Cong slams BJP's 'double engine' pitch, says May 10 poll to propel 'derailed' Karnataka engine
New Delhi (PTI): The Congress on Wednesday slammed the BJP over its "double engine" pitch in the Karnataka polls, saying the May 10 election is to propel the Karnataka engine which got "derailed" by the BJP in the last four years.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP have been batting for the continuation of BJP rule at the Centre and in Karnataka and have been highlighting the benefits of "double engine" governments.
"Double engine" is a term often used by BJP leaders to refer to the party ruling at the Centre and in a state.
Slamming the BJP's pitch, Congress' general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said on Twitter, "What Double Engine?! 94% of the revenue of Karnataka state government comes from the state's own revenue plus its own share of taxes from the Centre, determined not by 'Modi Aashirwaad' but by the Finance Commission formula."
The May 10 election is to propel the Karnataka engine which got "derailed" by BJP in the last four years, Ramesh said.
"It has to be an engine of growth combined with social harmony, not a 40% Commission engine running on hot air ," he said.
Voting will take place in the state on May 10 and the results will be out on May 13.
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Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu sends Mossad director to Gaza ceasefire talks in Qatar
Nahariya (Israel), Jan 11: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has approved sending the director of the Mossad foreign intelligence agency to ceasefire negotiations in Qatar in a sign of progress in talks on the war in Gaza.
Netanyahu's office announced the decision Saturday. It was not immediately clear when David Barnea would travel to Qatar's capital, Doha, site of the latest round of indirect talks between Israel and the Hamas group. His presence means high-level Israeli officials who would need to sign off on any agreement are now involved.
Just one brief ceasefire has been achieved in 15 months of war, and that occurred in the earliest weeks of fighting. The talks mediated by the United States, Egypt and Qatar have repeatedly stalled since then.
Netanyahu has insisted on destroying Hamas' ability to fight in Gaza. Hamas has insisted on a full Israeli troop withdrawal from the largely devastated territory. On Thursday, Gaza's Health Ministry said over 46,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war.
Also being sent to Qatar are the head of Israel's Shin Bet internal security agency and military and political advisers. Netanyahu's office said the decision followed a meeting with his defence minister, security chiefs and negotiators “on behalf of the outgoing and incoming US administrations.”
The office also released a photo showing Netanyahu with President-elect Donald Trump's incoming special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, who was in Qatar this week.
Families of the roughly 100 hostages still held in Gaza after being seized in the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack that sparked the war are pressing Netanyahu to reach a deal to bring their loved ones home.
The recovery of two hostages' bodies in the past week renewed fears that time is running out. Hamas has said that after months of heavy fighting, it isn't sure who is alive or dead.
Israel and Hamas are under pressure from outgoing US President Joe Biden and Trump to reach a deal before the January 20 inauguration.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said this week a deal is “very close” and he hoped to complete it before handing over diplomacy to the incoming Trump administration. But US officials have expressed similar optimism on several occasions over the past year.
Issues in the talks have included which hostages would be released in the first part of a phased ceasefire deal, which Palestinian prisoners would be released and the extent of any Israeli troop withdrawal from population centres in Gaza.
Hamas and other groups killed some 1,200 people and took about 250 hostages into Gaza in the attack that started the war. A truce in November 2023 freed more than 100 hostages, while others have been rescued or their remains have been recovered over the past year.
