Kumaraswamy accuses Cong govt in K'taka of deputing IAS officers to "serve" alliance leaders
Oppn meet
Bengaluru (PTI): JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy on Tuesday accused the Congress government in Karnataka of introducing "IAS bonded labour policy" in the State by deputing 30 IAS officers to "serve" its alliance leaders, meeting in the city to strategise for the 2024 Lok Sabha election.
The former Chief Minister said IAS officers are symbols of State's ability and efficiency, and deputing these officials as "door keepers" to serve politicians is in clear violation of All India Services (Conduct ) Rules.
Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, who is also the state Congress chief, maintained that due protocol for state guests has been followed.
"In its greed to wrest power by forging an alliance, Congress has performed last rites for pride, heritage and self esteem of Karnataka. It is wrong on part of @INCKarnataka to depute IAS officers to serve its alliance leaders. Is this what they meant walk the talk?" Kumaraswamy asked in a tweet sharing a list of names of IAS officers who are deputed to host the political leaders attending the meeting.
"This is neither a state government programme, nor the swearing in ceremony of a new government. It is just a political meeting. Deputing responsible officers to host its alliance political leaders is a grave injustice done to 6.5 crore Kannadigas and a great insult to the state," he said.
With a call for unity, top leaders of 26 opposition parties began crucial deliberations on Monday to chalk out their joint programme aimed at defeating the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, chief ministers M K Stalin, Nitish Kumar, Arvind Kejriwal and Hemant Soren and RJD chief Lalu Prasad were among those who attended the dinner meeting on Monday, where discussions were held to finalise the agenda for the formal talks starting this morning.
Noting that IAS officers are symbols of State's ability and efficiency, and they play a key role in State's development, Kumaraswamy said deputing these officials as "door keepers" to serve politicians reflects the height of the arrogance of the ruling party.
"This is clear violation of All India Services (Conduct ) Rules. I was surprised and shocked that officials agreed to do this job knowing that it would dent their self-respect and honour. The Chief Secretary who issued such a controversial order is answerable to the people," he said.
The former CM further alleged that the "Capitalist Congress party" has introduced "IAS bonded labour" policy in the State thus ushering a new colonial administrative system in the country.
"Yes, Congress is always known for being infamous. That is the asset of the party with the hand symbol," he said, accusing the Congress of showing extreme arrogance to Kannadigas for their mistake of giving 135 seats.
"In Sathya Yuga, Hiranyakashyap was destroyed for capturing astadikpalakas and making them his stepping stones. Congress too has initiated its own decline by deputing 30 IAS officers as gatekeepers of its alliance partners," he added.
Reacting to Kumaraswamy's criticism, Deputy Chief Minister Shivakumar said, the former CM is making such statements as he wants to be in the news.
"I'm not ready to reply to Kumaraswamy....whoever has to be there as per the protocol given to the state guest will be there. Our Ministers and I myself had gone and welcomed some Chief Ministers. As per protocol an official has been deputed to every senior leader. This has been the practice that has been followed at all times," he said.
"He (Kumaraswamy) has not been invited for an opposition meeting, it is said that he is waiting for the NDA meeting, I wish him well," Shivakumar added.
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Israel launches first airstrike on Lebanon since ceasefire, accusing Hezbollah of breaching truce
Beirut, Nov 28: The Israeli military on Thursday said its warplanes fired on southern Lebanon after detecting Hezbollah activity at a rocket storage facility, the first Israeli airstrike a day after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took hold.
There was no immediate word on casualties from Israel's aerial attack, which came hours after the Israeli military said it fired on people trying to return to certain areas in southern Lebanon. Israel said they were violating the ceasefire agreement, without providing details. Lebanon's state-run National News Agency said two people were wounded.
The back-to-back incidents stirred unease about the agreement, brokered by the United States and France, which includes an initial two-month ceasefire in which Hezbollah members are to withdraw north of the Litani River and Israeli forces are to return to their side of the border. The buffer zone would be patrolled by Lebanese troops and UN peacekeepers.
On Thursday, the second day of a ceasefire after more than a year of bloody conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, Lebanon's state news agency reported that Israeli fire targeted civilians in Markaba, close to the border, without providing further details. Israel said it fired artillery in three other locations near the border. There were no immediate reports of casualties.
An Associated Press reporter in northern Israel near the border heard Israeli drones buzzing overhead and the sound of artillery strikes from the Lebanese side.
The Israeli military said in a statement that “several suspects were identified arriving with vehicles to a number of areas in southern Lebanon, breaching the conditions of the ceasefire.” It said troops “opened fire toward them” and would “actively enforce violations of the ceasefire agreement.”
Israeli officials have said forces will be withdrawn gradually as it ensures that the agreement is being enforced. Israel has warned people not to return to areas where troops are deployed, and says it reserves the right to strike Hezbollah if it violates the terms of the truce.
A Lebanese military official said Lebanese troops would gradually deploy in the south as Israeli troops withdraw. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief media.
The ceasefire agreement announced late Tuesday ended 14 months of conflict between Israel and Hezbollah that began a day after Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 attack out of Gaza, when the Lebanese Hezbollah group began firing rockets, drones and missiles in solidarity.
Israel retaliated with airstrikes, and the conflict steadily intensified for nearly a year before boiling over into all-out war in mid-September. The war in Gaza is still raging with no end in sight.
More than 3,760 people were killed by Israeli fire in Lebanon during the conflict, many of them civilians, according to Lebanese health officials. The fighting killed more than 70 people in Israel — over half of them civilians — as well as dozens of Israeli soldiers fighting in southern Lebanon.
Some 1.2 million people were displaced in Lebanon, and thousands began streaming back to their homes on Wednesday despite warnings from the Lebanese military and the Israeli army to stay out of certain areas. Some 50,000 people were displaced on the Israeli side, but few have returned and the communities near the northern border are still largely deserted.
In Menara, an Israeli community on the border with views into Lebanon, around three quarters of homes are damaged, some with collapsed roofs and burnt-out interiors. A few residents could be seen gathering their belongings on Thursday before leaving again.
