Congress govt in Karnataka united, says AICC general secy Surjewala
Bengaluru (PTI): Trying to downplay the alleged power tussle within the ruling Congress amid speculation about a change of guard in Karnataka, AICC general secretary in-charge of the state, Randeep Singh Surjewala, said on Monday that the party's government was united and accused the opposition of manufacturing stories to attack it.
Claiming that there were differences within the BJP and its alliance with the JD(S), he also attempted to portray the alleged political power struggle within the Congress as a media creation.
"A select group of news channels, instead of questioning a fractured BJP, which is on a fratricidal path and tearing itself apart, are questioning a united government that is solidly executing a direct benefit transfer to every Kannadiga family, with a cumulative total of Rs 58,000 crore," Surjewala told reporters here, in response to a question.
The Karnataka Congress government's guarantee scheme is the biggest welfare initiative in India, and naturally, the BJP is perturbed by it, he said, and highlighted the differences within the saffron party in the state and even claimed that the BJP and its alliance partner, the JD(S), are engaged in a "fratricidal war".
"In an attempt to hide their misdeeds and failures, the opposition continues to fabricate stories to attack the Congress and its guarantees. They are not merely targeting Siddaramaiah, D K Shivakumar, or the Congress government but are, in fact, attacking the people of Karnataka. We will decisively counter every such malicious move by the BJP and JD(S) against the Congress guarantees and the people of Karnataka," he added.
Surjewala's comments came a day after Chief Minister Siddaramaiah stated that his chair was not vacant, but still the media was reporting that a change of guard in the state was in the offing.
"There is no confusion among us. The media repeatedly reports that the CM will be changed, even though the chair is not vacant. Yet, such claims continue to be made. It is speculated and reported as a political discussion if we meet over food. Sometimes, even dialogues are fabricated about what we might have discussed, based purely on speculation," the CM had said.
Following Siddaramaiah’s recent dinner with select Dalit and ST Cabinet colleagues, speculation is rife within the Congress about a possible change of guard in the state after the March budget, under a "rotational chief minister" or "power-sharing" formula.
Several party leaders, including ministers, have commented on the leadership change, with some hinting at its possibility, while others have dismissed it.
Minister K N Rajanna, who is close to Siddaramaiah, recently told Deputy CM D K Shivakumar, a chief ministerial aspirant, that he should aim to become CM by successfully leading the party in the next elections, rather than pursuing the top post during the remaining two and a half years of the incumbent government's term.
A meeting of Congress leaders, ministers, and lawmakers from SC/ST communities, scheduled for the evening of January 8 under the leadership of Home Minister G Parameshwara, was postponed following instructions from Surjewala.
According to sources, the decision to postpone the meeting came after Shivakumar met AICC general secretary (Organisation) K C Venugopal in New Delhi on the night of January 6.
Surjewala is in the city to attend Karnataka Congress meetings to review preparations for the mega 'Jai Bapu, Jai Bhim, Jai Samvidhan' convention, which will be held under the aegis of the AICC on January 21 in Belagavi. The event will commemorate the centenary of the 1924 Indian National Congress session, which was presided over by Mahatma Gandhi.
State Congress leaders may discuss the ongoing developments with Surjewala during today's meeting or at the legislature party meeting in the evening, party sources said.
Surjewala said that the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee meetings are regarding the 'Jai Bapu, Jai Bhim, Jai Samvidhan' convention and noted that it was originally scheduled for December 27, 2024, but had to be postponed following the death of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh last month.
He said, "Union Home Minister Amit Shah insulted and mocked Babasaheb Ambedkar on the floor of Parliament. It was not just an insult to Ambedkar, but an assault on every SC/ST, backward class, and poor person in the country. From Belagavi, through this convention, we will give a clarion call to the entire country to demand the resignation of Amit Shah."
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Bondi Beach shooting suspect conducted firearms training with his father, Australian police say
Melbourne (AP): A man accused of killing 15 people at Sydney's Bondi Beach conducted firearms training in an area of New South Wales state outside of Sydney with his father, Australian police documents released on Monday allege.
The men recorded a video about their justification for the meticulously planned attack, according to a police statement of facts that was made public following Naveed Akram's video court appearance Monday from a Sydney hospital where he has been treated for an abdominal injury.
Officers wounded Akram at the scene of the Dec. 14 shooting and killed his father, 50-year-old Sajid Akram.
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The New South Wales state government confirmed Naveed Akram was transferred on Monday from a hospital to a prison. Neither facility was identified by authorities.
The statement alleges the 24-year-old and his father began their attack by throwing four improvised explosive devices toward a crowd celebrating an annual Jewish event at Bondi Beach, but the devices failed to explode.
Police described the devices as three aluminium pipe bombs and a tennis ball bomb containing an explosive, black powder and steel ball bearings. None detonated, but police described them as “viable” IEDs.
Authorities have charged Akram with 59 offences, including 15 counts of murder, 40 counts of causing harm with intent to murder in relation to the wounded survivors and one count of committing a terrorist act.
The antisemitic attack at the start of the eight-day Hanukkah celebration was Australia's worst mass shooting since a lone gunman killed 35 people in Tasmania state in 1996.
The New South Wales government introduced draft laws to Parliament on Monday that Premier Chris Minns said would become the toughest in Australia.
The new restrictions would include making Australian citizenship a condition of qualifying for a firearms license. That would have excluded Sajid Akram, who was an Indian citizen with a permanent resident visa.
Sajid Akram also legally owned six rifles and shotguns. A new legal limit for recreational shooters would be a maximum of four guns.
Police said a video found on Naveed Akram's phone shows him with his father "reciting their political and religious views and appear to summarise their justification for the Bondi terrorist attack.”
The men are seen in the video “condemning the acts of Zionists” while they also “adhere to a religiously motivated ideology linked to the Islamic State,” police said.
Video shot in October shows them “firing shotguns and moving in a tactical manner” on grassland surrounded by trees, police said.
“There is evidence that the Accused and his father meticulously planned this terrorist attack for many months,” police allege.
