Deve Gowda, Kumaraswamy "most opportunistic" politicians: Yeddyurappa
Bengaluru, Nov 20: Karnataka BJP president B S Yeddyurappa Tuesday accused Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy and former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda of being the "most opportunistic" politicians in the country, as he attacked the JDS-Congress government in the state on the farmers' issues.
Extending his party's full support to the farmers' cause by calling for a state wide agitation on Wednesday, Yeddyurappa alleged that Gowda and Kumaraswamy were synonymous with "betrayal".
Yeddyurappa also hit out at Kumaraswamy for a remark he made against a protesting woman farmer at Belagavi Sunday.
"It is shameful on the part of the chief minister to make a disgraceful remark against a woman farmer. It is also arrogance to call the protesting farmers goondas and dacoits," Yeddyurappa said.
Describing the chief minister's remarks against the woman "derogatory", he lashed out at Kumaraswamy for trying to defend it.
He said those in public life should gracefully accept criticisms. Farmers protested the way they did as the chief minister backtracked from his promise, he said.
"Power seems to have gone into the chief minister's head," he said, adding that Congress leaders who are supporting Kumaraswamy's government should think over the CM's remarks.
"If they have self-respect they should ask the CM to implement the decisions or quit the post," Yeddyurappa said.
Farmers are protesting in Belagavi for the last few days demanding clearance of their pending arrears by sugar factories for the cane supplied and announcement of purchase price for sugarcane for the current season.
They had intensified their protest Sunday by "gatecrashing" their loaded trucks into "Suvarna Vidhana Soudha", the legislature complex in northern district, protesting Kumaraswamy's cancellation of his scheduled visit to meet ryots.
In a strong reaction, Kumaraswamy had described those who barged into the legislature complex as "goondas" and accused them of defaming the entire farming community.
Also, Kumaraswamy's remarks against a woman farmer while questioning her 'silence' in the last four years on the arrears issue and her farming background, had evoked sharp reaction from her.
Chief Minister Kumaraswamy, you and Deve Gowda are most opportunistic" politicians in the country," Yeddyurappa said, while attacking the duo for repeatedly not keeping their promises.
They say I had gone to their door to make me chief minister, you should be ashamed to make such statements," he said, recalling that it was Kumaraswamy who quit the Dharm Singh lead Congress-JD(S) coalition in 2006 and joined hands with the BJP to form the coalition government.
Reminding that he had given full support to the JD(S)-led 20 months government, Yeddyurappa accused Kumaraswamy of "betrayal" then.
Accusing Gowda of insulting former chief ministers like Ramakrishna Hegde and S R Bommai, he said the father-son duo had also insulted former chief minister Siddaramaiah by trying to end his political career by ensuring his loss in the Chamundeshwari assembly constituency in Mysuru.
"I think Siddaramaiah is tolerating all the insults and is waiting for the right time," he added.
Questioning Kumaraswamy about the steps taken for the benefit of farmers and common man in the last five months, he said, "the chief minister repeatedly claims credit for loan waiver, but how much loan waiver has happened so far is the question."
"Cooperative sector is in distress, not even a paise has been waived from nationalised banks who are now giving notices to farmers, you are just lying and wasting time," he added.
Yeddyurappa said the BJP would stage protest at all taluk and district centres across the state Wednesday to highlight state issues and against Kumaraswamy's "derogatory" remarks against the woman farmer.
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Canada, US to launch formal talks to review their free trade agreement in mid-January
Toronto (AP): Canada and the US will launch formal discussions to the review their free trade agreement in mid-January, the office of Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said.
The prime minister confirmed to provincial leaders that Dominic LeBlanc, the country's point person for US-Canada trade relations, “will meet with US counterparts in mid-January to launch formal discussions," Carney's office said in a statement late Thursday.
The United States-Mexico-Canada trade pact, or USMCA, is up for review in 2026. US President Donald Trump negotiated the deal in his first term and included a clause to possibly renegotiate the deal in 2026.
Carney met with the leaders of Canada's provinces on Thursday to give them an update on trade talks with the US.
Canada is one of the most trade-dependent countries in the world, and more than 75 per cent of Canada's exports go to the country's southern neighbour. But most exports to the US are currently exempted by USMCA.
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Trump cut off trade talks to reduce tariffs on certain sectors with Carney in October after the Ontario provincial government ran an anti-tariff advertisement in the US. That followed a spring of acrimony, since abated, over Trump's insistence that Canada should become the 51st US state.
Carney said earlier Thursday that Canada and the US were close to an agreement at the time on sectoral tariff relief in multiple areas, including steel and aluminum. Tariffs are taking a toll on certain sectors of Canada's economy, particularly aluminum, steel, auto and lumber.
Carney also said trade irritants flagged this week by US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer are elements of a “much bigger discussion” about continental trade. Greer said a coming review of the Canada-US-Mexico trade deal will hinge on resolving US concerns about Canadian policies on dairy products, alcohol and digital services.
Carney and the provincial premiers agreed to meet in person in Ottawa early in the new year.
Canada is the top export destination for 36 US states. Nearly USD 3.6 billion Canadian (USD 2.7 billion) worth of goods and services cross the border each day.
About 60 per cent of US crude oil imports are from Canada, as are 85 per cent of US electricity imports.
Canada is also the largest foreign supplier of steel, aluminum and uranium to the US and has 34 critical minerals and metals that the Pentagon is eager for and investing in for national security.
Carney said US access to Canada's critical ministers is not a certainty.
“It's a potential opportunity for the United States, but it's not an assured opportunity for the United States. It's part of a bigger discussion in terms of our trading relationship, because we have other partners around the world, in Europe for example, who are very interested in participating,” Carney said earlier Thursday.
