CM Kumaraswamy hits out at Cong, raises quit-threat again
Bengaluru, Jan 30: Amid strains in Congress-JDS ties, Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy Wednesday again threatened to quit if Congress leaders continued to take potshots at him.
"Yes, I had said I would step down if Congress leaders continue to take potshots at me.
If they repeatedly make such statements, how many more days can I tolerate such stuff. Power is ephemeral. What is permanent is you (party workers) and six-and-a-half crore people of this state," he said addressing the National JDS Convention here.
On January 28, Kumaraswamy had threatened to step down over adverse comments by a Congress MLA, prompting the coalition partner to swing into damage control mode.
Congress general secretary K C Venugopal and incharge of party affairs in the state said the party high command has full faith in Kumaraswamy and the State government.
On Sunday, Congress MLA ST Somashekar had demanded that Siddaramaiah to be made chief minister again.
Somashekhar had claimed that development works had come to a grinding halt here and other parts of the state.
Addressing the convention Wednesday, former Prime Minister and JDS supremo H D Deve Gowda also said the Chief Minister has been hurt by some Congress leaders taking potshots at him.
He also referred to Siddaramaiah's alleged ambitions to become chief minister in 2006-2007.
"Back then, Siddaramaiah had told me that if I had put pressure on Sonia Gandhi, he would have become chief minister, instead of Kumaraswamy. Siddaramaiah is nursing pain and he should be seeking answer from Sonia Gandhi about it," Gowda said.
Kumaraswamy said amid alleged bid to topple his government, it was becoming difficult for him to direct his officials to address people's problems.
"They (BJP and some Congress leaders) are giving threats of dislodging my government by Sankranthi or Rajyotsava Day, besides during assembly session beginning February 6.
Amidst these media leaks, how shall I ask my officials to address people's problems. Just think of the situation I am in? However, I should be grateful to my legislators who have stood behind me," he said.
Kumaraswamy also appealed to farmers not to get carried away with some leaders portraying him as "anti-farmers."
"There is another message being circulated in WhatsApp that I brought down prices affecting milk farmers.
During Siddaramaiah's rule, milk farmers were getting Rs 27 per litre, and I brought it down to Rs 20. I request farmers not to get carried away by this. I am continuing as the chief minister because of you," he said.
Kumaraswamy also asked party chief Deve Gowda to prepare the list of appointments to various boards and corporations to avoid any confusion in running a coalition government.
"... In 2006, I committed a mistake by not heeding to my father (Deve Gowda) and was unable to make appointments to boards and corporations. I do not want to repeat the same mistake while running the present coalition government," he added.
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Like Rohit and Virat, Sanju can''t be replaced: Rajasthan Royals skipper Riyan Parag
Jaipur (PTI): Rajasthan Royals skipper Riyan Parag on Thursday said Sanju Samson's void cannot be filled in his side, likening the challenge to replacing stalwarts like Rohit Sharma or Virat Kohli.
Sanju, who led the Royals from 2021 to 2025, was traded to Chennai Super Kings in a pre-season move, with Ravindra Jadeja coming in as part of the deal.
"If you talk about Sanju bhaiya, we never think about replacing the kind of player he is," Parag told reporters in a pre-season press conference here.
"We can perhaps look for someone with a similar skillset or have someone bat in his position...
"It’s like there is no replacement for Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma... In the same way, there is no replacement for Sanju bhaiya because he is such a good player,” Parag said.
Having represented the franchise for 11 years across two stints, Sanju was RR's most successful captain and leading run-scorer, having guided them to the IPL 2022 final and the playoffs in 2024.
His stature has only grown manifold following a stellar T20 World Cup campaign, where he struck three successive match-defining half-centuries to power India to a historic treble and title defence.
India defeated New Zealand by 96 runs in the final with Sanju being adjudged the Player-of-the-Tournament.
Rajasthan Royals had a forgettable last season, enduring 10 defeats to finish ninth in the 10=team standings.
Parag, who has been picked as the captain following Sanju's exit, said RR lost far too many close matches last year and the 2008 winners need better strategy and planning.
“This year, the focus is to plan better and finish games, which we couldn’t do in the previous edition," he said.
"We need to plan well. Last year, there were about 5-6 games which we lost in the last over or even on the last ball. Had we been able to convert those, or had we calculated better, this question (if RR would try anything new) would not have been asked because we would have qualified (for knockouts) by winning those matches," he said.
"I think that in every T20 game, there are 3-4 decisions that you have to make which change the course of the game. If we take those small decisions with strategy and planning, this year will be different," Parag added.
He further expressed his gratitude to the franchise for keeping their faith in him despite several seasons of struggle.
"I was here when I was just 17 and I have seen all the ups and downs, though more downs than ups till now. I want to thank Rajasthan Royals for supporting me and understanding the cricketer I am,” Parag said.
Sangakkara backs Parag -- the skipper
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The Royals’ director of cricket and head coach Kumar Sangakkara said he has always “admired” Parag as a cricketer and he was picked as a skipper after a robust round of interviews with other candidates.
"It was about trying to find the best person who can lead the Rajasthan Royals. I (first) met Riyan when he was a teenager and have admired him as a cricketer. He's right (when he says) he has gone through a lot and seen a lot," Sangakkara said.
"The most striking thing for me was (to see) how reflective and mature he has become."
“To select a captain once Sanju decided to leave, it was very important that we explore all options. We had shortlisted some candidates that we had a very strict interview process for. Riyan knows the questions were hard. At the end of the day Manoj (Badale) and I sat down and it was evident that the right choice to lead Rajasthan was Riyan,” Sangakkara added.
