Congress came to power in Karnataka with SDPI's support, alleges Amit Shah
Hukkeri (Karnataka) (PTI): Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday claimed that Congress came to power in Karnataka with the support of Social Democratic Party of India, the political arm of the banned Popular Front of India (PFI), and alleged that "anti-national elements" of SDPI were involved in the bomb blast in Bengaluru.
Targeting the Siddaramaiah-led government, he urged it to hand over the probe in the Hubballi student Neha Hiremath murder case to the CBI if the state was unable to investigate properly.
The top BJP leader addressed a public meeting here in Belagavi district for party candidate from Chikkodi Lok Sabha segment Annasaheb Jolle.
"Modi ji ended terorism from the country. Modi ji banned PFI. This Congress government in Karnataka has come to power with the support of SDPI. Look at the consequence, after they came to power, there was a bomb blast in Bengaluru," Shah said, referring to the Rameshwaram cafe blast on March 1.
He said: "They (Congress govt) first said it was a cylinder blast, it was not a cylinder blast, it was a bomb blast by the anti national elements of SDPI. When the probe was handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), it was known about the involvement of such elements."
"Don't worry, let Congress government do anything...Narendra Modi government will keep Karnataka secure," he added.
Chikkodi along with 13 other Lok Sabha segments in the state will go to polls on May 7.
Referring to the murder of Neha Hiremath at her college campus last month, Shah said some in the government said that the killing was due to personal issues.
"What a personal issue? A girl, who did not want to undergo religious conversion was murdered. I met her mother day-before-yesterday in Hubballi. She told me that her daughter was under pressure to undergo religious conversion. I want to warn the Congress party, if you are unable to investigate the case properly, give it to the CBI. BJP will ensure that those who did injustice to Neha Hiremath are punished," he added.
Neha Hiremath (23), daughter of Congress councillor of Hubballi-Dharwad Municipal Corporation Niranjan Hiremath, was stabbed to death on the campus of the her college. The accused Fayaz Khondunaik, who fled from the scene, was arrested by the police subsequently.
Neha was a first year Master of Computer Application (MCA) student and Fayaz was earlier her classmate.
Congress cannot keep the country united and secure, Shah said, and listed out the achievements of Modi rule in the last ten years.
"Rahul Baba (Congress leader Rahul Gandhi) used to say don't take Corona vaccine, it is Modi vaccine, it is good that people don't listen to him and every one took (the jab). At night in the dark, Rahul Baba along with his sister took vaccination. Rahul Baba you should be ashamed that even during a pandemic like Corona, you did politics," he said.
Shah said, in this election, on one side there is Congress which "did Rs 12 lakh crore worth of scam and corruption", and on the other side there is BJP led by Narendra Modi, who despite being Chief Minister and Prime Minister for 23 years, does not have even a single allegation of corruption against him.
"On one side there is Rahul Baba who goes on foreign vacations once in three months, while on the other side there is Modi, who for 23 years did not take leave even on Deepawali and ate sweets with soldiers of the country (on the festival)," he said, as he asked the people to choose between the two.
"Whom do you want, 'Pariwarwaadi" (dynast) Congress or BJP that follows 'Parampara' (traditions)," he asked.
Shah also gave Modi the credit for resolving Ram Mandir issue and consecration of Ram Lalla idol at the temple in Ayodhya and also praised him for the development of Kashi Vishwanath corridor and Kedar and Badri dham, among other religious places of worship.
He also hit out at AICC President Mallikarjkun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi for not attending the consecration ceremony at Ayodhya despite being invited, and alleged that they skipped the event "fearing their vote bank".
"Does Kashmir belong to us or not," Shah asked the gathering and accused Kharge of asking what people of Karnataka and Rajasthan have to do with Kashmir. "Kharge saab, you have crossed 80-years, but you have not understood the people of Chikkodi, every child here is ready to sacrifice their lives for Kashmir."
Alleging that in 10 months after coming to power, the Congress has destroyed Karnataka, Shah said: "Trust Modi once again, and he will take Karnataka forward"
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Israel launches first airstrike on Lebanon since ceasefire, accusing Hezbollah of breaching truce
Beirut, Nov 28: The Israeli military on Thursday said its warplanes fired on southern Lebanon after detecting Hezbollah activity at a rocket storage facility, the first Israeli airstrike a day after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took hold.
There was no immediate word on casualties from Israel's aerial attack, which came hours after the Israeli military said it fired on people trying to return to certain areas in southern Lebanon. Israel said they were violating the ceasefire agreement, without providing details. Lebanon's state-run National News Agency said two people were wounded.
The back-to-back incidents stirred unease about the agreement, brokered by the United States and France, which includes an initial two-month ceasefire in which Hezbollah members are to withdraw north of the Litani River and Israeli forces are to return to their side of the border. The buffer zone would be patrolled by Lebanese troops and UN peacekeepers.
On Thursday, the second day of a ceasefire after more than a year of bloody conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, Lebanon's state news agency reported that Israeli fire targeted civilians in Markaba, close to the border, without providing further details. Israel said it fired artillery in three other locations near the border. There were no immediate reports of casualties.
An Associated Press reporter in northern Israel near the border heard Israeli drones buzzing overhead and the sound of artillery strikes from the Lebanese side.
The Israeli military said in a statement that “several suspects were identified arriving with vehicles to a number of areas in southern Lebanon, breaching the conditions of the ceasefire.” It said troops “opened fire toward them” and would “actively enforce violations of the ceasefire agreement.”
Israeli officials have said forces will be withdrawn gradually as it ensures that the agreement is being enforced. Israel has warned people not to return to areas where troops are deployed, and says it reserves the right to strike Hezbollah if it violates the terms of the truce.
A Lebanese military official said Lebanese troops would gradually deploy in the south as Israeli troops withdraw. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief media.
The ceasefire agreement announced late Tuesday ended 14 months of conflict between Israel and Hezbollah that began a day after Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 attack out of Gaza, when the Lebanese Hezbollah group began firing rockets, drones and missiles in solidarity.
Israel retaliated with airstrikes, and the conflict steadily intensified for nearly a year before boiling over into all-out war in mid-September. The war in Gaza is still raging with no end in sight.
More than 3,760 people were killed by Israeli fire in Lebanon during the conflict, many of them civilians, according to Lebanese health officials. The fighting killed more than 70 people in Israel — over half of them civilians — as well as dozens of Israeli soldiers fighting in southern Lebanon.
Some 1.2 million people were displaced in Lebanon, and thousands began streaming back to their homes on Wednesday despite warnings from the Lebanese military and the Israeli army to stay out of certain areas. Some 50,000 people were displaced on the Israeli side, but few have returned and the communities near the northern border are still largely deserted.
In Menara, an Israeli community on the border with views into Lebanon, around three quarters of homes are damaged, some with collapsed roofs and burnt-out interiors. A few residents could be seen gathering their belongings on Thursday before leaving again.
