Karnataka Governor lauds govt for its "achievements" amid COVID-19, Congress stages protest
Bengaluru: Opposition Congress on Thursday staged a symbolic protest during the joint sitting of Karnataka legislature, accusing the BJP government of 'neglecting' the northern districts, even as Governor Vajubhai Vala lauded the state administration over its "achievements" amid COVID pandemic.
As Governor Vala began his customary address to the joint sitting of the state legislature, Congress legislators led by their leader Siddaramaiah rose up holding placards for a couple of minutes, before they sat down and listened to the speech peacefully until completion.
In the placards, Congress MLAs charged the government with 'neglecting North Karnataka by not holding a legislature session in the border district of Belagavi.
Legislature session is held once a year at Suvarna Vidhana Soudha in Belagavi, modeled on the Vidhana Soudha, the state secretariat in Bengaluru.
The Governor in his address said his government has tried its best to mitigate the adverse impact of COVID-19.
"We have used the crisis as an opportunity, to build on our strengths, to create additional health infrastructure and enhance production capacity (of medical equipment)."
Despite the challenges and the hardships imposed by the pandemic, the achievements of my government are noteworthy, he added.
Listing out the various achievements and reform measures undertaken by the state government, the Governor said "my government has declared a war on drugs, considering its adverse impact on the society, especially youngsters." Highlighting the government's handling of the flood situation in the state, he said, in total Rs 1,345 crore has been released for flood relief.
He further said despite the current challenges, the government has collected Rs 30,467 crore through commercial taxes and Rs 16,788 crores through excise department to ensure smooth funding of development programmes of the state.
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Cong leader Prithviraj Chavan defiant after facing verbal missiles on Op Sindoor remarks
Mumbai (PTI): Despite facing criticism, senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan on Wednesday stood by his controversial comments that India faced a "total defeat" in aerial fight with Pakistan on the first day of Operation Sindoor on May 7.
The former Union minister refused to apologise for his comments on the Indian military operation against terror hubs in Pakistan and PoK in aftermath of massacre of tourists at Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir in April.
Talking to reporters in Pune on Tuesday, Chavan claimed India faced a "total defeat in the aerial fight (with Pakistan) on May 7 which lasted for half-an-hour".
"One may believe this or not. After that the Indian Air Force got grounded and not a single aircraft took flight that day.... be it Gwalior, Bhatinda or Sirsa, there was a possibility of aircraft being shot down, so our complete Air Force was grounded," the former Maharashtra chief minister had said.
Hitting out at Chavan, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde accused the Congress of speaking the language of Pakistan. He said questioning the military action was akin to demoralising the morale of armed forces.
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"The criticism does not stem from the love of the nation, but love for Pakistan," said the chief leader of the Shiv Sena, a key constituent of the BJP-led NDA.
Chavan, however, remained defiant.
"There is no question of apologising. The Constitution has given me the right to ask questions," the Congress veteran asserted.
Chavan also questioned the need of having a 12-lakh strong Army when future wars will be about aerial combats and missiles. "During Operation Sindoor we saw that there was no movement of the Army even for a kilometre," he had said.
BJP Lok Sabha MP and spokesperson Sambit Patra said Chavan's remarks are loaded with sedition.
"He (Chavan) has refused to apologise. The Indian armed forces struck 100 kms inside the Pakistan territory and destroyed 11 air strips (of the Pakistani Air Force). He made remarks that the Indian Army did not even move an inch (during the military operation). This is nothing but a statement full of sedition, a statement of a traitor," Patra said, lashing out at the Congress leader.
The BJP spokesperson maintained the Congress appears to be standing with Chavan and alleged the Opposition party is playing into foreign hands.
Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra should apologise for it, he added.
Union minister Giriraj Singh of the BJP insisted it was not right to devalue the valour of Indian armed forces.
Samajwadi Party MP Virendra Singh suggested that wherever armed forces are concerned, every Indian should be mindful of statements they make and ensure their comments do not demoralise the military.
Operation Sindoor was a result of "mistakes of politicians", he claimed.
TDP MP Krishna Devraylu said after the poll defeat in Bihar, the Congress is rattled and their leaders have been talking absurdly.
"Chavan's remarks are a prime example of this. This kind of disrespect to our armed forces is not necessary. If the Congress is angry with the NDA, it should show it in a different way and not drag armed forces into it," Devraylu opined.
AAP MP Ashok Mittal said such statements should not be made by any senior politician, especially by someone who has been a former chief minister.
The Indian armed forces registered a strong victory and destroyed terror launchpads in Pakistan during Operation Sindoor, Mittal added.
