BJP legislators failing to get Cabinet berth voice displeasure
No representation to BJP hubs like Mysuru, Kodagu and Dakshina Kannada shocking-Appachu Ranjan
Bengaluru, Aug 20: Dissonance came to the fore with several BJP legislators making no secret of their discontent after failing to secure ministerial berth in the B S Yediyurappa Cabinet expanded on Tuesday.
More than three weeks after he was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Karnataka and running a "one-man" Cabinet since then, Yediyurappa inducted 17 Ministers.
While many legislators have openly expressed their displeasure, at many places their supporters too have held protest against "injustice" caused to their leaders.
Chitradurga MLA G H Thippa Reddy expressed "surprise" and "pain" over his non-inclusion, and said he did not attend the swearing-in ceremony as he was unhappy.
Several MLAs whose name did not figure in the list of ministers have discussed over phone denial of berth for them and will meet soon, he said.
Thippa Reddy's supporters held a protest at Chitradurga against their leader not being made minister.
Sullia BJP MLA Angara S said people from his district and constituency had expectations that he will be made minister.
Pointing out that he has worked for the organisation believing in its principles and has inculcated them in his life, he said, "but I cannot do anything if there is no value to loyalty to those principles...."
He, however, said he was loyal to BJP, and identifying his loyalty and rewarding him for it was left to the party.
Madikeri MLA M P Appachu Ranjan expressed unhappiness over no representation to Kodagu district that "has been with the BJP for long."
"These days loyalty to an individual is considered over the party loyalty.. Mysuru, Kodagu, Dakshina Kannada which is strong base of the BJP has not been given any representation, and it has pained us," he added.
Several others, including Hosadurga MLA Goolihatti Shekar, Kundapur MLA Halady Srinivas Shetty and Umesh Katti- eight-time BJP MLA from Hukkeri, too are unhappy about their non-induction into the cabinet.
Katti said he should have become minister being a senior, but there is still a chance and he may become minister in the future.
In response to a question, Katti said he was not aware how Laxman Savadi, who is not a legislator, had been made a minister.
"I'm yet to meet CM....I will discuss and know," he said.
Meanwhile, a few MLAs who were left out of the ministry including M P Renukacharya of Honnali, Channagiri MLA Madal Virupakshappa met at the residence of Arabhavi MLA Balachandra Jarkiholi, whose name was doing the rounds till the last minute, and held discussions.
Balachandra Jarkiholi later met Yediyurappa at his residence and was closeted with him.
Speaking to the media, he said he was not dissatisfied and he along with other MLAs will support the Chief Minister in the functioning of the government.
"The big challenge in front of us is relief in flood affected regions. "
Since 2005 one or the other Jarkiholi brothers have been in the government, he said, adding that the trend would continue and "one of us may become minister in the future with the blessings of the people."
While Balachandra Jarkiholi is in the BJP, his brother Satish Jarkiholi is in the Congress.
Another brother Ramesh Jarkiholi, who was in Congress had rebelled against the party and played a key role in the collapse of the Congress-JD(S) government.
He is likely to join the BJP and contest from Gokak, where bypolls is necessitated due to his disqualification, BJP sources said.
Honnali MLA M P Renukacharya too said he was with the party and the government and his discussion with Balachandra Jarkiholi was on strengthening the party and government.
Karnataka can have a maximum of 34 ministers, including the Chief Minister.
With this "limited" expansion, 16 cabinet berths are vacant, leaving space for some of the disqualified former Congress and JDS MLAs who helped bring down the coalition government headed by Kumaraswamy to get onboard.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Putin meets Iran's FM Araghchi, says Russia ready to do its best to help bring peace to West Asia
Moscow (PTI): Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Monday met Russian President Vladimir Putin, who hailed the Iranian people for fighting bravely and heroically for their sovereignty and said Moscow is ready to do its best to help bring peace to West Asia as soon as possible.
Araghchi, who held talks with Omani and Pakistani leadership before arriving in Russia, met Putin in St. Petersburg and thanked him for supporting Iran, state-owned TASS news agency reported.
"Russia is ready to do everything in its power to ensure that peace in the Middle East is achieved as soon as possible," Putin said during his meeting with Araghchi, which was also attended by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Revealing that he received a message from Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei last week, Putin asked Araghchi to convey his "gratitude for this message and best wishes for his health and well-being."
He praised the Iranian people for fighting "bravely and heroically" for their sovereignty, Iran's state-run PRESS TV reported.
"We really hope that, based on the courage and desire for independence, the Iranian people, under the guidance of the new leader, will weather this difficult period of trials and peace will come,” Putin said.
He also stressed that Russia “intends to maintain” its strategic relations with Iran.
Araghchi said that the world witnessed Iran’s strength in countering the US during the recent war, and that the Islamic Republic is a "stable and powerful establishment."
"With their courage, the Iranian people succeeded in resisting the US aggression and will be able to endure it,” he said.
He said that it became clear that Iran has “great friends and allies” like Russia, and conveyed “warmest greetings” from Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei and President Masoud Pezeshkian to the Russian leader.
Araghchi said relations between Moscow and Tehran represent a “strategic partnership at the highest level” and will continue to develop "regardless of circumstances."
"We are grateful to you for the solid and strong positions in support of the Islamic Republic of Iran," he said.
Foreign Minister Lavrov said that the talks between President Putin and the Iranian Foreign Minister were "useful and constructive."
Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov later said that Russia is "ready to provide any good offices, any mediation services that are acceptable to the parties."
"We will be ready to do everything so that ultimately peace ensues, guaranteed peace, and that there is no return to hostilities," Peskov was quoted as saying by TASS.
He was asked how Moscow can assist in future negotiations on the Iranian settlement.
Araghchi arrived in Russia after his whirlwind trip to Islamabad, which, according to him, was “very productive” and involved “good consultations" with Pakistan's Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, amid uncertainty over the second round of peace talks to resolve the war in West Asia.
"We held good consultations with our friends in Pakistan. The trip was successful. We assessed the outcome of our recent (meetings) and discussed in what direction and under what conditions talks can move on,” Araghchi said in a video posted on his Telegram channel upon his arrival in St Petersburg.
Referring to the second round of talks between the US and Iran to resolve the conflict in West Asia, Araghchi said: "Developments have taken place in the negotiations."
"Despite some progress in earlier rounds, the talks failed to reach their objectives due to the Americans' approach, the excessive demands they made, and the wrong approaches they adopted. Therefore, it was necessary to consult with our friends in Pakistan to review the latest situation,” Iran's official news agency IRNA quoted him as saying.
He said that the trip to Pakistan was a good opportunity to review developments related to the US-Israeli war against Iran, expressing confidence that “these consultations and coordination between the two countries will be highly significant.”
Araghchi arrived at St. Petersburg's Pulkovo Airport early Monday, where he was welcomed by Russian officials and Iran’s ambassador to Russia, Kazem Jalali, the report said.
The first round of peace talks between Iran and the US, held on April 11 and 12, failed to bring the desired result for the parties to the conflict.
The Iranian minister arrived in Islamabad for the second time on Sunday after a short visit to Oman, where he held talks with Sultan Haitham bin Tariq al-Said on security in the Strait of Hormuz and diplomatic efforts to end the Iran-US conflict.
After Araghchi left Pakistan for Oman on Saturday, President Donald Trump announced that US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would no longer be going to Islamabad for talks with Iran, contending that Washington held all the cards on the matter.
Trump on Sunday reiterated that the US and Iranian officials can talk by phone for a peace solution to the conflict.
On Tuesday, Trump extended the two-week ceasefire with Iran indefinitely to give Tehran more time to prepare a unified proposal to end the war, just hours before the truce was set to expire.
The war began when the US and Israel jointly attacked Iran on February 28, killing Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several top commanders. The retaliation by the Islamic Republic extended the war to the entire Gulf region.
