Kumaraswamy prays at Mysuru temple ahead of taking oath
Mysuru, May 23 : Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) legislative party leader H.D. Kumaraswamy on Wednesday offered prayers to Hindu goddess Chamundeshwari at a hill temple ahead of taking oath as Karnataka's 25th Chief Minister later in the day.
"Kumaraswamy flew into the city in a chopper from Bengaluru and drove up to the hill with wife Anita for Chamundeshwari blessings before taking oath as Chief Minister in the evening," a party official told IANS.
Clad in ivory colour silk robes, Kumaraswamy entered the sanctum sanctorum barefoot with wife and invoked the family deity's blessings amid chanting of Vedic hymns and temple rituals.
The 58-year-old leader has been on a temple-hopping spree since Sunday after Governor Vajubhai Vala invited him on May 19 to form a JD-S-Congress coalition government following the fall of the three-day BJP government for want of a simple majority in a hung House.
"He returns to Bengaluru post-noon via Ramanagaram where he will stop over to visit the same goddess temple for her blessings," the official said.
After a round of temples in Bengaluru on Sunday, Kumaraswamy went to his home district of Hassan, about 180 km southwest of the state capital, where he prayed at the Ranganatha Swamy and Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temples.
The third son of former Prime Minister and JD-S supremo H.D. Deve Gowda, Kumaraswamy won from Ramanagaram and Channapatna segments in the May 12 Assembly election, about 30-40 km from Bengaluru.
The JD-S leader also visited his parents' house in Bengaluru south and took the blessings of Gowda and mother Chennamma for becoming the Chief Minister for a second time.
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PM Modi arrives in Ethiopia on second leg of three-nation tour
Addis Ababa (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Ethiopia on Tuesday on the second leg of his three-nation tour, aimed at strengthening ties between the two countries.
Prime Minister Dr Abiy Ahmed Ali received PM Modi at the Addis Ababa International Airport. In a unique gesture, he also drove Modi to the hotel.
On the way, he took a special initiative of taking PM Modi to the Science Museum and Friendship Park, which was not in the itinerary.
PM Ali informed his Indian counterpart about the varieties of Ethiopian coffee during informal talks.
The Nobel Peace Prize-winning Ethiopian PM’s special gestures show remarkable respect for Modi, sources said.
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"Celebrating age-old India-Ethiopia ties! Prime Minister @narendramodi arrives in Addis Ababa on his maiden bilateral visit to Ethiopia. In a special gesture, PM @AbiyAhmedAli came to personally receive him at the airport. Prime Minister was accorded a warm and colourful welcome," Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal posted on social media.
"Ethiopia is a key partner for India in the Global South and a fellow BRICS Member," he added.
Modi will be holding wide-ranging discussions with his counterpart on all aspects of India–Ethiopia bilateral ties.
“As partners in the Global South, the visit will be a reiteration of the shared commitment of the two nations to advance close ties of friendship and bilateral cooperation,” a statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs said before his departure from India.
In his first visit to Ethiopia, Modi will address the Joint Session of Parliament and share his thoughts on India's journey as the "Mother of Democracy" and the value that the India-Ethiopia partnership can bring to the Global South.
He will also meet the Indian diaspora during the two-day visit.
Addis Ababa is also the headquarters of the African Union.
In 2023, during India’s G20 Presidency, the African Union was admitted as a permanent member of the G20.
PM Modi arrived in Ethiopia from Jordan, where he held a one-on-one meeting with King Abdullah II at the Husseiniya Palace on Monday before the delegation-level talks.
India and Jordan also inked MoUs in the fields of culture, renewable energy, water management, digital public infrastructure and twinning arrangement between Petra and Ellora, aimed at giving a major boost to bilateral ties and friendship.
From Ethiopia, Modi will visit Oman on the final leg of this three-nation tour.
