Cabinet expansion: Portfolios allocated to two new ministers
Bengaluru, June 24: Ten days after inducting two Independent MLAs R Shankar and H Nagesh into the ministry, Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy Monday allocated portfolios for them.
The chief minister also appointed S R Srinivas as Primary and Secondary Education Minister.
While Shankar has been given the portfolio of Municipalities and Local Bodies, Nagesh gets Small Scale Industries, an official gazette said.
S R Srinivas from JD(S), who was holding the Small Scale Industries portfolio, has been given the charge of Primary and Secondary Education, it said.
The Primary and Secondary Education Ministry was with the Chief Minister after lone BSP MLA N Mahesh quit from the cabinet in October last year and there was growing pressure on Kumaraswamy from within, especially from JD(S) state chiefA H Vishwanath to appoint a minister.
Kumaraswamy on June 14 had expanded his cabinet by inducting the two Independent MLAs in an apparent move to give stability to his 13-month old wobbly government.
The exercise was seen as a move to ensure that the two independents don't jump ship once again towards BJP.
Shankar was inducted from the Congress' share andNagesh from the JD(S) quota in the ministry.
Under the coalition arrangement, out of the total of 34 ministerial positions, Congress and JD(S) have shared 22 and 12 berths respectively.
Prior to the expansion, three posts were vacant-- two from JD(S) and one from Congress.
The two were inducted, overlooking the claims of several senior leaders, particularly in the Congress, who are sulking ever since they failed to make it to the ministry earlier.
Post the cabinet expansion, disgruntlement has been simmering within the Congress with several legislators holding secret meetings, party sources said.
After expansion of the Ministry, KPCC President Dinesh Gundu Rao had said that in about six to eight months, the process of reshuffle would begin, during which those who have not got the opportunity, including several seniors, would be taken into confidence.
Shankar had served as forest minister in theKumaraswamy government in the initial stages, while Nagesh, a former Congressman, had contested and won as an Independentafter not getting the party ticket in 2018 assembly polls.
In the ministry rejig in December last year, Shankar was dropped from the cabinet.
He, along with Nagesh, had thensided with BJP and written to the Governor,withdrawing support to the government.
As the BJP failed in its alleged attempts to topple the coalition and form the government, the two lawmakers retraced their steps to be back in the ruling alliance.
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Iran Shocks World, Hits F-35
America's most advanced fighter jet, the F-35, was never hit in combat — not once, in its entire history. Countries spend over ₹900 crore to buy just one of these aircraft. The whole world believed this plane was untouchable. Then, on March 19, something happened over Iranian skies that shocked military experts across the globe.
Iran hit it. And nobody saw it coming.
America Was Too Confident — That Was the Problem
Before understanding how this happened, you need to understand what America believed going into this. The US had been bombing Iran since February 28. After roughly 20 days of heavy strikes, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that Iran's air defences were completely destroyed — finished, flattened, gone.
US President Donald Trump even said proudly, "We can fly wherever we want, and no one is even firing at us."
Based on this confidence, America flew its prized F-35 deep into the heart of central Iran. That alone tells you how sure they were. You don't send your most expensive jet into enemy territory unless you believe there is zero danger.
But Iran, a country under heavy international sanctions, still had something left. And it used that something extremely well.
So How Did Iran Actually Hit a Stealth Jet?
Here is where it gets interesting for regular people to understand.
We have all heard the word "stealth" — it sounds like the plane is completely invisible. But India Today explained that stealth only means it is hard to detect by radar. Hard — not impossible. It does not mean the aircraft is totally invisible.
Think of it this way. Even if you cannot see someone in a dark room, you can still feel their body heat if they stand close enough. That is almost exactly what happened here.
The F-35's engines produce enormous heat. Iran's weapon likely used an infrared sensor — basically a heat-seeking system — to detect that heat, lock onto it, and follow the jet. No radar needed. The F-35's biggest advantage, its radar-invisibility, simply did not matter.
The weapon Iran likely used was the 358 missile — also called SA-67 — which is a loitering munition. Think of it as a slow, intelligent drone that flies around patiently waiting, scanning the sky for heat signals from aircraft engines. Once it finds one, it chases it down. Iran has used this exact weapon before against American MQ-9 Reaper drones — and since this war started, America has already lost more than 12 of those drones.
This Has Happened Before — In 1999
This is not the first time America's "invisible" aircraft was brought down by a smarter enemy.
In 1999, during NATO's bombing campaign over Serbia, the US flew its F-117 Nighthawk — which was then considered the world's most advanced stealth aircraft. Serbian forces shot it down using an old Soviet missile system from the 1960s. Not with new technology — with clever thinking. They briefly switched on their radar, caught the jet at the right moment when its stealth was less effective, and fired.
The lesson both then and now is the same — no aircraft is completely invincible. Smart tactics can beat expensive technology.
Why This Changes Everything in the Iran War
Here is the bigger picture that really matters.
America and Israel had told the world that Iran's air defences were basically dead. Based on that, they sent massive B-1 and B-2 bombers — aircraft that are normally used only when a country is 100% sure it controls the enemy's sky. That is a huge military risk to take.
But if an F-35 — the most advanced aircraft in the sky — can still be hit, then Iran's defences are clearly not dead. Some pieces are still very much alive and working.
This means the US and Israel may now be forced to completely rethink their war plan. Their jets may need to fly higher, use longer-range weapons, and spend far more time and money finding where Iran's remaining defence systems are hiding underground.
Around 15 countries use the F-35 today. Even India was offered this jet by Trump during PM Modi's White House visit — though India has not shown interest so far.
Geopolitical expert Adam summed it up simply — a heavily sanctioned country just tracked, chased, and hit the world's most expensive stealth jet. That is not a small thing.
Sometimes, one moment changes everything.
(Girish Linganna is an award-winning science communicator and a Defence, Aerospace & Geopolitical Analyst. He is the Managing Director of ADD Engineering Components India Pvt. Ltd., a subsidiary of ADD Engineering GmbH, Germany.)
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the views, policies, or position of the publication, its editors, or its management. The publication is not responsible for the accuracy of any information, statements, or opinions presented in this piece.
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