H D Revanna's arrest was as per law: CM Siddaramaiah
Mysuru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday asserted that JD(S) MLA H D Revanna was arrested as per law and government didn't interfere in the matter.
The CM also ridiculed the JD(S) claim that it would one day form the government and take revenge, saying there was no possibility of JD(S) coming to power ever.
Former minister H D Revanna was arrested for allegedly abducting a woman who had accused his son and former Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna of raping her. H D Revanna is the son of former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda.
Responding to JD(S) allegations that Revanna's arrest was unjust, the chief minister said the government neither interfered nor had any scope to interfere in the matter. "Not only Revanna's case. We don't interfere in any case," he said.
Siddaramaiah also asserted that the Congress government acted strictly in accordance with the law and accused the JD(S) of indulging in political rhetoric divorced from reality.
ALSO READ: Karnataka Govt sanctions cash rewards for SIT in Prajwal Revanna case, Nyamati Bank robbery
"We did as per law. Let them also do it as per law when they come to power but they will never ever come to power. Supposing that they come to power... I wonder how 17 JD(S) MLAs can form a government. Can political speeches ever translate into reality?" Siddaramaiah told reporters.
On allegations that officials were given gifts to "fix" Revanna, Siddaramaiah rejected the charge outright. "All these charges are false. Who will give gift?" he asked.
Recently, the police team that investigated Prajwal case was given a reward of Rs 25 lakh, sources in the CID said.
When reporters pointed out that JD(S) claims that it would come to power with BJP support, Siddaramaiah questioned the feasibility of such assertions.
"Will BJP leave the JD(S) to have their chief minister if they get more seats? First of all they will not come to power," he said.
"Despite the BJP and JD(S) joining hands we won 136 seats. We are now 140 members. How will the JD(S) win?" he asked, adding, "When I was the JD(S) president the party had won 59 seats in 2004. Now how many seats have they won? It's just 17." Siddaramaiah asserted that the Congress would return to power in the 2028 Assembly elections.
"We will again come to power in 2028. It's impossible that the BJP and JD(S) will ever come to power despite forming an alliance," he said, adding that the decision on who would head the government would be taken by the party high command.
On governance matters, Siddaramaiah said preparations for the state budget had not yet begun.
"The budget meeting has not started yet. We will start working on it from February 2," he said.
Referring to the World Economic Forum meet in Davos, the chief minister said, "There was a very good atmosphere for Karnataka in Davos. We have very good manpower, both skilled and unskilled. We are offering skill training. Skilled workforce will certainly get a job," he said.
When asked about the Governor submitting a report to the President on the events of January 22, Siddaramaiah said the Governor had merely conveyed what had occurred.
"Let him give it. He has just informed whatever had happened on that day. Article 163 of the Indian Constitution says Governor shall address the House. The word 'shall' has been used. Hence he should have addressed the joint session," he said.
He said the government would provide the Governor with the speech text.
"Tomorrow we will give him our speech copy but it is he who will deliver the speech. Whatever we have given, the same has to be read in the joint legislature meeting," he said.
On the Governor's address scheduled for January 26, Siddaramaiah said there was scope for changes but declined to say whether any revisions would be made.
"There is a scope to change the speech. I have no information whether it will be changed," he said.
Responding to BJP allegations that the state government failed to write to the Centre regarding Karnataka's tableau for the Republic Day parade, Siddaramaiah said the claim was incorrect.
"We have written. What can I do if they don't do it? It is for them to choose. The Centre should include tableau from every state," he said.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Texas halts H-1B visas at state universities, agencies; to affect Indians
Houston (US) (PTI): Texas Governor Greg Abbott has ordered state agencies and public universities to immediately halt new H-1B visa petitions, tightening hiring rules at taxpayer-funded institutions, a step likely to impact Indian professionals.
The freeze will remain in effect through May 2027.
The directive issued on Tuesday said that the state agencies and public universities must stop filing new petitions unless they receive written approval from the Texas Workforce Commission.
The governor's order, in a red state that is home to thousands of H-1B visa holders, comes as the Trump administration has initiated steps to reshape the visa programme.
“In light of recent reports of abuse in the federal H-1B visa programme, and amid the federal government’s ongoing review of that programme to ensure American jobs are going to American workers, I am directing all state agencies to immediately freeze new H-1B visa petitions as outlined in this letter,” Abbot said.
Institutions must also report on H-1B usage, including numbers, job roles, countries of origin, and visa expiry dates, the letter said.
US President Donald Trump on September 19 last year signed a proclamation ‘Restriction on entry of certain non-immigrant workers’ that restricted the entry into the US of those workers whose H-1B petitions are not accompanied or supplemented by a payment of USD 1,00,000.
The H1-B visa fee of USD 1,00,000 would be applicable only to new applicants, i.e. all new H-1B visa petitions submitted after September 21, including those for the FY2026 lottery.
Indians make up an estimated 71 per cent of all approved H-1B applications in recent years, according to US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), with China in the second spot. The major fields include technology, engineering, medicine, and research.
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) is the second-highest beneficiary with 5,505 approved H-1B visas in 2025, after Amazon (10,044 workers on H-1B visas), according to the USCIS. Other top beneficiaries include Microsoft (5,189), Meta (5,123), Apple (4,202), Google (4,181), Deloitte (2,353), Infosys (2,004), Wipro (1,523) and Tech Mahindra Americas (951).
Texas public universities employ hundreds of foreign faculty and researchers, many from India, across engineering, healthcare, and technology fields.
Date from Open Doors -- a comprehensive information resource on international students and scholars studying or teaching at higher education institutions in the US -- for 2022-2023 showed 2,70,000 students from India embarked on graduate and undergraduate degrees in US universities, accounting for 25 per cent of the international student population in the US and 1.5 per cent of the total student population.
Indian students infuse roughly USD 10 billion annually into universities and related businesses across the country through tuition and other expenses – while also creating around 93,000 jobs, according to the Open Doors data.
Analysts warn the freeze could slow recruitment of highly skilled professionals, affecting academic research and innovation.
Supporters say the directive protects local jobs, while critics caution it could weaken Texas’ competitiveness in higher education and research.
The order comes amid broader debate in the US over skilled immigration and state-level interventions in federal programmes.
H-1B visas allow US companies to hire technically-skilled professionals that are not easily available in America. Initially granted for three years, these can be extended for another three years.
In September 2025, Trump had also signed an executive order ‘The Gold Card’, aimed at setting up a new visa pathway for those committed to supporting the United States; with individuals who can pay USD 1 million to the US Treasury, or USD 2 million if a corporation is sponsoring them, to get access to expedited visa treatment and a path to a Green Card.
