Roshan Baig will not join BJP as it had tried to end his political career: Minister UT Khader
Bengaluru, May 24: Senior Congress leader Roshan Baig, who criticised the party and urged Muslims to join hands with the BJP if there arises a need, will not join the saffron party because it had once conspired to end his political career, Karnataka minister U T Khader asserted Friday.
After exit polls had predicted a rout of the Congress-JD(S) alliance in the state, Baig dropped hints he could join the BJP and slammed the grand old party for its "flop poll campaigning".
He was then served a show-cause notice by his party for his outburst.
"Roshan Baig is our senior leader. He will not leave the Congress and join BJP. At one point of time, the BJP tried to foist false cases against him and put him in jail. They tried to finish off his political career," Kader, a state minister, told PTI here.
He appeared to be referring to the 2004 multi-crore fake stamp paper scam. Baig faced allegations of his involvement in the scam, which forced him to resign from the S M Krishna government.
The BJP had sought his arrest and filing of criminal cases against him after prime accused in the scam, Abdul Karim Telgi, revealed his political links in Karnataka before the investigation team.
"It was the Congress who saved him from BJP's conspiracy. The Congress brought him back and made him a leader," Khader added.
Earlier this week, Baig said he was not surprised at the exit poll numbers because of the Congress party's "flop poll campaigning."
He blamed Congress Legislature Party leader Siddaramaiah's "arrogance" and KPCC chief Dinesh Gundu Rao's "immaturity" for the "flop show".
He called AICC general secretary in-charge of Karnataka Venugopal a "buffoon."
On Friday, when Kader was asked about the Congress JD(S) blaming each other for the poor show in the general election in Karnataka, Kader said the results would not have any bearing on the stability of the coalition government in the state as the mandate in Lok Sabha election was for formation of a government at the Centre.
He said the coalition partners were united and dismissed any possibility of the state government falling.
BJP's attempts to destabilise the government would not succeed, Khader asserted.
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Explosive device kills 13, injures 38 on bus in southwestern Colombia as violence persists
Bogota (Colombia) (PTI): An explosive device killed 13 people travelling on a bus in southwestern Colombia on Saturday, an attack the country's army chief described as a “terrorist act" that also left at least 38 injured as violence linked to drug trafficking in the region escalates.
Octavio Guzman, the governor of the region of Cauca, said on X that the device was set off while the bus was travelling along the Panamerican Highway in the municipality of Cajibio. Five children were among the injured, Cauca Health Secretary Carolina Camargo told Noticias Caracol, a TV news program.
Gen. Hugo Lopez, commander of Colombia's Armed Forces, told a news conference that it was a “terrorist act" and blamed the network of a man known as “Ivan Mordisco” — one of Colombia's most wanted figures — and the Jaime Martínez faction. Both are dissidents of the now-defunct Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia that operate in the region.
Neither Ivan Mordisco nor the Jaime Martínez faction abide by the peace agreement signed with the state in 2016.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro condemned the attack on X.
“Those who carried out the attack and killed seven civilians — and wounded 17 others — in Cajibío — many of them Indigenous people — are terrorists, fascists, and drug traffickers,” he wrote.
The attack is the latest in a spate of explosions that have attempted to target public infrastructure. At least 26 incidents have taken place in the past two days in southwestern Colombia, which Lopez said have only affected civilians.
They included a shooting at a police station in the rural area of Jamundi, and an attack on a Civil Aviation radar facility in El Tambo, where authorities took down three explosives-laden drones earlier on Saturday. No one was hurt.
On Friday, two vehicles rigged with explosives were detonated near military units in Cali and Palmira, causing material damage.
The escalation of violence in that region — a territory contested by illegal armed groups linked to drug trafficking — prompted the mobilisation of high-ranking officials on Saturday. Led by Defence Minister Pedro Sanchez, the delegation that includes regional governors and local authorities, was meeting in Palmira when the deadly explosion occurred.
“These criminals seek to instil fear, but we will respond with firmness,” Sanchez said on X.
Meanwhile, Francisca Toro, governor of Valle del Cauca, has called upon the national government to provide “immediate support.” In a message on X, Toro called for a reinforcement of public security forces, enhanced intelligence operations and “decisive actions” against crime in the face of a “terrorist-level escalation.”
According to authorities, Cauca and Valle del Cauca serve as a critical hub for illicit activities of illegal armed groups vying for control over sea and river access routes leading to the port of Buenaventura — a key transit point used to traffic drugs to Central America and Europe.
The government has also offered a reward of more than 1 million dollars for information leading to the capture of “Marlon,” who is identified as the leader of the region's dissident group. On Friday, local authorities offered more than USD 14,000 for information leading to the identification and location of those behind the attacks in Cali and Palmira.
