Mysuru: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has labeled the show cause notice issued by the Governor as illegal, a violation of the Constitution, and a move to undermine democracy.
Speaking to the media at Mandakalli Airport in Mysuru on Friday, before visiting rain-damaged areas in the Kodagu-Mysuru districts, Siddaramaiah expressed his displeasure. He stated, "I have no role in the MUDA matter. The issue of the show cause notice is illegal, unconstitutional, and the Governor is acting as a puppet of the central government."
In response to a complaint filed by TJ Abraham on July 26 at 11 AM, the Governor issued a show cause notice. Siddaramaiah criticized this decision, stating that the Governor should have thoroughly considered the complaint before issuing a notice to a constitutionally elected Chief Minister. He questioned the urgency, as the notice was delivered to the Chief Minister's secretary, LK Ateek, at 10 PM the same day. The Chief Minister accused the central government of attempting to destabilize an elected government.
Siddaramaiah highlighted that the Chief Secretary of the state government wrote to the Governor on July 26 at 6 PM regarding this matter, but the Governor did not consider it. He noted that a judicial investigation is currently underway and there is no report yet. He argued that taking action before these reports are available is illegal. The Governor, Siddaramaiah claimed, is acting in concert with the BJP-JDS, behaving like a puppet under the central government’s influence.
The Chief Minister pointed out that complaints were previously made to the Governor against Sasikala Jolle, Murugesh Nirani, and Janardhana Reddy, but no action was taken. He questioned the inconsistency in handling complaints.
Siddaramaiah also mentioned that the council of ministers serve as advisors to the Governor. He chose not to attend the cabinet meeting, led by Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, to avoid setting a bad precedent. The meeting concluded that the notice was illegal and should be withdrawn.
In response to the situation, Siddaramaiah stated, "I have done nothing wrong, so why should I be afraid of the show cause notice?" He added that the Governor has not acted according to the law. The Leader of the Opposition, R. Ashok, questioned Siddaramaiah's fear regarding the notice, to which Siddaramaiah reiterated his innocence.
Furthermore, Siddaramaiah criticized JDS leader HD Kumaraswamy for changing his stance on the Padayatra. HD Kumaraswamy is a Central Minister and JDS leader. He has nothing to do with MUDA. Initially, he said he wouldn’t support the padayatra, stating that people are suffering during the monsoon. Now they are saying they will participate in the padayatra. What does this mean? Siddaramaiah questioned, adding that it is clear from all this that he is not participating in the padayatra voluntarily.
Lastly, the Chief Minister instructed his ministers to assist in areas affected by the recent heavy rains. The state has suffered significant damage, including collapsed houses, damaged bridges and roads, and broken electric poles. Siddaramaiah announced his plans to visit Kodagu district and Nanjangudu taluk to assess the situation and gather information. He indicated that the Cabinet would meet to decide on the appropriate compensation for the affected areas.
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Budapest/Washington: US Vice President J D Vance has said that Lebanon was never included in the ceasefire understanding with Iran, describing the confusion as a “legitimate misunderstanding”.
Speaking to reporters before departing from Hungary, Vance said, “I think the Iranians thought that the ceasefire included Lebanon and it just didn’t. We never made that promise.”
He stressed that the United States had not included Lebanon in the scope of the ceasefire at any stage.
His remarks come amid continued Israeli strikes in Lebanon, where more than 200 people were reported killed, even as ceasefire talks between Iran and the US move forward.
Vance said Israel had “offered … to check themselves a little bit in Lebanon because they want to make sure that our negotiation is successful”.
He warned that if Iran allows the situation in Lebanon to affect the negotiations, it could derail the talks.
“If Iran wants to let this negotiation fall apart in a conflict where they were getting hammered over Lebanon, which has nothing to do with them and which the United States never once said was part of the ceasefire, that’s ultimately their choice,” he said.
