Cong has brute majority; winning bypolls will let them to 'do more corruption': Yediyurappa
Bengaluru (PTI): Veteran BJP leader B S Yediyurappa on Tuesday appealed to the voters of two Assembly seats going to bypolls, to defeat the Congress, claiming that the ruling party has a "brute majority" in the state, and a by-election win will let them indulge in more corruption, intoxicated with power.
Bypolls for the Bagalkot and Davanagere South Assembly constituencies will be held on April 9. The polls were necessitated following the deaths of senior Congress MLAs H Y Meti and Shamanur Shivashankarappa, respectively.
"Today and tomorrow, I will campaign for our candidate Srinivas in Davanagere. On April 5 and 6, I will campaign for our candidate Charantimath in Bagalkot. I'm one hundred per cent confident that our candidates will win in both constituencies with a huge margin," Yediyurappa said.
Speaking to reporters here, he said, there is rampant corruption in Karnataka and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has forgotten the welfare of the people and is running an administration in the state that resembles "Tughlaq Darbar".
"The Congress government has a brute majority. If they win the bypolls, it will give them an opportunity to indulge in more corruption, intoxicated with power. So I appeal to the voters of both constituencies with folded hands to teach the Congress a lesson by ensuring BJP candidates win in both constituencies," he added.
The BJP has fielded former MLA Veerabhadrayya Charantimath -- who was defeated in the 2023 election -- as its candidate in Bagalkot and pitted a fresh face, Srinivas T Dasakariyappa, in Davanagere South.
Responding to a question on expelled BJP legislator Basangouda Patil Yatnal willing to campaign on behalf of party candidate Charantimath in Bagalkot, the former CM said, "Let anyone come, there is an opportunity. I welcome it."
Pointing out that CM Siddaramaiah and his cabinet colleagues are "camping" in both constituencies to campaign for Congress candidates, he said this shows that the fear of defeat is worrying them. "I request the people to teach them a lesson."
When asked about the state government's decision to replace the marks system for third languages like Hindi in the SSLC (class 10) exam with a grading system that will not impact a student's overall results, starting this academic year, Yediyurappa said that learning Hindi will not affect Kannada, and requested that no confusion be created regarding this matter.
"I don't want to speak much on this issue. It is probably difficult to converse in any language other than Hindi across the country. So I don't accept discouragement towards learning Hindi," he said.
"But some have their own view. It (learning Hindi) is not a betrayal of Kannada. I humbly want to state that learning Hindi will not affect Kannada and request not to create confusion in this regard," he added.
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EAM Jaishankar meets Jamaican PM, gifts over 10 BHISHM Cubes
Kingston (PTI): External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday met Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness and discussed ways to further deepen "political, economic and people-to-people cooperation."
Jaishankar also conveyed greetings from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Holness.
"Pleased to call on Prime Minister @AndrewHolnessJM in Kingston. Conveyed the greetings of PM @narendramodi," Jaishankar posted on X.
"Discussed deepening our political, economic and people-to-people cooperation. Value his commitment towards further strengthening India-Jamaica relations," the post further read.
Also, the external affairs minister handed over 10 BHISHM (Bharat Health Initiative for Sahyog Hita & Maitri) Cubes as a gift to Jamaica.
"Formally handed over 10 BHISHM Cubes as a gift from India to Jamaica, in the presence of PM @AndrewHolnessJM, Health Minister @christufton and FM @kaminajsmith," Jaishankar posted on X.
"The BHISHM Cube mobile hospital system, designed for rapid deployment, will help Jamaica during disasters and emergencies. The gift of these cubes is a statement of friendship, a commitment to disaster preparedness, and an outcome of innovation," the post said.
Jaishankar arrived in Kingston on Saturday evening, marking the first leg of his nine-day tour of Jamaica, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago, aimed at further strengthening India's strategic and cultural ties with the Caribbean nations.
Earlier in the day, he interacted with the Indian diaspora and discussed India's ongoing transformation in infrastructure, human development and technology-driven governance and entrepreneurship with them.
He also highlighted the cricket bond between both countries as India gifted a scoreboard to Jamaica.
A scoreboard was dedicated at Sabina Park in Kingston. It is the home of the Jamaica cricket team and is the only Test cricket ground in the Caribbean island nation.
The minister expressed hope that the new scoreboard would witness many memorable innings, including those symbolising the enduring friendship between the two countries.
Cricket has long been a strong cultural bridge between India and Jamaica, which is part of the West Indies cricket team.
Jamaican players, including Chris Gayle, Courtney Walsh and Michael Holding, have played a major role in shaping the legacy of West Indies cricket in the international arena, contributing to its dominance in earlier decades and its continued global appeal.
