effect.

An end to Israel's war with Hezbollah was a key demand of Iranian negotiators, who previously accused Israel of breaking last week's ceasefire with strikes on Lebanon. Israel had said that the deal did not cover Lebanon.

The fighting has killed at least 3,000 people in Iran, more than 2,290 in Lebanon, 23 in Israel and more than a dozen in Gulf Arab states. Thirteen US service members have also been killed.