Cong Gen Secy Venugopal meets CM Kumaraswamy, party leaders
Bengaluru, May 21: Amid simmering discontent in the ruling coalition's alliance partner Congress, party General Secretary K C Venugopal Tuesday held discussions with top Congress leaders in Karnataka and Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy on recent political developments and the Lok Sabha exit poll results.
During the meeting with the Chief Minister, Venugopal is said to have assured there would be no threat to the coalition government, amid speculations about its survival after the Lok Sabha poll results, Congress sources said.
JD(S) patriarch H D Deve Gowda and Kumaraswamy not attending the meeting of opposition leaders on the EVM issue is said to have triggered the AICC General Secretary's meeting with theChief Minister and assurance about government's continuity.
Kumaraswamy, who was scheduled to travel to Delhi Tuesday morning, cancelled it at the last moment.
Ahead of the meeting with the Chief Minister, Venugopal,along with KPCC President Dinesh Gundu Rao, Deputy ChiefMinister G Parameshwara, met Siddaramaiah at his residence here and held discussions.
The leaders mainly discussed senior party MLA Roshan Baig's outburst against the party leadership, disgruntlement amongCongress leaders like Ramesh Jarkiholi and exit poll results, among other things, party sources said.
Venugopal expressed anguish at Baig's comments,they said.
The AICC General Secretary, along with Congress leaders, then drove down to a hotel here to meet the Chief Minister and discussed with him the recent political developments, exit poll results, possible attempts by BJP to poach MLAs through 'Operation Lotus' and destabilise the government, as also on disgruntled legislators like Jarkiholi.
Hitting out at Congress leaders for the party's performance in the Lok Sabha polls as projected in the exit polls, Baig Tuesday held Siddaramaiah's "arrogance" and Rao's "immaturity" responsible for the "flop show".
He had also called Venugopal, who is in-charge of Karnataka a "buffoon."
As the exit polls gave a clear cut edge to the NDA in the just concluded Lok Sabha polls, Baig on Monday had also dropped hints of quitting the party and appealed to Muslims to "compromise" with the situation, if NDA returns to power.
Most exit polls on Sunday had forecast another term for Modi, with some projecting that the BJP-led NDA would get more than 300 seats to comfortably cross the majority markof 272 in the Lok Sabha.
The BJP will win big in Karnataka, the pollsters have predicted, with the saffron party increasing its tally compared to last time.
A majority of the exit polls have predicted BJP winning over 21 out of the total 28 seats, compared to 17 last time.
Venugopal and Karnataka Congress leaders during their meeting are also said to have discussed the threat by Ramesh Jarkiholi, who has been hobnobbing with the BJP for some time now that he, along with other MLAs, would resign from the Congresssoon en masse.
Though there were reports about Ramesh being deserted in his attempt to mobilise Congress MLAs to resign, several legislators considered close to him like ShrimantPatil of Kagawad, Mahesh Kumathalli and B Nagendra of Bellary have pledged their loyalty to the party.
But a recent meeting between Jarkiholi and his close confidant Kumathalli had rekindled speculation that the MLAs were still together and working out a strategy post Lok Sabha election results on May 23.
Congress too is still not clear how many MLAs are in touch with Jarkiholi and there are fears about BJP indulging in "OperationLotus" once again to destabilise the government.
BJP has predicted that the ruling coalition would collapse after the Lok Sabha poll results, claiming that 20 odd Congress MLAs are unhappy with the government and may take any decision after May 23.
Congress leaders at their meeting ahead of talks with the CM, also reportedly discussed about some within the party wanting to end the alliance, holding the partnership with JD(S) as the reason for the party's possible poor performance in the Lok Sabha polls.
Also a scheduled meeting of "like minded" Congress MLAs to discuss the political situation in Karnataka and the growing clamour for Siddaramaiah to be Chief Minister again that resulted in public spats between coalition leaders were said to have been discussed.
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Rajnath, Shah, other Union ministers change social media profile photos to 'Op Sindoor' logo
New Delhi (PTI): Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and other top ministers on Thursday changed the display pictures on their social media profiles to mark the first anniversary of Operation Sindoor following a call by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The prime minister, earlier in the day, shared a digital poster depicting the now widely recognised logo of Operation Sindoor and urged others to do the same as a mark of respect to the armed forces.
Operation Sindoor was launched in response to the deadly Pahalgam terror attack, with Indian forces conducting precision strikes on multiple terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied-Kashmir (PoK).
After launching the military operation, the Indian Army, in a post on X, at 1:51 am on May 7 had said, "Justice is served. Jai Hind!"
On its first anniversary, the Indian military on Thursday said, Operation Sindoor -- "precise in action, eternal in memory" -- reflected the country's determination to defend its sovereignty with courage, coordination and strength.
The Army, the Navy, the Indian Air Force, the Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff (HQ IDS) and the defence ministry also updated the display pictures on their social media profiles to mark the anniversary.
Defence Minister Singh, while updating his profile photo on X, said Operation Sindoor stands as a "powerful symbol" of national resolve and preparedness, and that their actions reflected unmatched precision, and set a "benchmark" for modern military operations.
"On the anniversary of Operation Sindoor, we salute the valour and sacrifices of our armed forces, whose courage and dedication continue to safeguard the nation. Their actions during the operation reflected unmatched precision, seamless jointness and deep synergy across services, setting a benchmark for modern military operations," he wrote.
"Operation Sindoor stands as a powerful symbol of national resolve and preparedness, showing that our armed forces are always ready to act decisively when it matters most. It also stands testament to India’s steady advance towards achieving #Atmanirbharta, enhancing capability while reinforcing resilience," he added.
The Ministry of External Affairs, led by its minister Jaishankar, also marked the anniversary, and reasserted and amplified India's diplomatic stand on this operation.
"A year ago, #OperationSindoor demonstrated the nation's resolve to defend itself against cross-border terrorism from Pakistan. With its decisive actions, India ensured accountability for terrorist actions. And underlined that such a serious threat to peace and security will be effectively countered. Under the leadership of PM @narendramodi, India stands strong and determined to convey a message of zero tolerance for terrorism," the EAM posted on X.
Earlier in a separate post, Jaishankar too changed his profile picture and posted an image of the Operation Sindoor logo on the timeline.
Home Minister Shah, in a post on X, said, "Operation Sindoor stands as an epochal mission of India that will always remind our enemies of the infallible striking power of our armed forces."
After Indian forces had launched the operation in the early hours of May 7, Pakistan later also launched offensives against India, and all subsequent counter-offensives by India were also carried out under Operation Sindoor.
The military conflict between the two nuclear-armed neighbours, lasting nearly 88 hours, halted after they reached an understanding on the evening of May 10.
Union Culture and Tourism Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav, Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav, Women and Child Development Annapurna Devi and Jal Shakti Minister C R Paatil too updated their profile photos.
The Indian Army in an early morning post wrote, "#OperationSindoor India's resolute response calibrated and precise. Committed to safeguarding sovereignty and its people. #JusticeServed Jai Hind".
It also shared a video clip encapsulating the circumstances that led to the decisive military action in the early hours of May 7 last year, as well as some footage offering a glimpse to the military might of India.
"India will identify, track and punish every terrorist and their backers," PM Modi had earlier said in his address, whose excerpt is part of the widely shared clip.
Recalling the military action launched on the intervening night of May 6-7, the Indian Air Force put out the anniversary post on X at 1:05 AM.
"Operation Sindoor Justice served. Precise in action, eternal in memory-Operation Sindoor continues. India forgets nothing-India forgives nothing. #operation #Sindoor #operationsindoor #IAF," the IAF posted.
The Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff (HQ IDS) also posted the anniversary message at 1:05 AM, saying, "Symbol of national resolve #OpSindoor JAI HIND #OpSindoor #indianarmedforces #NationalSecurity".
The Indian embassies in the US, the UK, Spain, France, Germany and Italy also updated their display pictures on their social media profiles.
The embassies in France, Germany, Spain and Italy posted on X in French, German and Italian, amplifying the message of the Indian leadership on Operation Sindoor's anniversary in the respective countries.
The Indian Embassy in the UK posted on X, "One year of #OperationSindoor A tribute to India’s resolve, unity, and unwavering stand against terrorism. Saluting the courage and sacrifice of our armed forces who protect the nation with pride and honor. #OpSindoor #IndiaAgainstTerrorism #IndianArmedForces #NationalSecurity #IndiaFirst #SaluteOurForces #JaiHind #OperationSindoorContinues".
The Indian embassy in Israel also changed its profile photo on X and reposted PM Modi's post, and the X account of the embassy in Iran too changed the display picture to the logo of Operation Sindoor.
The Indian Navy in an early morning post on X said Operation Sindoor reflected India's determination to defend its sovereignty with courage and strength.
"Nation's Resolve. Forces United In moments that test a nation's will, the Indian Defence Forces stand united - resolute in purpose, precise in action and unwavering in commitment. #OperationSindoor reflects India's determination to defend its sovereignty with courage, coordination and strength. #OpSindoor #NationFirst #IndianNavy @HQ_IDS_India @adgpi @IAF_MCC," the Navy posted and changed its profile photo.
