CM attacks Shah over non-release of drought relief funds, says he has no moral right to seek votes
Mysuru, Apr 2: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah claimed on Tuesday Union Home Minister Amit Shah has no moral right to seek votes from the electorate, as he accused the BJP-led government at the Centre with betraying and doing justice to the people of the State over the issue of delay in release of drought relief funds in particular.
He said BJP's alliance partner and JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy should have asked Shah, who is on a visit to the State for Lok Sabha election campaigning, to give drought relief assistance to the State.
"Let Amit Shah come or Narendra Modi (PM) come or J P Nadda (BJP President) come. Let any one come. Amit Shah is the head of the high power committee, has he given drought relief? What moral right does he have to ask for votes from the people of Karnataka?" Siddaramaiah asked while talking to reporters here.
"Has he (Shah) given drought relief? Amit Shah is its Chairman (high powered committee). Have they (Centre) given -- permission to the Mekedatu project, environmental clearance to the Mahadayi project, compensation as recommended by the 15th finance commission, Rs 5,300 crore promised to Upper Bhadra project? Why should people vote for them? Amit Shah actually, he has no moral right," he added.
ALSO READ: CM Siddaramaiah defends son's controversial statement against Amit Shah
Karnataka has declared in 223 out of 240 taluks as drought-hit; 196 of them were categorised as severely drought affected.
It's been five months since his government first approached the Centre seeking drought relief but not even a rupee has been given to the state, the Chief Minister said. Three memorandums have been given since October; also the central team had come for inspection and they had submitted their report to the union government.
"I had personally met PM Narendra Modi on December 19, Amit Shah on December 20, he had said he will call a meeting and decide on December 23 itself. How many days have passed since then? Did they give? It has been five months till now they have not given drought relief. Is Amit Shah giving the money from his house? Is it a 'Bhikshe' (alms)? It's our money, our tax money," the Chief Minister added.
More than BJP leaders, Kumaraswamy has become the party's spokesperson, when issues concerning injustice to the state by the Centre are raised, Siddaramaiah said. "Tell me, whether it is injustice and betrayal to seven crore Kannadigas or not?"
"Definitely the people of Karnataka will teach a lesson. Don't people understand ? they should understand," he added.
Shah on Tuesday held a joint meeting with BJP-JD(S) coalition leaders. He will also be attending meetings and programmes of BJP before holding a road show in Channapatna in the evening.
Asked about the Election Commission notice to his son Yathindra for his comments against Shah, Siddaramaiah said: "he has replied to it."
"His (Yathindra's) comments were based on a CBI report. I have already said this, there is no need for me to give further clarification," he said.
Addressing a party meeting in Hanur town of Chamarajanagar district recently, Yathindra, a former MLA, allegedly said: "Home Minister Amit Shah is a goonda, rowdy, there was a murder charge against him in Gujarat and he was exiled, and (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi did politics keeping such people next to him...."
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.
Iran, US receive proposal for 45-day ceasefire and reopening of Strait of Hormuz
Dubai (AP): Iran and the United States received a draft proposal late Sunday calling for a 45-day ceasefire and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, two Mideast officials speaking on condition of anonymity told The Associated Press.
The proposal comes from Egyptian, Pakistani and Turkish mediators, hoping the 45-day window would provide enough time for talks to reach a permanent ceasefire. Iran and the US have not responded to the proposal, which was sent to Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and US Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff, the officials said.
The head of intelligence for Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard was killed Monday in an attack targeting him, Iranian state media said.
Strikes on cities across Iran have killed more than 25 people from Sunday to Monday, while in Israel's Haifa, two people were found dead and two others were missing in rubble a day after an Iranian attack.
US President Donald Trump on Sunday stepped up his threat to hit Iran's critical infrastructure hard if the country's government doesn't reopen the Strait of Hormuz by his Tuesday deadline.
Trump punctuated his threat with profanity in a social media post, saying Tuesday will be “Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran.”
The war began with joint US-Israel strikes on Feb. 28 and has killed thousands, shaken global markets, cut off key shipping routes and spiked fuel prices. Both sides have threatened and hit civilian targets, bringing warnings of possible war crimes from the United Nations and international law experts.
Here is the latest:
An Iranian drone strikes the UAE telecommunications building
----------------------------------------------------------------------
An Iranian drone attack damaged a telecommunications building in Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates on Monday, the state-run WAM news agency reported.
The attack targeted a building of the state-funded du telecom company.
No one was injured, WAM reported, quoting officials in Fujairah.
South Korea's spy agency sees no signs of North Korea supplying Iran
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
South Korea's National Intelligence Service says there are no signs North Korea is providing Iran with weapons or other war-related supplies.
The spy agency's officials told lawmakers Monday that North Korea may be taking a cautious approach to preserve the possibility of dialogue with the Trump administration, according to two lawmakers who attended the closed-door briefing.
North Korea's Foreign Ministry has condemned the US-Israeli attacks on Iran as illegal, but the NIS said Pyongyang has not sent an official condolence message over the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's late supreme leader.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, in recent years, has embraced the idea of a “new Cold War” and attempted to expand cooperation with countries confronting the US, including an economic delegation sent to Iran in April 2024.
South Korea plans to send ships and special envoys to Saudi Arabia
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
South Korea plans to send at least five ships to Saudi Arabia's Yanbu port in the coming weeks to establish new oil transport routes in the Red Sea.
The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources said Monday the ships will be deployed in phases beginning in mid-April, and the number of vessels could increase depending on contracts with Saudi partners.
Officials did not disclose the companies involved but said some domestic refiners may use non-Korean shipping firms.
South Korea also plans to send special envoys to Saudi Arabia, Oman and Algeria to step up diplomatic efforts to secure alternative fuel supplies, ruling party lawmaker Ahn Do-geol said.
The foreign ministry did not immediately reveal when the envoys would be sent.
Iran executes a man over the January protests
------------------------------------------------------
Iran has executed another man convicted over charges stemming from the nationwide protests that swept Iran in January.
The judiciary's Mizan news agency identified the man hanged as Ali Fahim in a report on Monday.
It was unclear when he was executed.
Fahim had been convicted of allegedly storming a military base to seize weapons.
Amnesty International said Fahim and others convicted in the case “were subjected to torture and other ill-treatment in detention, including beatings, floggings, prolonged solitary confinement, and death threats at gunpoint before being convicted in grossly unfair trials that relied on forced confessions extracted under torture and lasted only a few hours.”
The Human Rights Activist News Agency had said Fahim and others had entered a Tehran base of the all-volunteer Basij militia, an arm of the Revolutionary Guard, after it had been burned, then had been forced into confessions.
Iranian missiles hit central Israel
---------------------------------------
Israeli rescue services reported Monday morning that several sites were hit by missiles launched from Iran toward multiple cities in the centre of Israel.
In Petah Tikva, paramedics provided medical treatment to an injured woman in serious condition with a chest injury from shrapnel and evacuated her to the Beilinson Hospital.
Firefighters in that city are handling cars on fire and continue searching to ensure there are no people trapped in the rubble.
In Tel Aviv, a man slightly injured by glass shrapnel was evacuated to the Ichilov Hospital.
Footage provided by the rescue service Magen David Adom shows damage to residential buildings due to the attack.
Meanwhile, Israel's military warned the public Monday morning of another missile barrage coming from Iran, the fourth such alert of the day.
