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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US rules out use of nuclear weapons against Iran
Washington DC: The White House has reportedly ruled out the use of nuclear weapons against Iran, even as uncertainty continues over ongoing peace negotiations and a deadline set by US President Donald Trump approaches.
Issues bout a possible escalation had increased after US Vice President JD Vance said that the United States has “tools in our toolkit that we so far haven’t decided to use” in dealing with Iran.
His remarks came amid rising tensions and ahead of a deadline linked to peace efforts.
The situation has attracted attention as Trump warned Iran that its “whole civilization will die tonight tonight” if an agreement is not reached by Tuesday at 8 pm.
This statement led to speculation about the possibility of extreme military measures, including a nuclear strike.
Following Vance’s comments, the White House issued a clarification distancing itself from such interpretations. In a post on X, it said, "Literally nothing @VP said here 'implies' this, you absolute buffoons." In a later statement, it added that “only the president knows” what action will be taken regarding Iran.
Literally nothing @VP said here "implies" this, you absolute buffoons https://t.co/7JU3wXMaWX
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) April 7, 2026
