Karnataka Congress holds protest against move to shift ISRO's programme to Gujarat from Bengaluru
Bengaluru, Dec 1: President of Karnataka Congress D K Shivakumar, along with the party affiliated National Students' Union of India (NSUI), staged what the party called a symbolic protest in front of the ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) office here on Wednesday.
The protest, the Congress said, was against any move to shift the Indian Human Space Flight programme of the space agency from Bengaluru to Gujarat and called it a matter of State's pride.
Shivakumar recently shot off letters to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai opposing any such move amid some reports of such a plan being under consideration of the Central government.
NSUI members shouted slogans, held placards and posters which read "Stop Shifting ISRO to Gujarat '', "Stop Privatisation ''.
Speaking to reporters, Shivakumar said human space flight programme should not be shifted out of the State for any reason.
"It is a matter of Karnataka's pride; they (Central government) are planning to shift the Human Space Flight programme out of Bengaluru, it should not happen. Let them start any other new project or programme there in Gujarat, but it is not right to shift the programme that began and is running here," he said.
"It (the move to shift) is purely political to please the bosses from Gujarat. They first wanted to shift the airshow out of Bengaluru, but withdrew only after Kannadigas protested...what is the scientific reason behind the plan to shift the programme from Bengaluru," he asked.
Also alleging attempts to privatise important national agencies and assets, the KPCC chief said ISRO should not get included in the list of organisations that have been sold to private hands after airlines, hotel and public sector companies, among others.
He urged the Central government to come clear on the issue.
Launched in 2007 by ISRO, the Indian Human Space Flight programme is aimed at development of technology needed to launch crewed orbital spacecraft into low earth orbit.
ಇಸ್ರೋ ಸಂಸ್ಥೆ ಜ್ಞಾನದ ಸಂಕೇತ, ಕನ್ನಡಿಗರ ಸ್ವಾಭಿಮಾನದ ಪ್ರತೀಕ. ಗಗನಯಾನ ಯೋಜನೆ ಸ್ಥಳಾಂತರ ನಿರ್ಧಾರ ಕೈಬಿಡುವಂತೆ ಪ್ರಧಾನಿ ಹಾಗೂ ಮುಖ್ಯಮಂತ್ರಿಗಳಿಗೆ ಪತ್ರ ಬರೆದಿದ್ದೆ. ಆದರೆ, ಯೋಜನೆ ನಡೆಯುತ್ತಿರುವುದು ಭಾರತದಲ್ಲೇ ಅಲ್ಲವೇ ಅಂತಿದ್ದಾರೆ. ಯಾವುದೇ ಕಾರಣಕ್ಕೂ ಈ ನಿರ್ಧಾರ ಕೈಗೊಳ್ಳಲು ಬಿಡಲ್ಲ. ಇದು ರಾಜಕೀಯೇತರ ಹೋರಾಟ.
— DK Shivakumar (@DKShivakumar) December 1, 2021
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ಬಾಹ್ಯಾಕಾಶ ಕುರಿತ ಇಂಗ್ಲಿಷ್ ಸಿನಿಮಾಗಿಂತ ಕಡಿಮೆ ಬಜೆಟ್ನಲ್ಲಿ ಮಂಗಳಯಾನದಂತಹ ಪ್ರತಿಷ್ಠಿತ ಯೋಜನೆಯನ್ನು ಪೂರೈಸಿದ ಇಸ್ರೋ ಸಂಸ್ಥೆ ಭವಿಷ್ಯದಲ್ಲಿ ಅನೇಕ ಕನಸುಗಳನ್ನು ಕಂಡಿದೆ. ಇಂಥ ಸಂಸ್ಥೆಯನ್ನು ಖಾಸಗೀಕರಣಗೊಳಿಸುವುದು ಖಂಡಿತ ನ್ಯಾಯಯುತ ನಿರ್ಧಾರವಲ್ಲ. ಇದರಿಂದ ಇಲ್ಲಿ ಕೆಲಸ ಮಾಡುತ್ತಿರುವ ಕನ್ನಡಿಗರಿಗೂ ವಂಚಿಸಿದಂತಾಗುತ್ತದೆ.
— DK Shivakumar (@DKShivakumar) December 1, 2021
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Trump’s fresh threat to bomb Iran amid reports of deal to end war
Washington (PTI): US President Donald Trump on Wednesday threatened Iran with more bombing if it doesn't reopen the Strait of Hormuz, amid a report that the warring sides were nearing an agreement to end the war.
US media outlet Axios reported, quoting US officials and two other sources, that the US and Iran were getting close to a one-page memorandum of understanding to end the war and set a framework for more detailed nuclear negotiations.
The US expects Iranian responses on several key points over the next 48 hours, Axios reported, adding that nothing has been agreed yet. This was the closest the parties had been to an agreement since the war began.
"Assuming Iran agrees to give what has been agreed to, which is, perhaps, a big assumption, the already legendary Epic Fury will be at an end, and the highly effective Blockade will allow the Hormuz Strait to be OPEN TO ALL, including Iran," Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
"If they don’t agree, the bombing starts, and it will be, sadly, at a much higher level and intensity than it was before," Trump said.
According to Axios, the deal would involve Iran committing to a moratorium on nuclear enrichment, the US agreeing to lift its sanctions and release billions in frozen Iranian funds, and both sides lifting restrictions around transit through the Strait of Hormuz.
It said many of the terms laid out in the memo would be contingent on a final agreement being reached, leaving the possibility of renewed war or an extended limbo in which the hot war has stopped, but nothing is truly resolved.
