Congress starts bus tour ahead of Karnataka assembly polls
Belagavi (KTK) (PTI): Hitting the road in poll-bound Karnataka, the Congress on Wednesday began its statewide bus tour called 'Praja Dhwani Yatre', jointly led by party state unit President D K Shivakumar and Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Siddaramaiah.
The tour kickstarted at 'Veer Soudha', a memorial where Mahatma Gandhi had presided over the Congress session in 1924, after paying tributes to the father of the nation.
AICC General Secretary In-charge of State Randeep Surjewala, and senior leaders including campaign committee chief M B Patil, were among others present.
The tour covering 21 districts will see the party sharing its ideas with the people and assuring all-round development of the state, while attacking the BJP government with a "charge sheet" it has prepared, Congress leaders said.
As part of the bus yatra, both Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah, who are nursing chief ministerial ambitions in the event of the Congress coming to power, will travel in the same vehicle until January 29.
Thereafter, in the second week of February, two separate teams would be formed, with one headed by Siddaramaiah set to tour Assembly constituencies in north Karnataka region, while Shivakumar will be leading the way in southern districts.
Congress leaders symbolically swept the street with a broom and said they will "wipe out the corrupt" BJP government from the state, where elections are due by May.
Siddaramaiah said, the Congress is beginning the Yatre from Belagavi to "wipe out the BJP government's corruption and its misrule," from the state.
"Our intention is to place before the people a charge sheet against the BJP government in the state, because the entire government is submerged in corruption, there is growing misrule, and they are indulging in a politics of hate. If anyone questions, they are being intimidated with false cases and arrests," he said, adding that "corruption is rampant and people are fed up".
Shivakumar said the BJP government has been a "curse" for this state as "scandals are coming out every day," and to wipe it out, the Congress is taking up this yatre.
"The BJP has made Karnataka the capital of corruption, this has to be ended and people need to be given a good administration, they should have confidence towards the government, so we are taking up this yatre with a promise of good governance," he said.
Listing out "various corruption and scandals" in the state and accusing the government of giving a clean chit to those involved by filing a b-report in such cases, he alleged, "estimates have been doubled in PWD and irrigation contracts, everything will be looked into, all scandals and B report will be inquired into on Congress coming to power."
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.
President Donald Trump to feature on limited edition US passports
Washington (PTI): The State Department is all set to unveil a limited-edition US passport with pictures of President Donald Trump and the Founding Fathers to commemorate the 250th anniversary of American independence in July.
The special passports will be available only to those who show up in person at the Washington Passport Agency and not anywhere else across the country.
The Department of State shared images of the limited edition passports on its social media accounts.
One page of the passport carries Trump's image surrounded by the text of the Declaration of Independence and the American flag along with the president's signature in gold.
Another page features the famous painting of the founding fathers at the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
The passports, which are set to be released this summer, are part of the Trump administration’s broader "America250" celebration, which also includes a Grand Prix race on the National Mall in August and a UFC fight on the White House South Lawn in June.
"As the United States celebrates America's 250th anniversary in July, @StateDept is preparing to release a limited number of specially designed US Passports to commemorate this historic occasion,” State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said in a post on X.
A State Department official told Fox News Digital that the new designs will be available for "any American citizen" who applies for a passport when the rollout happens and will continue for as long as there is availability.
“These passports will feature customised artwork and enhanced imagery while maintaining the same security features that make the US Passport the most secure documents in the world,” Pigott said in a statement.
In October, the Department of Treasury proposed minting a one dollar coin featuring Trump’s image on it, to mark the 250th anniversary of American Independence.
According to draft images confirmed as real by US Treasurer Brandon Beach, one side of the coin would feature Trump’s profile, along with the words “LIBERTY,” “IN GOD WE TRUST,” and “1776-2026.”
The other side of the coin would feature Trump standing with a clenched right fist in front of an American flag and the words “FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT” — a reference to his chant after the 2024 assassination attempt at his campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
