Davanagere: The efforts of the Congress leaders on Thursday to pacify Sadiq Pailwan, who has filed his nomination papers for the by-poll to the Davanagere (South) Assembly constituency, failed as the rebellion within the party for poll tickets continues.
In addition, Congress party leaders have expressed worry as the deadline to withdraw nomination papers expired on Thursday afternoon but Pailwan did not bend in spite of their reportedly best efforts to prevent division of the party.
The deadline to withdraw the nomination papers was 3 pm. It may also be noted that the leaders who held a confidential meeting in Davanagere, Chief Whip of the Congress party in the Council Salim Ahmed and MLA Rizwan Arshad, arrived in Davanagere only 2:45 pm.
Hundreds of supporters of Pailwan gathered outside his houses and shouted slogans against the leaders, demanding that they ‘go back’.
While the Congress leaders were hopeful of things turning for the better for the party, Pailwan’s supporters pressured him not to withdraw his nomination papers ‘at any cost’. As the supporters thronged the candidate, the leaders were forced to meet him inside his house.
The meeting, however, lasted only five minutes, with the leaders stating before reporters that Pailwan could not withdraw his papers due to shortage of time. They added that Pailwan was still a member of the Congress and would get suitable position in the party soon.
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Jammu (PTI): Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday said India can play a meaningful role in de-escalation in West Asia, given Prime Minister Narendra Modi's strong relations with the warring countries and their neighbours.
He said Pakistan was leveraging ties with Iran and the United States, and that any effort towards ending the war should be welcomed.
"As I said in the House (Assembly), we would like the war to end as soon as possible. The role that the prime minister can play may not be possible for anyone else because of his good relations with all these countries," Abdullah told reporters on the sidelines of a function here.
He, however, said any escalation would not be easy to manage.
"Any such move by US President Donald Trump, despite the long history of Iran resisting external domination, would not be easy," the chief minister said.
Asked about Pakistan mediating in the war, he said, "I will simply say that if any country can play a role in preventing this war, no one should have any objection to it."
He added, "I will repeat what I said … our prime minister has good and close relations with all countries — whether it is Israel, the United States, Iran, or the countries around Iran. If those relationships can be used to make some progress and help ease the situation, it would be a good thing."
Abdullah said attacks by terror groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed in India, as suggested by a report from the United States, are not unlikely.
Meanwhile, he asserted that any efforts to end the war, be it from Pakistan, must not be resisted.
"Pakistan is using its good relations with Iran and the United States to its advantage, and it has done so. How can we object to that? If that angle helps in stopping the war, would you want them not to act and let the war continue? We want the war to stop. If any country can play a role in that, it should. And if we can play an even better role, then we should do so," he said.
On unemployment in J-K, the chief minister said the issue cannot be resolved overnight, and government jobs alone are not the solution.
He stressed the need to explore alternative avenues, highlighting the importance of Mission Yuva in promoting entrepreneurship.
"Mission Yuva provides not just funding but also support in preparing DPRs and post-startup assistance, such as marketing. In just nine months, distributing Rs 1,000 crore and approving numerous schemes is a significant achievement," he said.
Abdullah credited the coordination between the government and Jammu and Kashmir Bank for the scheme's progress.
