Any flaws seen in caste census report will be set right, promises Deputy CM DK Shivakumar
Belagavi: Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar disapproved of ‘hasty comments’ on the data provided by the caste census report, assuring that flaws noticed in the report would be set right.
The Deputy CM, who spoke to reporters at the airport here on Saturday, stated that he had not checked the census report and would comment after reading the report.
He said that the leaders of the Congress, who had promised in the election manifesto that a socio economic survey report would be released to learn the progress of each community, would check the report thoroughly and set right any flaws that they found. “There is no need to panic,” Shivakumar assured.
When asked to comment about Opposition leaders, R Ashoka of Legislative Assembly and Chalavadi Narayanaswamy of the Council, opposing the report, the Deputy CM said that the reactions were expected but he would not respond to their statement, adding that he did not wish to be a spokesperson of the BJP by doing so.
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China asks Iran to ensure freedom of navigation through Strait of Hormuz
Beijing (PTI): Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has asked Iran to ensure freedom and safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz, a first such call issued by Beijing ever since Tehran started to put a squeeze on the critical waterway in the midst of its war with the US.
Wang has sought guarantees of freedom and safety of international navigation through the Strait of Hormuz in a phone call with Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi on Wednesday.
Wang’s call coincided with a Pakistan mediation delegation headed by Field Marshal Asim Munir reaching Tehran on Wednesday to discuss new peace proposals for a second round of talks between the US and Iran in Islamabad.
China, a close ally of Iran and the largest importer of Iranian oil, was also concerned over the energy crisis accentuated by the US blockade of the Strait, preventing ships from carrying oil and gas from Iran's ports.
The Strait of Hormuz is a vital 55-km-wide maritime choke point between Iran and Oman, managing roughly 20 per cent of global oil trade.
Opening of the Strait was the second most important demand by US President Donald Trump, besides halting Iran's nuclear energy.
"The current situation has reached a critical stage of transition between conflict and peace, and a window for peace is opening,” Wang told Araghchi, according to a statement by the Chinese foreign ministry.
Wang said Iran, as a coastal state of the Strait of Hormuz, should have its sovereignty, security and legitimate rights and interests respected and safeguarded.
"At the same time, the freedom and safety of international navigation through the strait should also be ensured, and efforts to restore normal transit through the strait are a shared call of the international community,” he said.
Araghchi said Tehran expected China to play an active role in promoting peace and ending the conflict, and that Iran was willing to continue seeking a rational and realistic solution through peaceful negotiations, Hong Kong based South China Morning Post reported.
The US blockade followed an initial round of talks in Islamabad over the weekend that had aimed at permanently ending the conflict but failed to produce an agreement, with divisions remaining over thorny issues, particularly Iran’s nuclear programme and the Strait of Hormuz.
The Chinese foreign ministry on Tuesday sharply criticised the US blockade as “dangerous and irresponsible”, saying it risked escalating tensions and undermining the shaky ceasefire.
