Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar should consult senior party leaders on MLC candidates: G Parameshwara
Bengaluru, May 28: Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara on Tuesday said Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and State Congress chief D K Shivakumar should consult senior party leaders like him regarding selection of candidates for the MLC polls.
The statement comes against the backdrop of Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar's trip to New Delhi today to discuss with the party high command candidates for biennial election to 11 seats of Karnataka Legislative Council on June 13.
"The Chief Minister and KPCC President are in responsible positions. It is appropriate if they consult seniors like us. Without consulting if they both decide on their own, it is not right according to me. Those with seniority and experience, both in the party and the government and having contacts, should be consulted. They have to discuss with us," Parameshwara said.
Addressing reporters here, he said, "Not just me, there are seniors like me who have served as the KPCC Presidents and those who have experience and have held party positions. If their advice and opinion is taken, it will be good. This is my opinion."
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Parameshwara was responding to a question whether the Chief Minister and Shivakumar have sought his views on MLC candidates, or whether he has recommended any names.
Asked about several Ministers suggesting consideration of factors such as region and caste while giving tickets, Parameshwara said, "This has to be discussed, offhand. They both (CM and DCM) should not decide unilaterally, they should seek our advice. They have to consider district and caste wise."
"Those who have worked for the party and built it, those communities that have stood by the organisation, have to be recognised, this is my opinion," he added.
To another query on whether this was discussed during the recent dinner meeting for all Ministers hosted by Shivakumar, Parameshwara replied in the negative.
Responding to KPCC president's diktat that Ministers should visit the party office to meet workers, Parameshwara said he too had done the same thing when he was the President for eight years.
"When Congress was in power, ministers used to visit the party office... This is the party decision. The President might have noticed some Ministers not adhering to it, and hence he might have given the instructions, it is a welcome move," he said.
Responding to a question on talks about no immediate changes in KPCC President for now, Parameshwara said the party high command will take a call at an appropriate time.
"Shivakumar is competent and is serving as the president. If he feels he is not able to manage as he is also the Deputy CM, he will tell the high command, or high command on its own may decide," he said.
Reacting to Minister K N Rajanna's statement that he was ready to sacrifice the minister post to serve as party President, he said, "... anyone may sacrifice, is there a shortage of people to sacrifice in Congress?"
As per the existing strength of parties in the Assembly, the Congress can win 7, BJP can win three and JD(S) one seat.
The schedule for filing nominations for this election has already begun, and it will go on till June 3.
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Canada is already examining tariffs on certain US items following Trump's tariff threat
Toronto (AP/PTI): Canada is already examining possible retaliatory tariffs on certain items from the United States should President-elect Donald Trump follow through on his threat to impose sweeping tariffs on Canadian products, a senior official has said.
Trump has threatened to impose tariffs on products from Canada and Mexico if the countries don't stop what he called the flow of drugs and migrants across southern and northern borders. He said he would impose a 25 per cent tax on all products entering the U.S. from Canada and Mexico as one of his first executive orders.
But Trump posted Wednesday evening on Truth Social that he had a "wonderful conversation" with new Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and she "agreed to stop Migration through Mexico".
"Mexico will stop people from going to our Southern Border, effective immediately. THIS WILL GO A LONG WAY TOWARD STOPPING THE ILLEGAL INVASION OF THE USA. Thank you!!!" Trump posted.
It was unclear what impact the conversation will have on Trump's plan to impose tariffs.
In Canada, a government official said on Wednesday that Canada is preparing for every eventuality and has started thinking about what items to target with tariffs in retaliation. The official stressed no decision has been made. The person spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorised to speak publicly.
When Trump imposed higher tariffs during his first term in office, other countries responded with retaliatory tariffs of their own. Canada, for instance, announced billions of new duties in 2018 against the US in a tit-for-tat response to new taxes on Canadian steel and aluminum.
Many of the US products were chosen for their political rather than economic impact. For example, Canada imports USD 3 million worth of yogurt from the US annually and most comes from one plant in Wisconsin, home state of then-House Speaker Paul Ryan. That product was hit with a 10 per cent duty.
Another product on the list was whiskey, which comes from Tennessee and Kentucky, the latter of which is the home state of then-Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell.
Trump made the threat Monday while railing against an influx of illegal migrants, even though the numbers at Canadian border pale in comparison to the southern border.
The US Border Patrol made 56,530 arrests at the Mexican border in October alone — and 23,721 arrests at the Canadian one between October 2023 and September 2024.
Canadian officials say lumping Canada in with Mexico is unfair but say they are ready to make new investments in border security and work with the Trump administration to lower the numbers from Canada. The Canadians are also worried about a influx north of migrants if Trump follows through with his plan for mass deportations.
Trump also railed about fentanyl from Mexico and Canada, even though seizures from the Canadian border pale in comparison to the Mexican border. US customs agents seized 43 pounds of fentanyl at the Canadian border last fiscal year, compared with 21,100 pounds at the Mexican border.
Canadian officials argue their country is not the problem and that tariffs will have severe implications for both countries.
Canada is the top export destination for 36 US states. Nearly USD 3.6 billion Canadian (USD 2.7 billion) worth of goods and services cross the border each day. About 60 per cent of US crude oil imports are from Canada, and 85 per cent of US electricity imports are from Canada. Canada is also the largest foreign supplier of steel, aluminum and uranium to the US and has 34 critical minerals and metals that the Pentagon is eager for and investing in for national security.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau held a emergency virtual meeting on Wednesday with the leaders of Canada's provinces. He stressed they need to present a united front.
"I don't want to minimize for a moment the gravity of the challenge we now face," Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said. "Now is really a moment for us not to squabble amongst ourselves."
The provincial premiers want Trudeau to negotiate a bilateral trade deal with the United States that excludes Mexico.
Sheinbaum, Mexico's president, said earlier Wednesday that her administration is already working up a list of possible retaliatory tariffs "if the situation comes to that."
She later said she talked to Trump and had "an excellent conversation".
