"Has a patent on crying," says Kumaraswamy
Bengaluru, Nov 28: Former Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy on Thursday said his family has got a patent on crying as he took objection to Union minister D V Sadananda Gowda's comment that shedding tears during election was their family business.
"I will say that our family has a patent over it (shedding tears). Ours is a life of emotions and tears are an expression of pain in our hearts, Kumaraswamy told reporters at Hunsur.
While campaigning for the JD(S) candidate contesting the assembly bypoll, Kumaraswamy burst into tears at Kikkeri in KR Pet segment on Wednesday, saying people of Mandya had deserted him by defeating his son Nikhil Kumaraswamy in the Lok Sabha election earlier this year.
Commenting on Kumaraswamy turning emotional, Sadananda Gowda had cautioned people against the "flood of tears."
He said the flood caused by tears is more dangerous than the flood that ravaged 22 districts of Karnataka in August and October.
The union minister even termed that shedding tears during election is the tradition of former prime minister H D Deve Gowda's family.
Dear Sadananda Gowda, I don’t know how to cry applying Vicks or glycerine. I cry when I see the poor people in tears, Kumaraswamy said.
He challenged Sadananda Gowda to explain how many flood-hit people did he assist.
How many poor people come to your house and how many of them secured any relief from you? Come to our house or send your intelligence team from the Centre.
Even after 70 years of independence, there are people coming to us without food and clothes. When I see them I get upset, Kumaraswamy said.
"Sadananda Gowda had said in his statement that people earlier used to watch drama for 100 days or 200 days.
Yes, you will say so because you come from the region where dramas are played, said Kumaraswamy commenting on the coastal Karnataka region where the minister hails from and where Yaksha Gana form of classical dance-drama is popular.
State Tourism minister C T Ravi too called Kumaraswamy an accomplished actor while taking a jibe at the JD(S) leader for shedding tears while campaigning.
"Film actors too do not tear up without glycerine though it is their profession. Only an accomplished actor can shed tears without it," he said.
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Cong takes swipe at PM over India not being part of US-led 'Pax Silica' grouping
New Delh (PTI) The Congress on Saturday said it is perhaps not very surprising that India is not part of a US-led strategic initiative to build a secure silicon supply chain, given the "sharp downturn" in the Trump-Modi ties, and asserted that it would have been to "our advantage if we had been part of this group".
Congress general secretary in charge of communications Jairam Ramesh took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the news of India not being part of the group comes after the PM had enthusiastically posted on social media about a telephone call with his "once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC".
In a lengthy post on X, Ramesh said, "According to some news reports, the US has excluded India from a nine-nation initiative it has launched to reduce Chinese control on high-tech supply chains. The agreement is called Pax Silica, clearly as a counter to Pax Sinica. The nations included (for the moment at least) are the US, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia."
"Given the sharp downturn in the Trump-Modi ties since May 10th, 2025, it is perhaps not very surprising that India has not been included. Undoubtedly, it would have been to our advantage if we had been part of this group."
"This news comes a day after the PM had enthusiastically posted on his telephone call with his once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC," the Congress leader asserted.
The new US-led strategic initiative, rooted in deep cooperation with trusted allies, has been launched to build a secure and innovation-driven silicon supply chain.
According to the US State Department, the initiative called 'Pax Silica' aims to reduce coercive dependencies, protect the materials and capabilities foundational to artificial intelligence (AI), and ensure aligned nations can develop and deploy transformative technologies at scale.
The initiative includes Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia. With the exception of India, all other QUAD countries -- Japan, Australia and the US -- are part of the new initiative.
New Delhi will host the India-AI Impact Summit 2026 on February 19-20, focusing on the principles of 'People, Planet, and Progress'. The summit, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the France AI Action Summit, will be the first-ever global AI summit hosted in the Global South.
Prime Minister Modi and US President Trump on Thursday discussed ways to sustain momentum in the bilateral economic partnership in a phone conversation amid signs of the two sides inching closer to firming up a much-awaited trade deal.
The phone call between the two leaders came on a day Indian and American negotiators concluded two-day talks on the proposed bilateral trade agreement that is expected to provide relief to India from the Trump administration's whopping 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods.
In a social media post, Modi had described the conversation as "warm and engaging".
"We reviewed the progress in our bilateral relations and discussed regional and international developments. India and the US will continue to work together for global peace, stability and prosperity," Modi had said without making any reference to trade ties.
