CM Kumaraswamy trains gun on PM for his Chhattisgarh remarks
Bengaluru, Nov 19: Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy Monday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi accusing him of misleading the country by claiming that the state government was issuing warrants and arresting farmers in debt.
The chief minister he did not expect such a comment.
"Yesterday, in his election speech in Chhattisgarh, the Prime Minister had commented that the Karnataka government issuing warrants and arresting farmers against whom debts are pending. I did not expect such a comment from the Prime Minister.
By saying this, he has misled the country," he told reporters here.
On the contrary, Kumaraswamy alleged, the Modi government was issuing warrants with the help of the central government-controlled institutions.
The Prime Minister had alleged that the Congress had made false promises to farmers during Karnataka elections, but even after a year, the promise remains unfulfilled.
"Instead, the (Karnataka) government is issuing warrants and arresting farmers against whom debts are pending," he had said.
Terming the ongoing agitation by farmers over the minimum support price (MSP) for sugarcane in the state as needless, Kumaraswamy alleged that the BJP is supporting it.
Hitting out at state BJP president B S Yeddyurappa, Kumaraswamy said he need not learn anything from the BJP leader who, as the chief minister, had ordered police firing on farmers who were protesting shortage of fertilizers in 2008.
A farmer was killed in the firing then at Haveri in North Karnataka.
Kumaraswamy said there was no need for the farmers to continue protests as he has been taking steps to alleviate their problems.
He said his father H D Deve Gowda and his family members have never taken stern action as Yeddyurappa.
"I have not asked the police to open fire at the protesting farmers as Yeddyurappa did, and shall never do it.
I have given free hand for them to protest. I shall also give them space for protest even at the state secretariat," he said.
He alleged that Yeddyurappa had not done any good for the farmers during his rule.
"Such being the case, I want to ask agitating farmers on the necessity for continuing their agitation," he said.
"If the farmers have some grievances, they can come with details and the government would take steps to pay their arrears after examination," he added.
Reacting to his controversial remarks on a woman farmer, Kumaraswamy clarified that he did not make such a comment to disrespect her.
"What I meant was, "why have you woken up to that situation now? Were you sleeping?' I would never disrespect a woman. These are not farmers who are agitating but these are sponsored protests," he said.
Kumaraswamy had said, "How can I be held responsible for some company not paying proper prices for sugarcane four years ago? What is the connection between me and this issue? Where were you sleeping four years ago?"
This sparked criticism by BJP, which slammed Kumaraswamy on its twitter handle by calling him an "opportunist" chief minister who would never respect citizens.
"Asking a woman where she was sleeping for last 4 years clearly shows the individuality of Kumaraswamy. This is beyond apologising, this is a shame & insult to women of the state," BJP tweeted.
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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.
