CM Siddaramaiah joins Minister Satish Jarkiholi's dinner amid leadership speculation
Belagavi (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, along with a group of Ministers and legislators, attended a dinner hosted by senior Minister Satish Jarkiholi here on December 18, official sources said.
The dinner meeting held at the residence of Jarkiholi, who is considered close to Siddaramaiah, has sparked fresh speculations amid the ongoing power tussle within the ruling Congress over the CM post.
According to sources, the attendees included Ministers G Parameshwara, H C Mahadevappa, B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan, M C Sudhakar, and legislators A S Ponnanna, Naseer Ahmed. All of them are considered close to Siddaramaiah.
The gathering followed a dinner on the night of December 17, where Jarkiholi hosted over thirty “like-minded” legislators at a hotel here.
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While Siddaramaiah skipped it, his son and MLC Yathindra Siddaramaiah, confidant and MLA K N Rajanna, were among those who were present.
Responding to a question from reporters, regarding the dinner meet, Deputy CM D K Shivakumar on Friday asked,"What's wrong in meeting for dinner?"
"Let them have dinner, it's a happy thing. Can we say don't have dinner?"
When pointed out that only some people were present at the meeting, Shivakumar replied, "Why should I comment on it? They met over dinner. We have all come from other places (to Belagavi for the session). What's wrong if everyone meets (over dinner)?"
The dinner meetings come a week after over 30 Congress legislators, including some Ministers, met for dinner along with Shivakumar on the outskirts of Belagavi.
While some attendees have dismissed the meetings as "casual dinners" during the ongoing winter session of the state legislature, others suggested that political developments in the state were discussed.
The power tussle within the ruling party has intensified amid speculations about a change in chief minister in the state, after the Congress government reached the halfway mark of its five-year term on November 20. The speculation was fuelled by a "power-sharing" pact between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar in 2023.
However, both CM and Deputy CM had recently held breakfast meetings at each other's residences, on the instructions of the high command, which was seen as a move to pause the leadership tussle between the two and to signal Siddaramaiah's continuation as the CM for the time being, keeping in mind the Belagavi legislature session from December 8.
The winter session of the legislature is scheduled to conclude on Friday.
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Experience comes when you play bigger teams in bilateral series: Rashid Khan
Chennai (PTI): Afghanistan skipper Rashid Khan called for more bilateral series against stronger cricketing nations after his team signed off from the T20 World Cup on a high, defeating Canada in their final group match here on Thursday.
Afghanistan played some exhilarating cricket, going down to South Africa in a gripping second Super Over after the scores were tied, a humdinger that provided one of the early thrills of the World Cup.
However, the spin-bowling stalwart said Afghanistan could make significant strides if they get regular opportunities to compete against stronger cricketing nations.
"Couple of areas to improve, with the batting, the middle order got a bit stuck against the big teams, and then with the bowling the death overs. That comes when you play the bigger teams in bilateral series," said Rashid after his team defeat Canada by 82 runs, with him returning excellent figures of 2 for 19.
The stalwart said the side had arrived well prepared for the tournament and produced some breathtaking cricket, but admitted the narrow defeat to South Africa proved costly and remained a painful setback.
"We were well-prepared (for the tournament), we played some unbelievable cricket. The game against South Africa, that really hurt everyone. We had to win one of those (first two) games and see how the tournament unfolded. We'll take some positive things from this World Cup and look forward," he said.
With head coach Jonathan Trott set to part ways with the team, Rashid described the departure as an "emotional" moment for the side.
"I think we had some wonderful times with him. Where we are now, he played a main role. It's emotional to see him leave us, but that's how life is. We wish him all the best and somewhere down the line we see him again."
Ibrahim Zadran, who was named Player of the Match for his unbeaten 95 off 56 balls, said it was satisfying to finally register a substantial score after two below-par outings.
"I enjoyed it, didn't play better cricket in first two innings, which I expect. Wanted to back my skills, really enjoyed it. Pressure was there, it's there all the time. I want to put myself in pressure situations and enjoy it," said Zadran.
"Wanted to play positive cricket, rotate strike and punish bad ball, create partnerships and this is what I have done."
