Karnataka: Political slugfest over violent quota protest; BJP, Cong blame each other
Bengaluru/Kalaburagi (PTI): A political slugfest erupted between the ruling BJP and the Congress in Karnataka on Tuesday over a protest by Banjaras that turned violent at Shikaripura in Shivamogga district, with both parties holding each other responsible for it.
Four police personnel were injured in Shikaripur on Monday, when thousands of people of the Banjara community were protesting against the state government's decision on internal reservation among Scheduled Castes, turned violent.
Some window panes of former Chief Minister and Shikaripura MLA B S Yediyurappa's house, were damaged in stone pelting.
State Congress President D K Shivakumar alleged "internal conspiracy" in the BJP as the reason for stone pelting on Yediyurappa's house; while Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai hit back stating that there is evidence to prove that Congress people were behind it and the violence was systematically planned.
"What is he (Shivakumar) saying? Congress is conspiring everywhere. Those who have been caught locally are all from the Congress. They are Congress leaders- what does D K Shivakumar have to say about it?" Bommai said in response to a question.
"Congress leaders have been caught on camera...the (Banjara) community people did not know anything, they (Congress) have spread false news that the community will be removed from the SC list and they were instigated. It was systematically planned after a meeting the previous night. I'm saying this with evidence," he added.
State Home Minister Araga Jananendra too alleged that some parties were trying to gain political mileage, and police are inquiring into those involved in the incident and the "politics" was behind it.
"The incident in Shikaripura is unfortunate, this has happened due to misconception by some people who were incited. one cannot expect innocent people to indulge in such acts. I have information that some people with political intention were behind the incident, inquiry is on in this regard," he said
"Those involved in four to five other cases are behind this incident...innocent people were incited....indulging in stone pelting on police, on the residence of Yediyurappa is not right. Everyone has to maintain peace," he said.
He said Yediyurappa has requested not to take action against anyone for stone pelting at his house, but added that the police were attacked; two to three of them are in hospital. "Arson was created by taking law into hands...police have brought the situation under control."
The Cabinet on Friday had recommended a 6 per cent internal quota for SC (Left), 5.5 per cent for SC (Right), 4.5 per cent for touchables (Banjara, Bhovi, Korcha, Kuruma etc) and 1 per cent for others. The recommendation will be sent to the union government.
A section of Scheduled Castes has been demanding internal reservation alleging that only a few influential sub-castes were taking away a majority of the benefits while many communities were still marginalised.
Commenting on Monday's incident in Shikaripura, Shivakumar claimed that the reason for stone pelting on Yediyurappa's house is BJP's internal politics, to finish him off politically.
"Yediyurappa is not CM, he is not part of the government. The Chief Minister (Bommai) has created a big confusion on the reservation issue. Now BJP and Union Home Minister (Amit Shah) want to bring him to the centre stage, in a way he (Shah) conceded neglecting him (Yediyurappa), so he had recently visited his house for a breakfast....there are a lot of internal things," he said.
If stones were pelted on CM's house or those in power, it is different, as it would have been seen as an expression of anger, but pelting stones on Yediyurappa's house means internal fight, Shivakumar claimed.
Also targeting the government on its decision to scrap the 4 per cent reservation for Muslims under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) quota and distribute it equally among the dominant Vokkaliga and Lingayat communities, Shivakumar alleged the move was made "without a Backward Class commission report".
"We won't accept it, our government will come to power after 40 days, we will scrap it," he declared.
Leader of Opposition Siddaramaiah commenting on violence and attack on Yediyurappa's house said, someone from the BJP would have done it, Yediyurappa himself has said the incident might have been the result of some misconception, and has not blamed the Congress.
Banjaras have been opposing internal reservations since the beginning, he said.
Former Chief Minister and JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy commenting on the violence said, the BJP government created such a situation, they will have to rectify it.
Reservation should not be given for the sake of politics or vote as wrong decisions will create rift between the communities, he said, "I appreciate Muslim community, had they come to streets against the government's decision of scrapping their 4 per cent reservation under OBC list it would have worsened the situation...it is low level politics by BJP to create bloodshed in the society."
#WATCH | Shivamogga, Karnataka | Shikaripura road blocked by Banjara community opposing reservation announced by State government. pic.twitter.com/UG3eOD6koJ
— ANI (@ANI) March 28, 2023
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Islamabad talks: JD Vance leads US delegation in historic face-to-face negotiations with Iran
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Islamabad (PTI): A US delegation led by Vice President JD Vance held historic face-to-face talks with top Iranian negotiators in Pakistan on Saturday to reach a peace agreement to end the war in West Asia that has paralysed global energy markets and disrupted trade.
The Pakistan-brokered talks -- the first direct, high-level engagement between the two sides since the 1979 Islamic Revolution-- are being watched globally amid increasing expectations of a breakthrough.
Ahead of the trilateral negotiations in Islamabad's Serena hotel, the Vance-led US team and the Iranian delegation headed by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf held separate meetings with Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
"After Pakistan PM Sharif held separate meetings with both the delegations, formal round of direct negotiations between Iran and the United States has officially begun," a senior Pakistani official told PTI.
Pakistan’s state-run PTV said Iranian and US officials sat across the table for "landmark peace negotiations." The format of the talks was not very clear.
As the negotiations continued, the Iranian government said on social media that "talks between Iran and the US in Islamabad entered the expert-level stage as economic, military, legal, and nuclear committees joined in".
Without elaborating, it added that certain"technical details” are being finalised.
Sources in the Pakistani establishment said that the overall atmosphere in talks was "encouraging".
There were reports that talks may continue on Sunday if no breakthrough was achieved tonight.
Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency reported that the negotiations have moved beyond general issues and entered technical-level discussions on "certain topics".
While Vance is accompanied by Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, the Ghalibaf-led Iranian delegation comprised Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, Supreme National Defence Council Secretary Ali Akbar Ahmadian and Central Bank Governor Abdolnaser Hemmati.
The two sides travelled to Islamabad on Saturday for the talks, four days after Iran and the US announced a two-week ceasefire. However, a massive wave of Israeli strikes on Lebanon, killing more than 300 people, has left the truce in tatters.
While Tehran claimed the assault violated the terms of the ceasefire understanding, the US and Israel said Lebanon was not part of the deal.
Earlier, both delegations were received at the Nur Khan airbase by Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir and Minister for Interior, Syed Mohsin Raza Naqvi.
In his meeting with the Iranian delegation, Prime Minister Sharif affirmed Pakistan's sincere resolve to continue playing its role as a mediator towards achieving meaningful results from the peace talks.
Sharif, during his meeting with the American delegation, expressed hope that the talks between the US and Iran would lead to durable peace in West Asia.
In a related development, Mohammad Reza Aref, Iran's first vice president, said the peace talks could produce a deal if the American side worked in the interest of the US in sync with President Donald Trump's America First approach.
"However, if we face representatives of 'Israel First', there will be no deal," he said on social media.
Aref cautioned that the world will face "greater costs" if there was no peace deal.
Tasnim news agency earlier reported that negotiations between Iran and the US will not begin until Tehran's "preconditions," including stopping Israeli hostilities against Lebanon and de-freezing of Iranian assets are met.
Quoting an "informed source", it later claimed that the American side has agreed to release Iran's frozen assets. However, there is no confirmation yet on the report.
The US delegation also comprised Andrew Baker, the Deputy National Security Advisor to the President and Michael Vance, Special Advisor to the Vice President for Asian Affairs.
A full suite of US experts on relevant subject areas are present in Islamabad, according to US officials.
Earlier, Parliament Speaker Ghalibaf shared a photo from inside the aeroplane while en route to Pakistan. In the photograph, he is seen standing in front of images of the Minab School students killed in strikes, which were placed on the aeroplane seats.
"My companions on this flight — Minab 168," Ghalibaf posted on social media with the photograph.
US President Donald Trump has already cautioned that the US will resume its military action against Iran if the talks do not produce a peace deal.
Before departing for Pakistan, Vance said he was looking forward to the negotiations and hoped they would be "positive".
"As the US president said, if the Iranians are willing to negotiate in good faith, we’re certainly willing to extend an open hand. If they're going to try to play us, they're going to find that the negotiating team is not that receptive," Vance said before boarding his plane for Islamabad.
After his arrival in Islamabad early Saturday, Ghalibaf told reporters about the issue of trust with the US, reminding them of Iran's past experience with that country.
"Twice within less than a year, in the middle of negotiations, and despite the Iranian side’s good faith, they attacked us," he said, adding: "We have goodwill, but we do not have trust (in Americans)."
He said if the American side is ready for a "genuine agreement," then it would see Tehran's readiness for it.
Iran has laid out a 10-point plan for the talks that included demands for the withdrawal of US forces from West Asia, the lifting of sanctions against Iran, and allowing it to control the Strait of Hormuz.
Pakistan led the diplomatic push to bring the two sides to the table, which became possible after an appeal by Prime Minister Sharif earlier this week, leading to a pause in the fighting.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Araghchi, who held a telephone call with the country's ambassador to Lebanon Mohammad Reza Shibani, earlier asserted that the US must live up to its ceasefire commitments, which he said included ensuring the truce covers Lebanon.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said that the Israeli attacks on Lebanon "blatantly violated" the initial ceasefire and would render negotiations meaningless.
A thick security blanket covered Islamabad, which was on ‘red alert’ ahead of the talks.
More than 10,000 police and security personnel have been deployed to ensure multi-layered security for the visiting delegates, officials said.
The Red Zone, housing key buildings, is protected by the army and the Rangers, and only authorised officials and residents are allowed to go through it.
The Iran-US negotiations are being closely watched globally, as their success or failure could have far-reaching implications for West Asia's security, global energy markets, and international diplomacy.
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