CM Siddaramaiah's position has become weak, Cong govt''s lifespan coming to end: LoP Ashoka
Chitradurga (Karnataka) (PTI): Leader of Opposition in Karnataka Assembly R Ashoka on Tuesday said the position of the Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has become weak and the lifespan of the Congress government led by him is coming to an end.
The BJP leader said repeated assertions of Siddaramaiah that he would continue as CM suggest that his position is no longer strong, raising questions about the stability of the Government, which assumed power in May last year.
"....D K Shivakumar (Deputy CM) is claiming during the Channapatna by-poll campaigning that he will become the Chief Minister. What is the guarantee that the Congress party will be there (in power). Last time also during the JD(S)-Congress coalition government they (Congress) had claimed no one can shake them for five years, but 14 MLAs quit Congress (resulting in the govt collapse)," Ashoka said.
Speaking to reporters here, he claimed that Congress MLAs themselves have not got a single paisa for development in the last 17 months. "They have started thinking that if they are with Siddaramaiah, they will not even get peanuts."
Recently, state BJP President B Y Vijayendra too had claimed that the Chief Minister, facing probe in the MUDA site allotment case, will resign soon.
Both Shivakumar and Congress national President M Mallikarjun Kharge are also aware as to when Siddaramaiah will quit, he had said.
Ashoka said speculations regarding the stability of any government should have arisen in normal course during the fag end of its tenure.
"But, this government has just come, and already every day there are claimants for the Chief Minister seat, there are allegations of corruption, there are prophecies that the government will collapse. Despite all this, Siddaramaiah is saying that he will remain the CM,'" he said.
Citing that Siddaramaiah has on numerous occasions asserted that he will remain the CM, Ashoka, a former Deputy Chief Minister, said: "What is the need for it? If strong, no one will keep on saying it (I will remain CM), only when weak, one has to keep on asserting his position."
"If strong, no one will question (the stability of the government), neither the media, nor opposition. As his (Siddaramaiah) position is weak, everyone keeps asking about stability. The life span of Siddaramaiah's government is coming to an end," he added.
The opposition has been demanding Siddaramaiah's resignation, following charges against him in the MUDA site allotment case.
There were also behind-the-scenes political activities within the ruling Congress earlier this year, with a few Ministers in the Siddaramaiah Cabinet holding closed door meetings, fueling speculation about leadership change. But such interactions came to a halt following instructions from the party high command, which sought to crack the whip.
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2nd WT20I: Shafali, spin trio do star turns in India''s seven-wicket win
Visakhapatnam (PTI): Shafali Verma hit a blistering unbeaten 69 as India made short work of a paltry target to outclass Sri Lanka by seven wickets in the second Women’s T20 International here on Tuesday.
India now lead the five-match series 2-0 after another one-sided victory, having restricted Sri Lanka to a modest 128 for 9 through a collective display of disciplined bowling from the spin trio of seasoned Sneh Rana, ably complemented by young spinners Vaishnavi Sharma and Shree Charani.
During the chase, vice-captain Smriti Mandhana (14) fell cheaply but Shafali, enjoying new found confidence after a stellar show in the World Cup final, sent the bowlers on a leather-hunt during her 34-ball knock, winning it for her team in just 11.5 overs.
The hosts have now completed back-to-back successful chases within 15 overs which speaks volumes about the unit's sky-high confidence.
Shafali's innings had 11 punchy boundaries apart from a maximum.
The floodgates opened when left-arm spinner Inoka Ranaweera bowled a few flighted deliveries and Shafali would step out everytime to hit her over extra cover. Her footwork against slow bowlers was immaculate whether stepping out to loft the ball or rocking back to punch or pull.
Seeing her confidence, the newly appointed Delhi Capitals skipper Jemimah Rodrigues (26 off 15 balls) also attacked as the duo added 58 runs in just 4.3 overs.
By the time Rodrigues was out trying to hit one six too many, the match as a contest was over. Shafali completed her half-century off just 27 balls and completed the formalities in a jiffy.
Earlier, off-spinner Rana, who got a look-in after Deepti Sharma was ruled out due to fever, showed her utility keeping the Lankan batters under tight leash with figures of 1 for 11 in 4 overs, including a maiden which certainly is a rarity in T20 cricket.
Charani, who made an impression during India's ODI World Cup triumph, took 2 for 23 in her quota of overs, while Vaishnavi after an impressive debut in the opening encounter, finished with 2 for 32, not letting the Islanders get easy runs in her second spell.
The last six wickets fell for just 24 runs, but what stood out during India’s bowling effort was their superb ground fielding. After a patchy show in the previous game, the improved sharpness in the field resulted in three run-outs.
Sri Lankan skipper Chamari Athapaththu (31 off 24 balls) looked in good nick as she deposited length deliveries from seamers Kranti Gaud and Arundhati Reddy over the ropes but it was Rana, who kept her quiet by repeatedly pitching on good length.
Unable to manoeuvre the strike and with the big hits suddenly drying up, Athapaththu chanced her arm at another delivery in which Rana had shortened the length slightly.
Not having transferred the weight into the lofted shot, Athapaththu's hoick was pouched cleanly by Amanjot Kaur at long-off.
This was after Athapaththu's opening partner Vishmi Gunaratne (1) had offered a simple return catch to Gaud.
Hasini Perera (22 off 28 balls) and Harshitha Samarawickrama (33 off 32 balls) did stitch a stand of 44 but they could never set the tempo against the Indian spin troika.
Once Hasini offered a tame return catch off a Charani full-toss, Sri Lankans never recovered and lost wickets in a heap towards the end.
