BJP and JD(S) slam Siddaramaiah for 'regressive' budget
Bengaluru: The opposition BJP and its ally JD(S) on Friday walked out of the Karnataka Assembly and staged a demonstration near the Mahatma Gandhi statue against the 'anti-farmer' and 'anti-women' budget of the Congress government.
They raised slogans outside the Assembly Hall against the budget saying that it shows the state's coffers are empty.
They also sang a song in chorus saying, ''Enilla, Enilla, Siddaramaiahana budgetinalli Enilla.'' (There is nothing in Siddaramaiah's budget).
Speaking to reporters, the BJP state president B Y Vijayendra said the budget tabled by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who holds the Finance portfolio, is anti-farmer. It has nothing for the development of the state and that it will take the state 20 years back, he added.
''If I have to say something in one sentence then, Siddaramaiah has wasted his time to escape from his responsibility and to cover up his failures. He has ruined the sanctity of the budget,'' Vijayendra said.
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The BJP state chief alleged that the budget has not given a single rupee to North Karnataka.
Stating that the farmers were in distress due to acute drought in the state, Vijayendra said, ''They (farmers) were expecting some relief from the budget but it did not happen. It will not help women as well.'' Pointing to the failures, the Shikaripura MLA said Siddaramaiah had spoken about weavers in the party manifesto but he did not even mention them in his budget, let alone announcing any project for them.
The Congress had promised to increase the monthly pay of Anganwadi workers and assistants in the manifesto, which was also not mentioned in the budget, he charged.
''This budget has disappointed everyone including the SC/ST communities. It will not complement the development of the state. Despite such a severe drought, the Chief Minister did not announce any loan waiver. It will not be wrong to call it a black day as it did not benefit any section of the society,'' Vijayendra said.
Former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy who also accompanied the BJP legislators, said, ''Siddaramaiah has laid the foundation for the 'Vinashakaala' (destructive time) of Karnataka through this budget. He has vented his anger against the seven crore people (of the state).'' Opposition Leader in the Assembly R Ashoka said Karnataka will become ''bankrupt like Pakistan'' with this budget.
However, former minister and BJP MLA S T Somashekar, who is cozying up with the Congress leaders, hailed the budget for its provisions for Bengaluru.
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Rajnath to top commanders: Outmaneuver adversaries with strategic surprise
Jaipur/New Delhi (PTI): Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday directed the top military commanders of the three services to integrate an "element of surprise" into modern warfare to outmaneuver India's adversaries and bolster strategic posture.
In his address at the joint commanders conference in Jaipur, Singh also described the Operation Sindoor as a testament to the "swift, precise, and joint response" of the Indian armed forces to safeguard national interests and called upon the military to remain ready to deal with any security challenges.
In their two-day deliberations, the commanders carried out a comprehensive review of the combat preparedness of the military in the wake of the evolving regional security situation.
Operation Sindoor was a demonstration of India's growing capabilities and a symbol of the nation's collective resolve and new military ethos, Singh said, a day after the first anniversary of Operation Sindoor.
He also unveiled a 'Joint Doctrine for Integrated Communication Architecture' that is aimed at strengthening doctrinal clarity, interoperability and integrated communications across the armed forces in future multidomain operations.
The joint commanders' conference, themed 'Military Capability in New Domains', brought together the top leadership of the defence ministry and the three services to deliberate on emerging security challenges and future readiness.
Comprehensive deliberations were held on future warfare, multidomain operations, technological transformation and joint capability development.
The conference witnessed extensive discussions on cognitive warfare, cyber resilience against evolving quantum and AI-enabled threats, military capability development in emerging domains, indigenous innovation and AI-enabled warfighting concepts.
It was attended by Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan, Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Dinesh Kumar Tripathi, Chief of the Army Staff Gen Upendra Dwivedi, Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal AP Singh and Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh among others.
In his remarks, Singh asked the commanders to remain "future-ready" by learning from the operation as well as the current global security landscape.
He underscored the need to strengthen capabilities in artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, data analytics and secure communication networks to stay prepared in the rapidly evolving geopolitical security scenario. He emphasised that future conflicts will increasingly be shaped by hybrid threats, information dominance and operations conducted simultaneously across cyber, space, electromagnetic and cognitive domains, according to an official readout.
Highlighting the transformative impact of emerging technologies, Singh stressed on the importance of ensuring integrated national preparedness across all spectrums of conflict, it said.
Singh's remarks at the conference came a day after the first anniversary of Operation Sindoor.
The defence minister appreciated the progress achieved in enhancing jointness, integration and technological adoption across the three services, the readout noted.
Singh said that jointness constitutes a pivotal dimension within the transformative changes sweeping across the global defence sector.
"Future wars will not be won solely through weaponry, but through innovative thinking and enhanced synergy," he said.
The defence minister exhorted the commanders to cultivate the "element of surprise" to remain unpredictable to the nation's adversaries and secure a strategic edge in any given situation.
He, however, urged them to remain vigilant of the element of surprise of the enemy and always stay two steps ahead.
Singh also reiterated the Narendra Modi government's commitment to enhancing the capabilities of the defence forces through state-of-the-art weapons and platforms. He added that special focus is being laid on research in niche domains.
During the conference, he released a documentary film on Operation Sindoor.
The film reaffirms the nation's and defence forces' commitment to operational preparedness and decisive national response capabilities.
Demonstrations of advanced systems and platforms developed for intelligence fusion, operational planning and information management were also showcased during the conference reflecting growing integration of cutting-edge technologies into joint operational structures, according to the defence ministry.
The discussions will contribute significantly towards shaping India's future military transformation and integrated operational preparedness, it said.
