Karnad's death; Karnataka cabinet expansion rescheduled to June 14
Bengaluru, Jun 10: The much awaited expansion of the H D Kumaraswamy-led cabinet on June 12 aimed at saving the coalition government, has been rescheduled to Friday as the state mourning is in place due to the death of Girish Karnad, an official release said Monday.
"Following the death of Jnanpith awardee, writer and theatre personality Girish Karnad, the swearing-in of new ministers scheduled for Wednesday, June 12 has been rescheduled to Friday, June 14 at 1 PM," the Chief Minister's office said in a statement.
Kumaraswamy on Saturday had announced that Governor Vajubhai Vala has fixed 11.30 am on June 12 for administering the oath of office for the new ministers.
But, with the passing away of Karnad, a renowned playwright and actor Monday, the state government announced a three-day state mourning, during which such official programmes cannot be organized.
After being routed in the Lok Sabha polls and with growing disgruntlement within, the coalition leaders had come to a decision to go in for cabinet expansion by filling in three vacant posts.
According to sources, a cabinet rejig is also on the cards after some time, during which a few ministers will be asked to step down to make way for others, mainly disgruntled legislators.
Of the total 34 ministerial positions in Karnataka, Congress and JD(S) have shared 22 and 12 respectively according to the coalition arrangement. Currently, three posts are vacant, two from JD(S) and one from Congress.
There are talks within the coalition circles about inducting Independent MLA Nagesh and KPJP MLA R Shankar into the cabinet, thereby ensuring that they don't side with the BJP, sources said.
A disgruntled Congress leader or JD(S) MLC B M Farooq is being considered for third vacant post.
Increased number of aspirants in the Congress is worrying the coalition leaders as it may once again lead to disgruntlement and cause disturbance for the smooth functioning of the alliance government.
Congress general secretary in-charge of Karnataka K C Venugopal is likely to be in the city on Tuesday and hold meetings with state unit leaders and disgruntled legislators, aimed at defusing the situation, party sources said.
The coalition leaders fear onslaught by the BJP to destabilise the government, after the saffron party won 25 out of 28 Lok Sabha seats in the state, leaving Congress and JD(S) to share one seat each.
The BJP supported independent candidate Sumalatha Ambareesh had won in Mandya.
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Indian visa application centre suspended indefinitely in Bangladesh's Chattogram
Dhaka (PTI): India on Sunday suspended visa operations at its mission in Bangladeshi port city of Chattogram until further notice, according to media reports.
The move comes in the wake of a fresh wave of unrest witnessed in the country following the death of prominent youth leader Sharif Osman Hadi.
His death triggered attacks and vandalism across Bangladesh, including stone-hurling at the Assistant Indian High Commissioner's residence in Chattogram on Thursday.
Hadi, a prominent leader of the student-led protests last year that led to the ouster of the prime minister Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government, was a candidate for the scheduled February 12 general elections.
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He was shot in the head on December 12 by masked gunmen at an election campaign in central Dhaka’s Bijoynagar area and died while undergoing treatment in Singapore on December 18.
“Due to the recent security incident at Assistant High Commission of India (AHCI) Chittagong, Indian visa operations at IVAC Chittagong (Chattogram) will remain suspended from 21/12/2025 until further notice,” the Indian Visa Application Centre (IVAC) said in a brief statement.
The announcement for reopening the visa centre will be made after reviewing the situation, the statement added. The decision came into effect on Sunday.
There are five IVAC facilities across Bangladesh at Dhaka, Khulna, Rajshahi, Chattogram and Sylhet. An IVAC official told PTI that the other four offices have remained operational as of Sunday.
India on Thursday resumed operations at its visa application centre in Dhaka, a day after closing it over escalated security concerns, but closed for a brief period two other identical facilities in Rajshahi and Khulna as anti-India protestors tried to march towards the Indian missions there.
On Saturday, security was strengthened at the Indian Assistant High Commission office and the visa application centre in Bangladesh's Sylhet city.
The enhanced security measures were put in place to ensure that “no third party can exploit the situation,” Additional Deputy Commissioner (Media) of the Sylhet Metropolitan Police Saiful Islam was quoted as saying by The Dhaka Tribune newspaper on Saturday.
Hadi, 32, was laid to rest on Saturday amid extra-tight security beside the grave of National Poet Kazi Nazrul Islam near the Dhaka University mosque.
Tens of thousands of people attended the funeral prayers, and ahead of the ritual, chanted anti-India slogans like “Delhi or Dhaka - Dhaka, Dhaka” and “brother Hadi’s blood will not be allowed to go in vain.”
Earlier on December 17, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) summoned Bangladesh envoy Riaz Hamidullah and conveyed its strong concern over certain extremist elements announcing plans to create a security situation around the Indian mission in Dhaka.
“We expect the interim government to ensure the safety of Missions and Posts in Bangladesh in keeping with its diplomatic obligations,” it said.
The envoy was apprised of India's strong concerns about the deteriorating security environment in Bangladesh, it added.
