Lunar Eclipse on Karnataka Politics: Almost Every Minister, Politician Skip Work to Ward Off 'Evil'
Bengaluru, July 27: That politicians in India often go a little overboard with their superstitions is no surprise. Sticking to the tradition, almost all political leaders in Karnataka skipped work on Friday because lunar eclipse is all about “negative vibes”.
Karnataka politicians across political lines took the day off fearing the red moon day. Leaders from all parties, including Congress, BJP, JDS and other smaller parties, refused to come out of their houses on this day.
Former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda and his sons Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy, Public Works Department Minister HD Revanna visited the Tirupati Temple and returned to Bengaluru on Friday morning.
The troika did not attend any political meet and Revanna and Deve Gowda stayed at the house while Kumaraswamy attended Deputy CM G Parameshwara’s elder brother’s funeral rites in Tumkur.
Not just that, special pujas were conducted at Deve Gowda’s residence to ward off the “evil effect”. The Gowda family believes these rituals will protect them from all negative vibes of the lunar eclipse that will start at 10:44 pm in India and end at 4:58 am.
On the other hand, former Chief Minister of Karnataka, BS Yeddyurappa shifted to Jindal Hospital a day before the eclipse. Before admitting himself to the hospital, he had given clear instructions to his party members not to indulge in any kind of political activities as he believes it will have adverse effect on the party in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
The Gowdas and Yeddyurappa are known for their beliefs in Hindu ritual practices, astrology and vaastu.
The Karnataka Pradesh Congress Samiti (KPCC) office on Queen’s Road in Bengaluru was shut on Friday and the entire area wore a deserted look. Even the state power house, the Vidhana Soudha had a similar look as not a single MLA could be seen on Friday.
The Vidhana Soudha car parking was completely empty, which on weekdays is usually flooded by political leaders, their followers, party workers and officers.
Speaking to News18, JDS leader and cabinet minister GT Deve Gowda said that he doesn’t indulge in blind beliefs. “I don’t believe in astrology. I will not sit back at home just because it’s lunar eclipse. If I work on these days, which are considered dangerous in astronomy, I don’t think I will be harmed. It’s up to individual perceptions,” GT Deve Gowda said.
Siddaramaiah is known to be a believer of the ‘Basava Tatva’ and had expressed his disapproval of such beliefs. During his tenure as the chief minister, he had openly said that he won’t support blind beliefs and science is all that he has faith in.
Courtesy: www.news18.com
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Modi diminishing BRICS+ presidency value to appease Trump, Netanyahu: Congress
New Delhi (PTI): The Congress on Monday lashed out at the government for not releasing a collective statement on the West Asia conflict as the BRICS+ chair, saying Prime Minister Narendra Modi is "diminishing" the standing of the grouping's presidency in his desire to "appease" US President Donald Trump and maintain his "cozy relationship" with Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu.
Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh recalled that Brazil was the President of BRICS+ in 2025 and it got the 11 member countries to issue a joint statement in June 2025 on the US and Israel air assaults on Iran.
"India is boasting of being the President of BRICS+ in 2026. But till now it has not summoned up the inclination or the courage to put out a collective statement on the US-Israel air offensives on and targeted assassinations in Iran, as well as on Iran's subsequent attacks on non-military targets in the GCC countries, and the shocking action of the US Navy in the Indian Ocean close to both Sri Lanka and India," Ramesh said on X.
"In his desire to appease President Trump and maintain his cozy relationship with Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu, Mr. Modi is diminishing the value and standing of the BRICS+ Presidency," the Congress leader said.
The Congress last week had attacked the Modi government for its "silence" on the assassination of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and said "a compromised prime minister no doubt wants to avoid antagonising his American and Israeli friend".
Ramesh had said India has rightly condemned Iran's attacks on Gulf states but is "completely quiet" on the US-Israeli assault on Iran in the first place.
The Congress has said the Opposition is demanding a discussion in both Houses of Parliament on the situation in West Asia and its impact on India, but the Modi government is "adamantly refusing" to allow such a debate as it is "afraid".
The opposition party also claimed that the government's foreign policy "already stands brutally exposed".
The Congress had staged a walkout in the Rajya Sabha and protested in the Lok Sabha on being dissatisfied with the statement of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in both Houses of Parliament last Monday.
The party termed as "vapid" Jaishankar's statement on the West Asia situation in Parliament and alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's foreign policy "(mis)adventurism", coupled with the government's "undermining" of the Indian Foreign Service, is pushing India into "vassalage".
The US and Israel launched a major military attack on Iran on February 28, killing Khamenei.
Making a suo-motu statement in Parliament, Jaishankar had said New Delhi stood for maintaining the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states in the region. He defended allowing the Iranian ship to dock at an Indian port as the right decision taken on humanitarian grounds.
He said the Indian government had been constantly monitoring the evolving situation in the region at the highest level and had already brought back 67,000 stranded Indians from the conflict zone.
Jaishankar said the safety of Indian nationals and national interests, such as energy security and trade, remain the topmost priority for the government.
