H D Revanna's arrest was as per law: CM Siddaramaiah
Mysuru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday asserted that JD(S) MLA H D Revanna was arrested as per law and government didn't interfere in the matter.
The CM also ridiculed the JD(S) claim that it would one day form the government and take revenge, saying there was no possibility of JD(S) coming to power ever.
Former minister H D Revanna was arrested for allegedly abducting a woman who had accused his son and former Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna of raping her. H D Revanna is the son of former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda.
Responding to JD(S) allegations that Revanna's arrest was unjust, the chief minister said the government neither interfered nor had any scope to interfere in the matter. "Not only Revanna's case. We don't interfere in any case," he said.
Siddaramaiah also asserted that the Congress government acted strictly in accordance with the law and accused the JD(S) of indulging in political rhetoric divorced from reality.
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"We did as per law. Let them also do it as per law when they come to power but they will never ever come to power. Supposing that they come to power... I wonder how 17 JD(S) MLAs can form a government. Can political speeches ever translate into reality?" Siddaramaiah told reporters.
On allegations that officials were given gifts to "fix" Revanna, Siddaramaiah rejected the charge outright. "All these charges are false. Who will give gift?" he asked.
Recently, the police team that investigated Prajwal case was given a reward of Rs 25 lakh, sources in the CID said.
When reporters pointed out that JD(S) claims that it would come to power with BJP support, Siddaramaiah questioned the feasibility of such assertions.
"Will BJP leave the JD(S) to have their chief minister if they get more seats? First of all they will not come to power," he said.
"Despite the BJP and JD(S) joining hands we won 136 seats. We are now 140 members. How will the JD(S) win?" he asked, adding, "When I was the JD(S) president the party had won 59 seats in 2004. Now how many seats have they won? It's just 17." Siddaramaiah asserted that the Congress would return to power in the 2028 Assembly elections.
"We will again come to power in 2028. It's impossible that the BJP and JD(S) will ever come to power despite forming an alliance," he said, adding that the decision on who would head the government would be taken by the party high command.
On governance matters, Siddaramaiah said preparations for the state budget had not yet begun.
"The budget meeting has not started yet. We will start working on it from February 2," he said.
Referring to the World Economic Forum meet in Davos, the chief minister said, "There was a very good atmosphere for Karnataka in Davos. We have very good manpower, both skilled and unskilled. We are offering skill training. Skilled workforce will certainly get a job," he said.
When asked about the Governor submitting a report to the President on the events of January 22, Siddaramaiah said the Governor had merely conveyed what had occurred.
"Let him give it. He has just informed whatever had happened on that day. Article 163 of the Indian Constitution says Governor shall address the House. The word 'shall' has been used. Hence he should have addressed the joint session," he said.
He said the government would provide the Governor with the speech text.
"Tomorrow we will give him our speech copy but it is he who will deliver the speech. Whatever we have given, the same has to be read in the joint legislature meeting," he said.
On the Governor's address scheduled for January 26, Siddaramaiah said there was scope for changes but declined to say whether any revisions would be made.
"There is a scope to change the speech. I have no information whether it will be changed," he said.
Responding to BJP allegations that the state government failed to write to the Centre regarding Karnataka's tableau for the Republic Day parade, Siddaramaiah said the claim was incorrect.
"We have written. What can I do if they don't do it? It is for them to choose. The Centre should include tableau from every state," he said.
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India is going to do this more and more often: Sanju Samson
New Delhi (PTI): Sanju Samson, whose exploits fuelled India's recent T20 World Cup triumph, on Sunday asserted that the country is poised to rule global cricket for years to come.
Speaking on the sidelines of the BCCI Naman Awards 2026 in the capital, Samson also likened his exploits during India's triumphal march to the title to a movie, and said it was yet to sink in.
"Not yet, I am still like, actually, when I get up in the morning I'm like 'has it really happened'. So honestly, that's the feeling," Samson said when asked about last Sunday's triumph.
He added, "But I feel that in the coming years with the quality of players we have in our country, this is going to be repeated. It's not going to be, okay, it has happened once in a while. The amount of players which are coming up and definitely India is going to do this more and more often."
Samson was named Player of the Tournament in the 2026 T20 World Cup after a historic campaign, scoring 321 runs at a strike rate of nearly 200 in just five innings to lead India to the title.
Despite not playing initially, he delivered 80-plus scores in the must-win Super Eights match against the West Indies, the semi-final against England, and in the final against New Zealand.
Samson further said he has been dreaming to help India win a World Cup.
"Absolutely, I think you can only dream where you want to go, but you can't definitely ride the path towards it. So my life or my career has been one of the best examples. I definitely wanted to do this a couple of years ago.
"I want to win a World Cup for my country, but it had its own plan, its own script. So, but more like a movie. I enjoyed it," Samson said.
The unassuming star from Kerala has been toiling for years to leave an impact on the game, and the T20 World Cup was his finest moment.
"As I said before, I wanted to do something like this, then I got pulled out of my journey, and then suddenly, the team wanted me to come and contribute, and that's when I actually mentally flipped a bit... I think, before that, in the New Zealand series, the focus was all about myself.
"But in the World Cup, the focus is all about the team. I think what does a team require. And in the Zimbabwe game, right from that moment, everyone wanted me to contribute to it. I had a role to play.
"So that's when the shift happened and the confidence that, okay, 'the team needs you, Sanju', and let's do what you can the best. So that's where everything started from.
"And then I had the experience, I was working mentally. I was working physically, so I knew that I'm ready, and I knew that this is meant for me, so I just had to do what I know best.
"So, I've been playing this format for a very long time and then it was just about planning and going out there and executing it," Samson said.
Pacer Mohammed Siraj described the triumph as a "miracle" from a personal point of view as he was not even part of the initial squad for the tournament and was included only as a replacement for an injured Harshit Rana.
"I was not in the initial squad, then I got it, played a game, and now I have been part of two World Cup-winning squads. I would say it's a miracle for me," Siraj said.
