In poll-bound Karnataka, PM Modi rips into Congress for 'insulting' party chief Mallikarjun Kharge
Belagavi, Feb 27: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday accused the Congress of disrespecting Karnataka, while alleging that its President Mallikarjun Kharge, who hails from the state, was insulted by the party during its plenary session in Chhattisgarh.
He said Kharge was insulted and disrespected by the party, in favour of a "family", apparently indicating the Nehru-Gandhi family, despite the Congress chief's seniority and age.
"I want to remind you how Congress hates Karnataka. Insulting Karnataka's leaders is part of Congress' old culture. From whomever Congress' family feels troubled, disrespecting them begins in that party. History stands witness to the insult meted out to the leaders such as S Nijalingappa and Veerendra Patil before the family. Everyone in Karnataka knows it," Modi said.
Addressing a massive gathering here, he said now once again, one more leader from Karnataka has been insulted by loyalists of the family.
"I have great respect for Mallikarjun Kharge, a son of this land, who has about 50 years of parliamentary or legislature experience. He has tried to do whatever he could in the service of people. But I was sad looking at how Kharge, who is the President of the party and a senior in age, was treated during the Congress' session in Chhattisgarh," the Prime Minister said.
"The weather was hot, everyone standing there feeling the heat was natural, but in that heat the good fortune of umbrella's shade was not there for Kharge who is Congress chief and senior in age. The umbrella's shade was for someone standing next to him. This shows Kharge is Congress President just for the sake of it, and looking at the way he is treated, everyone can see and understand, as to whose hands the remote control is in," he further said.
The Prime Minister was speaking after releasing the 13th instalment of funds worth over Rs 16,000 crore under the PM-KISAN scheme for beneficiaries across the country and laying the foundation stone and dedicating to the nation multiple development projects worth more than Rs 2,700 crore here.
Noting that several political parties in the country are in the clutches of dynastic politics, Modi said: "We have to free the country from these clutches. People of Karnataka should be cautious about parties like Congress."
He claimed that "Congress people" are so disappointed that they feel that until Modi is alive, they cannot do anything.
"So all of them are saying and raising slogans 'Marja Modi, Marja Modi' (Modi die, Modi die), some people are even busy digging 'kabr' (grave). They are saying 'Modi teri kabr khudegi' (Modi your grave will be dug)...but the country is saying 'Modi tera kamal khilega' (Modi your lotus will bloom)."
Assembly elections are due in Karnataka by May.
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Talks with Iran ended after 21 hours without reaching agreement, says US Vice President Vance
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Islamabad (PTI): US Vice President JD Vance said on Sunday that the Islamabad Talks with Iran failed as the two sides could not bridge the gulf of differences despite hectic efforts spreading more than 21 hours.
Vance addressed a press conference here after “substantive discussions” in direct talks between the two sides -- the first since 1979 at this level --mediated by Pakistan.
“We have been at it now for 21 hours, and we have had a number of substantive discussions, that’s the good news,” Vance said.
“The bad news is that we have not reached an agreement,” he added.
“We have made very clear what our red lines are, what things we are willing to accommodate them on and what things we are not,” the US vice president said, adding that the Iranian delegation had “chosen not to accept our terms”.
He was asked to elaborate the main sticking points of what did the Iranians reject but he refused to go into specifics.
“I won’t go into all the details because I don’t want to negotiate in public after we negotiated for 21 hours in private. But the simple fact is that we need to see an affirmative commitment that they will not seek a nuclear weapon and that they will not seek the tools that would enable them to quickly achieve a nuclear weapon,” Vance said
He said stopping Iran from getting a "nuke" was the “core goal of the US president, and that’s what we have tried to achieve through these negotiations”.
Vance also praised Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir, terming them “incredible hosts”.
“Whatever shortcomings were in the negotiations were not because of Pakistanis, who did an amazing job and really tried to help us and the Iranians bridge the gap and get to a deal,” he said.
Separately, the spokesperson for Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Esmaeil Baqaei, in an X message also confirmed that the two sides failed to make a deal and “numerous messages and texts have been exchanged between the two sides".
“In the past 24 hours, discussions were held on various dimensions of the main negotiation topics, including the Strait of Hormuz, the nuclear issue, war reparations, lifting of sanctions, and the complete end to the war against Iran and in the region,” he wrote.
“The success of this diplomatic process depends on the seriousness and good faith of the opposing side, refraining from excessive demands and unlawful requests, and the acceptance of Iran’s legitimate rights and interests.”
Baqaei also expressed appreciation to the “government and the warm-hearted and noble people of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan for hosting the negotiations and their benevolent efforts in advancing this process”.
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