Modi 'incapable of defending, upholding India's sovereignty'; he must stepdown: Siddaramaiah
Bengaluru (PTI): Terming the US waiver allowing Indian refiners to purchase Russian oil for 30 days as "deeply humiliating", Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to step down, as he accused him of repeatedly demonstrating that "he is incompetent and incapable" of defending India's sovereignty.
Siddaramaiah said, while RSS-BJP leaders keep demanding that the words "secular" and "socialist" be removed from the Constitution, under their rule, "sovereignty" itself appears to have been removed in practice.
"Narendra Modi has demonstrated again and again that he is incompetent and incapable of defending and upholding India's sovereignty and dignity. For the good of the nation, he must step down," Siddaramaiah posted on 'X'.
"It is deeply humiliating that the United States is now openly saying it will allow India to buy Russian oil for 30 days. No foreign government should ever be in a position to grant or deny India permission to run its economy. Yet this is the situation India finds itself in under Prime Minister Narendra Modi," he said.
Amid the escalating conflict with Iran, the US recently said it is issuing a temporary 30-day waiver to allow Indian refiners to purchase Russian oil.
Meanwhile, hitting back at Siddaramaiah, state BJP President B Y Vijayendra said, it is unfortunate that a sitting chief minister has reduced himself to the level of a full-time troll, desperately competing with one of his own prank-specialist ministers for social media attention.
Claiming that it increasingly feels as if India's capital is not New Delhi, but Washington DC, Siddaramaiah said in his post that Donald Trump speaks like the acting Prime Minister of India, while Narendra Modi appears reduced to a puppet who merely follows instructions.
"A prime minister of a sovereign republic cannot allow such a situation to arise," he said.
Noting that the pattern is impossible to ignore, the CM pointed out that Trump repeatedly claims credit for the Operation Sindoor ceasefire, yet we have heard no strong rebuttal from PM Modi.
"The United States tells India not to buy Iranian oil, and the Modi government complies. Pressure is applied on Russian oil imports - India reduces them. Now the United States announces that Indian refineries are allowed to buy Russian oil for only 30 days," he said.
Stating that the "continuous and meek surrender" to the United States makes his and his party's earlier doubts look increasingly true, Siddaramaiah said, "The Adani investigation and the Epstein files - where Narendra Modi's closest allies are entangled - appear to have been weaponised by Donald Trump and used as a tool to blackmail India. So much for the hollow claims of making India a Vishwaguru".
The CM further said India must speak with its own voice in the world. At a time when the world is torn by war and bloodshed, India must show moral leadership and independent thinking, guided by its own history.
In his retort, Vijayendra said this is not the UPA era, when the government functioned as a "remote-controlled establishment" under Congress top leader Sonia Gandhi, "readily surrendering India's sovereign interests at the slightest pressure from Washington."
"The world has not forgotten how the then US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton openly confirmed that India had reduced oil imports from Iran under American pressure - that too in the presence of the UPA's own external affairs minister. Few moments in India's diplomatic history have been more humiliating or revealing," the state BJP chief said.
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Deputy CM Shivakumar slams BJP MPs for their silence on LPG shortage in India
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Tuesday said the shortage of LPG refills has become a serious concern in the state, amid warnings from hotel owners that they may be forced to shut down operations if supplies do not improve soon.
Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, Shivakumar said the issue must be discussed in Parliament and urged Members of Parliament to raise the matter, as the shortage was affecting businesses and the public.
"The government must discuss this in Parliament. They should allow a discussion today... From today itself, we are facing problems. There is no stock," he said.
The Deputy Chief Minister criticised BJP MPs for not speaking about the LPG shortage despite its impact on businesses such as hotels and catering establishments.
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He noted that hoteliers have already begun limiting their operations due to dwindling supplies.
"Now, because of the gas price hike and the gas shortage, people are going on strike, but the BJP MPs are not talking about it. They raise their voice on many other issues - strangely enough - but they are silent on this," he said.
Shivakumar also pointed to the rising fuel costs, saying diesel prices had recently increased sharply, adding further pressure on businesses.
According to him, the combined impact of fuel price increases and LPG supply disruptions was affecting the hospitality sector.
He said even former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda spoke about some of the issues pertaining to Karnataka and called for discussion.
"Deve Gowda is talking about Mekedatu and Yettinahole projects. Let him direct his party MPs to talk about this (fuel shortage) in the Parliament.
It is not right for me to launch a verbal attack on him, considering his age. Let him suggest solutions for Mekedatu and Yettinahole. Let his party MLAs talk about what their party did, and I will counter it with what we have done," Shivakumar said.
Hotel associations in the state have warned that continued supply shortages could force establishments to temporarily shut down, particularly those dependent on commercial LPG cylinders for daily cooking. The Deputy Chief Minister indicated that the issue required urgent attention at the national level, as LPG supply and pricing fall under the Centre's purview.
