HD Kumaraswamy's "rural women have lost their way" comment sparks row
Bengaluru, Apr 14: JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy's comment that women in rural areas have "lost their way" because of the five guarantee schemes introduced by the Congress government in Karnataka, has elicited sharp reactions from the ruling party.
Some women Congress workers staged a protest with "Go back Kumaraswamy" slogans and placards in Mandya, from where the former Chief Minister is contesting the Lok Sabha elections.
With Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar also attacking him over his comments, Kumaraswamy sought to clarify by stating he was only cautioning the womenfolk about their "innocence being misused" by the Congress administration in the name of guarantee schemes and that he did not insult them.
Questioning from whose pockets, the government is funding guarantee schemes, Kumaraswamy during a roadshow in Tumakuru on Saturday said, "This government (state) in the last election had announced five guarantees, (because of which), our mothers in the villages have lost their way. One should think about what will happen to their livelihood and that of their families."
ALSO READ: Siddaramaiah plea to Goa CM over alleged demolition of Kannadigas' houses
"They (Congress) don't have anything other than five guarantees, every day advertising about guarantees in newspapers with CM and Deputy CM photos, they have spent over Rs 300 crore," he said.
Sharply reacting to Kumaraswamy's remark, Siddaramaiah in Madikeri on Sunday said it shows his mindset and his feelings for women.
"What does he mean by saying -- they have lost their way? Being a two-time Chief Minister, if he speaks about women in such a way, will people tolerate it?" he said.
Pointing out that Kumaraswamy is a former CM, son of a former PM and head of JD(S), Shivakumar said, "...I'm feeling deeply pained and don't want to respond (to such comments). Self-respecting women of the state are making thousands of phone calls to me, there is a situation as though the womenfolk seem to be ready for an uprising (against Kumaraswamy's statement)."
Noting that crores of women are getting benefited from the guarantee schemes, he said, "If he (Kumaraswamy) says, women have lost their way because of these schemes, I won't ask him to apologise (for comments)...PM Modi, Union Ministers Nirmala Sitharaman, Smriti Irani have to respond to this, as he is a NDA partner now. No one can tolerate such insulting comments against our mothers and sisters."
Clarifying on his statement, Kumaraswamy said Congress doesn't have anything else to discuss about him other than this.
"What I said yesterday is, in the name of guarantees, attempts are being made to mislead you - the innocent women from villages. I told them -- without giving you strength, they (Congress govt) are trying to keep you in a position where you seek alms, and be aware of it, without losing your way...," he said.
Stating that he has lots of respect for women, who have given him strength to survive in politics, Kumaraswamy further said, "women are like my mother and sisters and I have always worked for them. I need not learn from Congress, nor is there a need for me to respond to them."
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
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.
