Ananth Kumar Hegde must withdraw from elections: VS Shyamsundar
Bhatkal: Alleging that the BJP MP Anantkumar Hegde, who had been sleeping for the last five years, has woken up now as the elections are nearing, BJP leader VS Shyamsundar Gaikwad has demanded that Hegde withdraw from the Lok Sabha elections.
He was speaking at a press conference held at the Royal Oak Hotel.
In Uttara Kannada Lok Sabha constituency, the number of voters belonging to the backward classes including Marathas, Naykas, fishermen is large, and this time BJP should give tickets to the backward classes, Karnataka Kshatriya Maratha Maha Okkoota's president said. I have been working for the growth of BJP for the past 30 years. I worked hard for the development of Chhatrapati Shivaji's father's tomb. The Maratha community has supported Yeddyurappa to become the Chief Minister. The support of the Maratha community also contributed to BJP's 4 MLAs becoming 36 and then 110. He further demanded that this time Ananth Kumar Hegde must withdraw from the elections himself and give me a chance.
In the last Lok Sabha elections, BJP did not give a single seat to the backward class. Do not do such a thing this time. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has done a lot of work in the country. But this time there is a Congress government in the state and they have to fight for victory. Belagavi, Chikkodi, Uttara Kannada, Dharwad, Bidar districts are dominated by the Maratha community. He also said that giving tickets to the Maratha community will help the BJP to win in 7 other constituencies.
Speaking on the occasion, Sri Virupaksha Swamiji of Mundagoda Salagaon Gaurammaji Mutt said Sri Rama resides in everyone's mind and heart. He further said that BJP should empower Shyamsundara Gaikwad who is taking Ramrath to every taluk, everyone respects Chhatrapati Shivaji. He said that their Kshatriya society should be empowered.
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.
Cong takes swipe at PM over India not being part of US-led 'Pax Silica' grouping
New Delh (PTI) The Congress on Saturday said it is perhaps not very surprising that India is not part of a US-led strategic initiative to build a secure silicon supply chain, given the "sharp downturn" in the Trump-Modi ties, and asserted that it would have been to "our advantage if we had been part of this group".
Congress general secretary in charge of communications Jairam Ramesh took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the news of India not being part of the group comes after the PM had enthusiastically posted on social media about a telephone call with his "once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC".
In a lengthy post on X, Ramesh said, "According to some news reports, the US has excluded India from a nine-nation initiative it has launched to reduce Chinese control on high-tech supply chains. The agreement is called Pax Silica, clearly as a counter to Pax Sinica. The nations included (for the moment at least) are the US, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia."
"Given the sharp downturn in the Trump-Modi ties since May 10th, 2025, it is perhaps not very surprising that India has not been included. Undoubtedly, it would have been to our advantage if we had been part of this group."
"This news comes a day after the PM had enthusiastically posted on his telephone call with his once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC," the Congress leader asserted.
The new US-led strategic initiative, rooted in deep cooperation with trusted allies, has been launched to build a secure and innovation-driven silicon supply chain.
According to the US State Department, the initiative called 'Pax Silica' aims to reduce coercive dependencies, protect the materials and capabilities foundational to artificial intelligence (AI), and ensure aligned nations can develop and deploy transformative technologies at scale.
The initiative includes Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia. With the exception of India, all other QUAD countries -- Japan, Australia and the US -- are part of the new initiative.
New Delhi will host the India-AI Impact Summit 2026 on February 19-20, focusing on the principles of 'People, Planet, and Progress'. The summit, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the France AI Action Summit, will be the first-ever global AI summit hosted in the Global South.
Prime Minister Modi and US President Trump on Thursday discussed ways to sustain momentum in the bilateral economic partnership in a phone conversation amid signs of the two sides inching closer to firming up a much-awaited trade deal.
The phone call between the two leaders came on a day Indian and American negotiators concluded two-day talks on the proposed bilateral trade agreement that is expected to provide relief to India from the Trump administration's whopping 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods.
In a social media post, Modi had described the conversation as "warm and engaging".
"We reviewed the progress in our bilateral relations and discussed regional and international developments. India and the US will continue to work together for global peace, stability and prosperity," Modi had said without making any reference to trade ties.
