K'taka Min Cheluvarayaswamy takes dig at JD(S), says party has lost autonomy to select candidates
Mandya: Karnataka's Agriculture Minister and Mandya district-in-charge Minister, Cheluvarayaswamy, took a dig at senior JD(S) leaders, expressing irony over their apparent loss of autonomy in announcing candidates for the Hassan and Mandya Parliamentary constituencies.
Speaking to reporters during his visit to the residence of Congress party's Mandya candidate, Venkataramane Gowda (popularly known as Star Chandru), in Bandigowda on Wednesday, Cheluvarayaswamy remarked on the current political landscape.
Highlighting the perceived misstep of aligning with the BJP, Cheluvarayaswamy suggested that JD(S) leaders have begun to realize their error. He contrasted this with the respectful treatment extended to former Prime Minister Deve Gowda and former Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy during the JD(S)-Congress alliance.
Further underscoring JD(S)'s purported dilemma, Cheluvarayaswamy pointed out the nomination of Dr. Manjunath, Devegowda's son-in-law, by the BJP in Bengaluru Rural, a move indicating a lack of confidence within JD(S). He also noted the sidelining of Vokkaliga leaders by the BJP in the old Mysuru region, exemplified by the denial of a ticket to senior leader Sadananda Gowda, the sitting MP.
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Expressing confidence in the Congress party's electoral prospects, Cheluvarayaswamy predicted victory in at least 20 seats, including Mandya, in the upcoming general elections. He highlighted the forthcoming nomination filing by their candidate Star Chandru on April 1st and attributed their optimism to the implementation of five guarantees and eight months of developmental initiatives undertaken by the Congress government in the state.
During the occasion, Congress party Mandya candidate Venkataramane Gowda (Star Chandru) was joined by several MLAs, including AB Ramesh Bandissidde Gowda, PM Narendra Swamy, P. Ravikumar Ganiga, KM Udaya, Dinesh Gooli Gowda, Marithibbe Gowda, as well as former MLAs KB Chandrasekhar, B. Prakash, HB Ramu, District Congress President CD Gangadhar, and other party leaders.
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Petrol, diesel price rise in near future not ruled out, say govt sources
New Delhi (PTI): An increase in petrol and diesel prices in the near future is not ruled out, government sources said on Friday, as losses mount from a four-year-old freeze in retail rates despite the sharp rise in global crude oil prices, PTI reported. International crude oil prices this week climbed to a four-year high of USD 126 per barrel before cooling down slightly, but remained above USD 110 a barrel as ship transits through the Strait of Hormuz remained restricted and US and Iranian leaders traded barbs amid stalled peace talks.
Government sources said the possibility of a petrol and diesel price hike in the near future is not ruled out.
Earlier in the day, Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), making a statement on behalf of the industry, said petrol and diesel price as also domestic LPG rates are not being increased despite a surge in international energy cost. State-owned oil firms hiked prices of commercial LPG, industrial diesel, 5-kg LPG and jet fuel sold to international airlines in keeping with the cost.
Analysts had earlier flagged the possibility of price increases of Rs 25-28 per litre after the end of polling for assembly elections in West Bengal on April 29.
International oil prices spiked after the US and Israel attacked Iran on February 28, and Tehran's sweeping retaliation that effectively shut the Strait of Hormuz -- one of the world's most critical energy arteries, linking the Persian Gulf to global markets and handling roughly a fifth of global oil trade along with significant volumes of liquefied natural gas.
Last week, Sujata Sharma, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, told a news briefing that state-owned fuel retailers were incurring losses of about Rs 20 per litre on petrol and roughly Rs 100 per litre on diesel as pump prices remained frozen for nearly four years despite a surge in global oil prices. Yet there is no plan to increase prices, she had said.
Crude, which was USD 70 per barrel last year, averaged over USD 114 this month. Retail petrol and diesel prices have remained frozen since early April 2022 -- a period during which oil prices rose in some months and fell in other times. When prices fell, state-owned oil firms made handsome profits, which they used to set off losses when rates rose.
Petrol is currently priced at Rs 94.77 a litre in Delhi, and diesel comes for Rs 87.67.
