LoP Ashoka accuses Karnataka govt of 'betrayal' over unpaid contractor bills
Bengaluru (PTI): Leader of Opposition in Karnataka Assembly R Ashoka on Sunday hit out at the Karnataka government, alleging "fiscal collapse" due to non-payment of more than Rs 37,000 crore in pending bills to public works contractors in the state.
His remarks come as the Karnataka State Contractors Association prepares for a major protest at the Freedom park here on March 5, demanding the release of over Rs 37,000 crore in pending bills.
The BJP leader alleged that while the Congress-led government claims helplessness regarding contractor payments, it finds funds for publicity, appeasement and political management.
Taking to X, Ashoka said, “The silence of the CM Siddaramaiah government has pushed Karnataka’s contractors to the brink. When lakhs of workers and thousands of small and medium contractors are waiting for their hard-earned dues, the government chooses apathy over accountability. Rs 37,000 crore in pending payments is not a minor administrative lapse, it is a fiscal collapse.”
He noted that those affected are not just big and rich companies, but local contractors, engineers, suppliers and daily wage workers, who executed government works in good faith.
According to him, many have mortgaged homes, pledged family gold, and borrowed at high interest rates to complete public projects. Today, instead of clearing dues, this government is forcing them to protest on the streets.
“A government that finds funds for publicity, appeasement and political management, but claims helplessness when it comes to paying those who built our roads, schools, hospitals and public infrastructure. This is more than just financial mismanagement, this is betrayal,” he alleged.
If the Karnataka Congress government cannot honour its commitments, it has no moral right to govern, he added.
Warning of long-term economic damage to Karnataka, Ashoka said, "Delayed payments mean stalled projects, job losses and economic slowdown across the state. The ripple effect of this irresponsibility will hurt Karnataka’s growth and credibility.”
The LoP called on the Chief Minister to break his silence, release the pending Rs 37,000 crore, and restore confidence among contractors and workers.
“Governance is not about speeches and slogans, it is about responsibility. Karnataka deserves accountability, not excuses,” he said, as he accused the ruling Congress of failing Karnataka.
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Media dinner shooting suspect wrote about targeting of administration officials, Trump says
Washington (AP): The man accused of trying to storm the ballroom at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner with guns and knives had written about targeting Trump administration officials, and his family raised concerns with law enforcement before the event, President Donald Trump said Sunday in an interview on Fox News Channel.
The accused gunman's family had alerted police in Connecticut, Trump said, revealing new details about a chaotic encounter that disrupted one of Washington's glitziest annual events the night before.
The suspect, identified by law enforcement officials as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen of Torrance, California, was expected to face criminal charges on Monday from the Justice Department, whose acting leader, Todd Blanche, said the suspect travelled by train from California and checked in as a guest days earlier at the Washington hotel where the Saturday night gala dinner was held with its typically tight security.
Law enforcement officials who have interviewed Allen's relatives, examined the gunman's electronic devices and his writings preliminarily believe he intended to target administration members in attendance at the dinner.
He attempted to charge into the cavernous ballroom at the Washington Hilton but was tackled to the ground in a violent scene that resulted in shots being fired, Trump being hurried off the stage and guests ducking for cover beneath their tables.
“It does appear that he did in fact set out to target folks who work in the administration, likely including the president,” Blanche told NBC's “Meet the Press.”
The suspect is believed to have purchased the two firearms he carried within the last couple of years, Blanche said. He is not being cooperative and is expected to face multiple charges on Monday.
Video posted by Trump showed the suspect running past security barricades as Secret Service agents ran toward him. One officer was shot in a bullet-resistant vest but was recovering, officials said. The gunman was taken into custody and was not injured, but was being evaluated at a hospital, police said.
“He failed,” Blanche said on CBS's “Face the Nation.” “Law enforcement did their jobs.”
Authorities believe the suspect fired the shot that hit the Secret Service officer, who is expected to make a full recovery, Blanche said.
“He's going to be great, he's going to be fine, and thank God he was wearing a bulletproof vest,” Blanche said Sunday on ABC's “This Week.”
Social media posts that appear to match the suspect show he is a highly educated tutor and amateur video game developer.
A May 2025 profile photo of Allen appears to match the appearance of the man in a photo of the alleged attacker being taken into custody that was posted Saturday night by Trump.
The photo, posted to the social networking site LinkedIn, shows him in a cap and gown after graduating with a master's degree in computer science from California State University, Dominguez Hills.
Allen earned a bachelor's degree in 2017 in mechanical engineering from the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. He listed his involvement there in a Christian student fellowship and a campus group that battled with Nerf guns.
The shooting at the security barricades happened minutes after the event got underway.
The Secret Service and other authorities swarmed the room as guests ducked under tables by the hundreds. Gasps echoed through the ballroom as guests realised something was happening. Hundreds of journalists immediately got on phones to call in information.
“Out of the way, sir!” someone yelled. Others yelled to duck. From one corner, a “God Bless America” chant began as the president was escorted offstage. Outside the hotel, members of the National Guard and other authorities flooded the area as helicopters circled overhead.
After an initial attempt to resume the event, it was scrapped for the night and will be rescheduled.
Trump was unusually conciliatory after what he saw as a third attempt on his life in less than two years. He suggested that his personal politics had made him a repeated target, but he also called for unity and bipartisan healing in an increasingly violent world.
“It's always shocking when something like this happens. Happened to me, a little bit. And that never changes,” Trump told reporters in a hastily organised news conference at the White House late Saturday.
