Cong govt in K'taka "unnecessarily quarrelling" with Centre: Union Minister Kumaraswamy
Bengaluru (PTI): Union Minister for Steel and Heavy Industries H D Kumaraswamy has accused the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government in Karnataka of "unnecessarily quarrelling" with the Centre and said that it won't help.
The JD(S) leader, whose party is part of the ruling NDA at the Centre, also said Prime Minister Narendra and the BJP leadership have confidence in him, and that he wants to fulfill their expectations.
"I know this government (in Karnataka is) unnecessarily quarrelling with the Central government. First of all, I request the Karnataka government that -- quarrelling will not help. Or throwing mud against the Central government will not help. Whatever is the issue, come, discuss with us," Kumaraswamy said.
Speaking to PTI videos, he said, "mutually with good confidence, we can do the work successfully. (Instead) every day (they are) criticising in public, daily they are making statements (against the Centre)...Unnecessarily criticising the Central government without any fault on part of the Central government. The fault is in your (state govt) court only."
Noting that there are several issues concerning the state and his top priority remains Karnataka, Kumaraswamy, however said that he is not a "selfish man", as he pointed out that, as a Central Minister, the entire country will also need his attention.
"To generate employment for the younger generation is the PM's vision and I have to see about that. Ultimately I want to get some name for the country and the PM. I pray to God to give me the strength to fulfill the PM's vision," the former Chief Minister of Karnataka added.
Noting that the PM, Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP president J P Nadda after the Lok Sabha elections have some confidence in him, Kumaraswamy said, in the Lok Sabha polls the voters decided to bless our BJP-JD(S) combination.
"Whole Karnataka decided to stand with the PM. They (BJP leadership) have some confidence in me, as (they feel) here is the man who can (meet) our expectations, not only for the development, for the organisation also he will be useful. In that process they have given me a chance. I want to fulfill the expectations," he added.
The Union Minister said that he would need at least three months to study his department as the Prime Minister has entrusted him with two sensitive departments -- Steel and Heavy Industries. He also pointed out that this is for the first time that he is working in the Union Government and there is a lot to learn.
"Another two to three months required to study my departments. I am working towards realising Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision for the development of the country," he said.
"The Prime Minister has given me responsibility for these two sensitive departments, which will play a major role in GDP growth and employment generation," he added.
According to Kumaraswamy, the portfolios he has got are very challenging but he will succeed.
He said in the next two years he will come up with a plan that will define his role in the development of the country.
"After taking charge, I visited several (industrial) plants to get information on ground reality," the Minister said.
Calling Hindustan Machine Tools (HMT) a pride of Karnataka and India, Kumaraswamy said, the revival of HMT is a big challenge as he will have to convince the Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
Regarding alleged fraudulent allotment of sites to land losers by Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA), which involves plots given to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's wife, the JD(S) leader said, "It's a big scam. They (Congress govt) wanted to suppress the scam with their officers. But it is going to boomerang against the CM."
"This government (in Karnataka) is not good.... Already it (issues) started. Let's wait and see," he said, adding that jointly BJP and JD(S) will fight against this government, both on the floor of the Assembly and outside.
Regarding the by-pollsto Channapatna Assembly segment, vacated by him on his election to the Lok Sabha, Kumaraswamy said, "There is going to be a surprise candidate. Let's wait and see."
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Netanyahu recommends his Cabinet approve Hezbollah cease-fire proposal
Beirut, Nov 26: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday that he would recommend his cabinet adopt a United States-brokered ceasefire agreement with Lebanon's Hezbollah, as Israeli warplanes struck across Lebanon, killing at least 23 people.
The Israeli military also issued a flurry of evacuation warnings — a sign it was aiming to inflict punishment on Hezbollah down to the final moments before any ceasefire takes hold. For the first time in the conflict, Israeli ground troops reached parts of Lebanon's Litani River, a focal point of the emerging deal.
In a televised statement, Netanyahu said he would present the ceasefire to Cabinet ministers later on Tuesday, setting the stage for an end to nearly 14 months of fighting.
Netanyahu said the vote was expected later Tuesday. It was not immediately clear when the ceasefire would go into effect, and the exact terms of the deal were not released. The deal does not affect Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza, which shows no signs of ending.
The evacuation warnings covered many areas, including parts of Beirut that previously have not been targeted. The warnings, coupled with fear that Israel was ratcheting up attacks before a ceasefire, sent residents fleeing. Traffic was gridlocked, and some cars had mattresses tied to them. Dozens of people, some wearing their pajamas, gathered in a central square, huddling under blankets or standing around fires as Israeli drones buzzed loudly overhead.
Hezbollah, meanwhile, kept up its rocket fire, triggering air raid sirens across northern Israel.
Lebanese officials have said Hezbollah also supports the deal. If approved by all sides, the deal would be a major step toward ending the Israel-Hezbollah war that has inflamed tensions across the region and raised fears of an even wider conflict between Israel and Hezbollah's patron, Iran.
The deal calls for a two-month initial halt in fighting and would require Hezbollah to end its armed presence in a broad swath of southern Lebanon, while Israeli troops would return to their side of the border. Thousands of Lebanese troops and UN peacekeepers would deploy in the south, and an international panel headed by the United States would monitor all sides' compliance.
But implementation remains a major question mark. Israel has demanded the right to act should Hezbollah violate its obligations. Lebanese officials have rejected writing that into the proposal. Israel's Defense Minister Israel Katz insisted on Tuesday that the military would strike Hezbollah if the U.N. peacekeeping force, known as UNIFIL, doesn't provide “effective enforcement” of the deal.
“If you don't act, we will act, and with great force,” Katz said, speaking with UN special envoy Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert.
The European Union's top diplomat, Josep Borrell, said Tuesday that Israel's security concerns had been addressed in the deal also brokered by France.
“There is not an excuse for not implementing a ceasefire. Otherwise, Lebanon will fall apart,” Borrell told reporters in Italy on the sidelines of a Group of Seven meeting. He said France would participate on the ceasefire implementation committee at Lebanon's request.
Bombardment of Beirut's southern suburbs continues
Even as Israeli, US, Lebanese and international officials have expressed growing optimism over a ceasefire, Israel has continued its campaign in Lebanon, which it says aims to cripple Hezbollah's military capabilities.
An Israeli strike on Tuesday levelled a residential building in the central Beirut district of Basta — the second time in recent days warplanes have hit the crowded area near the city's downtown. At least seven people were killed and 37 wounded, according to Lebanon's Health Ministry.
Three people were killed in a separate strike in Beirut and three in a strike on a Palestinian refugee camp in southern Lebanon. Lebanese state media said another 10 people were killed in the eastern Baalbek province. Israel says it targets Hezbollah fighters and their infrastructure.
Earlier, Israeli jets struck at least six buildings in Beirut's southern suburbs. One strike slammed near the country's only airport, sending plumes of smoke into the sky. The airport has continued to function despite its location on the Mediterranean coast next to the densely populated suburbs where many of Hezbollah's operations are based.
Israeli military spokesman Avichay Adraee issued evacuation warnings for 20 buildings in the suburbs, as well as a warning for the southern town of Naqoura where UNIFIL is headquartered.
UNIFIL spokesperson Andrea Tenenti told The Associated Press that peacekeepers will not evacuate.
Other strikes hit in the southern city of Tyre, where the Israeli military said it killed a local Hezbollah commander.
The Israeli military also said its ground troops clashed with Hezbollah forces and destroyed rocket launchers in the Slouqi area on the eastern end of the Litani River, a few kilometres from the Israeli border.
Previous ceasefire hopes were dashed
Under the ceasefire deal, Hezbollah would be required to move its forces north of the Litani, which in some places is about 30 kilometers (20 miles) north of the border.
A ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, the strongest Iranian-backed force in the region, would likely significantly calm regional tensions that have led to fears of a direct, all-out war between Israel and Iran. It's not clear how the ceasefire will affect the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. Hezbollah had long insisted that it would not agree to a ceasefire until the war in Gaza ends, but it dropped that condition.
Hezbollah began firing into northern Israel, saying it was showing support for the Palestinians, a day after Hamas carried out its Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel, triggering the Gaza war. Israel returned fire on Hezbollah, and the two sides have been exchanging barrages ever since.
Israel escalated its campaign of bombardment in mid-September and later sent troops into Lebanon, vowing to put an end to Hezbollah fire so tens of thousands of evacuated Israelis could return to their homes.
More than 3,760 people have been killed by Israeli fire in Lebanon the past 13 months, many of them civilians, according to Lebanese health officials. The bombardment has driven 1.2 million people from their homes. Israel says it has killed more than 2,000 Hezbollah members.
Hezbollah fire has forced some 50,000 Israelis to evacuate in the country's north, and its rockets have reached as far south in Israel as Tel Aviv. At least 75 people have been killed, more than half of them civilians. More than 50 Israeli soldiers have died in the ground offensive in Lebanon.
After previous hopes for a ceasefire were dashed, U.S. officials cautioned that negotiations were not yet complete and noted there could be last-minute hitches that delay or destroy an agreement.
“Nothing is done until everything is done,” White House national security spokesman John Kirby said.
While the ceasefire proposal is expected to be approved if Netanyahu brings it to a vote in his security Cabinet, one hard-line member, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, said he would oppose it. He said on X that a deal with Lebanon would be a “big mistake” and a “missed historic opportunity to eradicate Hezbollah.”
