Can't fathom Modi mania despite ''bad state'' of the economy: Siddaramaiah
Bengaluru, June 13: Senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah Thursday said he was unable to understand the Modi mania, despite the "bad state" of the economy under the previous BJP regime led by him.
The former Chief Minister alleged that the BJP won the Lok Sabha election raising emotive issues, rather than delivering on development.
People of the country, including the media, have favoured Narendra Modi's five year government, despite low GDP growth, increase in unemployment and dwindling value of the Rupee, Siddaramaiah said.
"...they have destroyed the country's economy...despite all this Modi, Modi, Modi- I don't know why?"
Speaking to reporters in Mysuru, he said, "As the Prime Minister for five years, what did he do for economic development? Demonetization- what was it's result? You (media) should ask BJP people."
Stating that the economy can be brought back on track, the CLP leader said the BJP would not be able to do it.
The Congress, which is part of the ruling coalition in Karnataka, was routed in the recent Lok Sabha polls, winning only one out of the 21 seats it had contested.
It was the party's worst ever performance in the state, once its bastion.
Congress' alliance partner JD(S) too won one out of the seven seats it contested.
The BJP, in its best ever performance, had won 25 out of the 27 seats it contested.
An independent candidate supported by the BJP had won in Mandya.
Siddaramaiah also raised questions on the Indian Air Force air strikes at Balakot in response to the Pulwama terror attack.
"How many terrorists were killed we still don't know.
Neither the Defence Department nor the Prime Minister's Office or External Affairs Ministry has come out on this. They have misled the people with emotional issues."
He also hit out at Union Home Minister Amit Shah and said everyone was aware what had happened when he was the Home Minister of Gujarat, but did not elaborate.
Siddaramaiah also asserted that Rahul Gandhi would and should continue as the Congress president.
"In today's situation there is no one else who can take up the job, there is no alternate leadership," he said.
The Congress Legislature party in Karnataka had recently passed a resolution, urging Gandhi to continue in the post.
Gandhi had offered to quit as party chief at the May 25 Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting, convened to analyse the party's poor performance in the Lok Sabha polls, in which it won just 52 seats.
The CWC had unanimously rejected his offer to quit, but Gandhi was apparently firm on his stand.
Following Gandhi's insistence on quitting, there is speculation on the need to put in place an interim arrangement in the Congress for decision making, especially in the run-up to the Assembly elections.
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Accused gunman at correspondents' dinner was believed to be targeting top officials, Blanche says
Washington (AP): The accused gunman who tried to storm the ballroom at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner with guns and knives travelled across the country before the event and is believed to have been targeting members of the Trump administration, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said Sunday.
Blanche also said officials believe the suspect traveled by train from California to Chicago and then on to Washington, where in recent days he checked in as a guest to the hotel where one of Washington's glitziest events was being held Saturday night.
Investigators have not publicly named the suspect, but two law enforcement officials familiar with the matter have identified him to The Associated Press as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen of Torrance, California.
Law enforcement officials who have examined the gunman's electronic devices and his writings preliminarily believe he intended to target administration members in attendance at the dinner. He attempted to charge into the cavernous ballroom at the Washington Hilton but was tackled to the ground in a chaotic scene that resulted in shots being fired, President Donald Trump being hurried off the stage and guests ducking for cover beneath their tables.
“It does appear that he did in fact set out to target folks who work in the administration, likely including the president,” Blanche told NBC's “Meet the Press.”
The suspect is believed to have purchased the firearms he carried within the last couple of years, Blanche said. He is not being cooperative and is expected to face multiple charges on Monday.
Video posted by Trump showed the suspect running past security barricades as Secret Service agents ran toward him. One officer was shot in a bullet-resistant vest but was recovering, officials said. The gunman was taken into custody and was not injured, but was being evaluated at a hospital, police said.
“He failed,” Blanche said on CBS's “Face the Nation.” “Law enforcement did their jobs.”
Social media posts that appear to match the suspect show he is a highly educated tutor and amateur video game developer.
A May 2025 profile photo of Allen appears to match the appearance of the man in a photo of the alleged attacker being taken into custody that was posted Saturday night by Trump. The photo, posted to the social networking site LinkedIn, shows him in a cap and gown after graduating with a master's degree in computer science from California State University, Dominguez Hills.
Allen earned a bachelor's degree in 2017 in mechanical engineering from the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. He listed his involvement there in a Christian student fellowship and a campus group that battled with Nerf guns.
The shooting at the security barricades happened minutes after the event got underway.
The Secret Service and other authorities swarmed the room as guests ducked under tables by the hundreds. Gasps echoed through the ballroom as guests realized something was happening. Hundreds of journalists immediately got on phones to call in information.
“Out of the way, sir!” someone yelled. Others yelled to duck. From one corner, a “God Bless America” chant began as the president was escorted offstage. Outside the hotel, members of the National Guard and other authorities flooded the area as helicopters circled overhead.
After an initial attempt to resume the event, it was scrapped for the night and will be rescheduled.
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