Bommai dismisses allegations of plot to destabilise Karnataka's Congress govt
Bengaluru, July 25: Senior BJP leader Basavaraj Bommai on Tuesday alleged that Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar's allegations of a conspiracy being hatched overseas by some BJP and JD(S) leaders to destabilise the government in Karnataka is aimed at deflecting public attention from the discontent brewing within the ruling party.
Shivakumar on Monday claimed that a plot was being hatched in Singapore to topple Karnataka's Congress government. It created a flutter in political circles.
The former chief minister, clarifying that no BJP leader has indulged in any such activities to topple the government, said the failures of this government have naturally led to disgruntlement among the legislators and infighting.
"Shivakumar's statements are leading to instability in this government. I have been observing it. There was no need for him to speak about Singapore, but it is aimed at deflecting public attention from the consequences of B K Hariprasad's comments. And to unnecessarily target the opposition parties, he made those statements," Bommai said.
MLC Hariprasad on July 21 courted controversy saying he knew "how to make or bring the chief minister down".
Speaking to reporters here, Bommai said, "It (Shivakumar's statement) was also aimed at preparing the base for his (Shivakumar) future strategy and on the whole to make known his displeasure against the government. No BJP leader has indulged in any such activity (to topple the government). There is no need for it. The government has full majority, let them give good administration."
Claiming that Congress MLAs are unhappy about the process of election of the leader of the legislature party and also about cabinet expansion, Bommai said the discontent had continued even during the cabinet formation.
"Work is definitely not happening for legislators, Siddaramaiah in the budget has levied taxes and brought huge loans but is facing difficulty to provide money for the 'guarantees' (poll promises of the Congress party), and has said he will not be able to provide for developmental work. Also competition for transfers has led to discontent," he said, adding that all is not good with the ruling party and this government.
He further claimed that the law and order situation has deteriorated in the state.
"Never in the history of Karnataka has there been death threats issued to five judges of the High Court. If anti-social elements and international terrorists have got such courage, it shows how weak this government is," he said, adding that this shows the state is on the path to anarchy.
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Israel launches first airstrike on Lebanon since ceasefire, accusing Hezbollah of breaching truce
Beirut, Nov 28: The Israeli military on Thursday said its warplanes fired on southern Lebanon after detecting Hezbollah activity at a rocket storage facility, the first Israeli airstrike a day after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took hold.
There was no immediate word on casualties from Israel's aerial attack, which came hours after the Israeli military said it fired on people trying to return to certain areas in southern Lebanon. Israel said they were violating the ceasefire agreement, without providing details. Lebanon's state-run National News Agency said two people were wounded.
The back-to-back incidents stirred unease about the agreement, brokered by the United States and France, which includes an initial two-month ceasefire in which Hezbollah members are to withdraw north of the Litani River and Israeli forces are to return to their side of the border. The buffer zone would be patrolled by Lebanese troops and UN peacekeepers.
On Thursday, the second day of a ceasefire after more than a year of bloody conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, Lebanon's state news agency reported that Israeli fire targeted civilians in Markaba, close to the border, without providing further details. Israel said it fired artillery in three other locations near the border. There were no immediate reports of casualties.
An Associated Press reporter in northern Israel near the border heard Israeli drones buzzing overhead and the sound of artillery strikes from the Lebanese side.
The Israeli military said in a statement that “several suspects were identified arriving with vehicles to a number of areas in southern Lebanon, breaching the conditions of the ceasefire.” It said troops “opened fire toward them” and would “actively enforce violations of the ceasefire agreement.”
Israeli officials have said forces will be withdrawn gradually as it ensures that the agreement is being enforced. Israel has warned people not to return to areas where troops are deployed, and says it reserves the right to strike Hezbollah if it violates the terms of the truce.
A Lebanese military official said Lebanese troops would gradually deploy in the south as Israeli troops withdraw. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief media.
The ceasefire agreement announced late Tuesday ended 14 months of conflict between Israel and Hezbollah that began a day after Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 attack out of Gaza, when the Lebanese Hezbollah group began firing rockets, drones and missiles in solidarity.
Israel retaliated with airstrikes, and the conflict steadily intensified for nearly a year before boiling over into all-out war in mid-September. The war in Gaza is still raging with no end in sight.
More than 3,760 people were killed by Israeli fire in Lebanon during the conflict, many of them civilians, according to Lebanese health officials. The fighting killed more than 70 people in Israel — over half of them civilians — as well as dozens of Israeli soldiers fighting in southern Lebanon.
Some 1.2 million people were displaced in Lebanon, and thousands began streaming back to their homes on Wednesday despite warnings from the Lebanese military and the Israeli army to stay out of certain areas. Some 50,000 people were displaced on the Israeli side, but few have returned and the communities near the northern border are still largely deserted.
In Menara, an Israeli community on the border with views into Lebanon, around three quarters of homes are damaged, some with collapsed roofs and burnt-out interiors. A few residents could be seen gathering their belongings on Thursday before leaving again.
