Don't need lessons from hollow Hindutva ideologue, BY Raghavendra hits out at KS Eshwarappa
In Byndoor, Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Shimoga candidate, BY Raghavendra, issued a sharp rebuke against senior party leader KS Eshwarappa, who is contesting the Lok Sabha elections from the same constituency as an independent candidate. Raghavendra asserted his staunch adherence to Hinduism and dismissed any need for lessons on the religion from proponents of what he termed "hollow Hindutva."
Speaking to reporters at Naguri near Byndoor on Tuesday, Raghavendra affirmed his official candidacy declared by the party high command for the Shimoga Lok Sabha seat. He expressed confidence in garnering support not only from BJP members but also from the entire Sangh Parivar. Raghavendra emphasized his commitment to refrain from using religion as a political tool during his election campaign.
Addressing Eshwarappa's decision to contest independently, Raghavendra recalled a recent visit by Eshwarappa to Shikaripura, where he had praised the equitable ethos within the family of veteran BJP leader BS Yediyurappa. During this visit, Eshwarappa had lauded the performance of Raghavendra's elder brother, Vijayendra, as the State President of the BJP and urged the electorate to ensure Raghavendra's victory by a substantial margin. Raghavendra expressed surprise at Eshwarappa's sudden reversal of stance within a short span of time.
Raghavendra suggested that Eshwarappa's abrupt change in position warranted analysis, indicating that voters would likely take note of the leader's actions.
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First direct US-Venezuela commercial flight in 7 years to land in Caracas
Caracas (Venezuela) (AP): The first direct commercial flight between the United States and Venezuela is scheduled to land on Thursday in the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, seven years after the US Department of Homeland Security ordered an indefinite suspension, citing security concerns.
The resumption of a commercial flight between the two countries comes in the wake of the US capture of Nicolás Maduro in a stunning nighttime raid on his residence in Caracas, Venezuela's capital, in early January.
It also comes a month after the US formally reopened its embassy in Caracas following the restoration of full diplomatic relations with the South American country.
Flight AA3599 operated by Envoy Air, a subsidiary of American Airlines, was scheduled to depart from Miami at 10:16 a.m. local time and arrive three hours later in the Venezuelan capital, returning to Florida later in the afternoon.
Earlier, the airline said a second daily flight between Miami and Caracas will start on May 21.
In late January, US President Donald Trump said he informed Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodríguez that he would open up all commercial airspace over Venezuela, allowing Americans to visit.
“American citizens will be very shortly able to go to Venezuela, and they'll be safe there,” Trump said at the time.
The flights mark the resumption of nonstop travel between the US and Venezuela for the first time since diplomatic ties were severed in 2019. For the past seven years, passengers have relied on international airlines and indirect routes through neighbouring Latin American countries.
In January, when the airline announced the resumption of flights it said it would give customers the opportunity to reunite with families and pursue new business opportunities.
American Airlines was the last US airline flying to Venezuela. It suspended flights in 2019 between Miami and Caracas, as well as flights to the oil hub city of Maracaibo. Delta and United Airlines pulled out in 2017 amid a political crisis that forced millions to flee the country.
