Leaked video of Yediyurappa reveals Amit Shah was allegedly behind operation lotus
Bengaluru, Nov 1: Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa has hit out at party leaders for lack of support in "saving" the BJP government and not recognising the "sacrifice" of disqualified Congress-JD(S) MLAs, because of whom they could come to power.
Yediyurappa has said that he feels like having committed a "crime" for occupying the Chief Minister's post making disqualified MLAs trust in him.
A purported audio of Yediyurappa expressing anguish against leaders at a recent party meeting in Hubballi over their opposition to giving tickets to disqualified Congress-JD(S) MLAs for the December 5 assembly bypolls in 15 assembly constituencies has surfaced.
In the audio, he can be heard saying that the rebel Congress JD(S) MLAs, who were later disqualified, were kept in Mumbai during the final days of the coalition government under the watch of BJP national President Amit Shah.
"Somehow today the way you (party leaders) spoke, did not seem to be intended at saving this government. You are aware that the decision on 17 (MLAs) was not taken by Yediyurappa or any other state leader.
It was known to the national president and under his watch for about 2 or 2.5 (months) they were kept in Mumbai and things happened. All of you are aware of it, right?" the Chief Minister has said.
"For 2.5 to 3 months they did not go to their constituency or see their wives and children and were put up there... you are aware of it, right?" he can be heard asking party leaders.
Bypolls to 15 out of 17 seats represented by disqualified MLAs, whose resignation and absence from trust vote lead to the fall of Congress-JD(S) coalition government, and made way for BJP to come to power, will be held on December five.
Amid opposition from local party leaders in these 15 constituencies, Yediyurappa had recently assured that tickets would be given to disqualified MLAs if they wished to contest from BJP and had appointed party contenders for the tickets there as heads of boards and corporations.
Stating that it was a different matter whether the BJP wins or loses an election, he says the disqualified MLAs have given the party an opportunity to come to power by resigning the MLA's posts and have even moved the Supreme Court with a plea that their resignations be accepted
"In such a situation, we will stand with them (disqualified MLAs) strongly, come what may...it did not come from your mouths....what would you have done if you were in their position?," he asked.
After the fall of the coalition government, the then Speaker K R Ramesh Kumar had disqualified them as MLAs, ruling that those disqualified cease to be MLAs with immediate effect till the expiry of the 15th assembly (in 2023), which they have challenged in the Supreme Court
The matter is currently being heard by the Apex Court.
BJP needs to win at least six seats in the bypolls to 15 constituencies to be in a majority in the 224-member assembly, which will still have two vacant seats-- Maski and R R Nagar.
Yediyurappa can be heard saying he did not expect this lack of support and reminded party leaders he had not hankered after the CM's post, which he had held thrice in the past.
He says his personal expectation was nothing other than the BJP government should come to power and do good work.
"It looks like I committed a crime. I now feel that I have committed the crime of sitting in the chief minister seat by making them (disqualified) believe", he says.
He also repeatedly asks those attending the meeting not to disclose the discussion that has taken place outside.
Rebuffing leaders for not trying to convince party leaders who planned to "rebel" for giving tickets to tne disqualified Congress-JD(S) MLAs, Yediyurappa said not even one leader at the meeting had mentioned their 'sacrifice', because of which the party came to power.
He says that the opinions expressed by leaders at the meeting would be brought to high command's notice.
"Ultimately the central leadership will take the decision. We are not in a position to take a decision... it is not possible also," Yediyurappa said.
BJP leaders from Gokak, Athani,Kagwad,Hirekerur,Yellapur, Vijayanagar, and Ranebennur constituencies had attended the October 26 meeting, where party state President Nalin Kumar Kateel among other senior leaders, were also present.
Reacting to the audio, KPCC President Dinesh Gundu Rao said Yediyurappa has revealed that BJP and party president Amit Shah had "masterminded" the defection of MLAs.
"@bsybjp again confesses about operation Kamala & the immoral defection of @INCIndia MLAs. He also clearly reveals that @AmitShah took care of the defectors for 2.5 months in Mumbai. What more damning proof required that @BJP4India masterminded this entire operation,"Rao tweeted.
@bsybjp again confesses about operation Kamala & the immoral defection of @INCIndia MLA’s.
— ದಿನೇಶ್ ಗುಂಡೂರಾವ್/ Dinesh Gundu Rao (@dineshgrao) November 1, 2019
He also clearly reveals that @AmitShah took care of the defectors for 2.5 months in Mumbai.
What more damning proof required that @BJP4India masterminded this entire operation. pic.twitter.com/Oi1PrbdsSN
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Indian startup's 'Drishti' satellite launched aboard SpaceX rocket
New Delhi (PTI): Bengaluru-based space start-up GalaxEye's Mission Drishti satellite was launched on Sunday aboard SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket from California.
Mission Drishti is the world's first OptoSAR satellite, integrating electro-optical (EO) and synthetic aperture radar (SAR) sensors into a single operational platform, according to the company.
While EO sensors capture high-resolution images during sunlight and clear skies, SAR sensors provide all-weather and all-time images, using radar pulses.
In a statement, Suyash Singh, founder and CEO of GalaxEye, said, "With the satellite (Mission Drishti) now successfully in orbit, our immediate focus is on completing its commissioning. As we move through this phase, we are already witnessing strong global interest in the differentiated datasets enabled by our OptoSAR payload."
The satellite will help address long-standing limitations of conventional systems and enable more reliable and consistent data acquisition across diverse environmental conditions, the company said.
As a dual-use Earth observation satellite, the mission will support use cases across defence, agriculture, disaster management, maritime monitoring, and infrastructure planning.
The satellite is also expected to complement India's broader initiatives, including the 29 active Earth Observation satellites outlined in ISRO's recent annual report.
The launch came after five years of indigenous research and development, and extensive environmental testing and performance validation of the Mission Drishti.
In a statement, Lt Gen AK Bhatt (Retd), director general of Indian Space Association (ISpA), said, "GalaxEye has achieved what only a few global players have, which is seamlessly combining optical and SAR capabilities on a single platform to enable persistent, all-weather intelligence."
What stands out is not just the technology, but its broader impact on how downstream applications will increasingly define value in the space economy, particularly in Earth observation, where timely, decision-grade insights are critical," he added.
ISpA is the premier industry association of space and satellite companies in the country.
Union Minister Jitendra Singh also took note of the Mission Drishti launch, saying the development marked a significant milestone in India's space journey.
In a post on X, the minister said, "The successful launch of the world's first OptoSAR satellite, and the largest privately-built satellite in the country, reflects the immense potential of our young innovators driving nation-building."
GalaxEye aims to scale up Mission Drishti to a constellation of 10 satellites by 2030, developing a robust and sovereign Earth observation infrastructure for India.
