Meeting with Amit Shah not about change of leadership: Karnataka HM Basavaraj Bommai
Bengaluru, May 10: Karnataka Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Monday said his meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah recently was regarding the COVID situation and not about any change of leadership in the state.
"I would like to clarify that there was no political reason behind our Delhi visit. Other than talks on the issue of COVID, there was no other purpose behind our visit to Delhi. We did not even have any such discussion (change in leadership)," Bommai told reporters here.
Rumour mills were agog that Bommai along with BJP state vice-president and Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa's son B Y Vijayendra landed in Delhi as a change of guard was on the cards.
A few news reports even suggested that Bommai would be the next Chief Minister of the state.
However, clarifying the reports, the minister said, "The very thought of leadership change is a blunder. At a time when everyone is fighting against COVID together, such thoughts should not even emerge. These are all far from truth, pure lies."
According to him, Amit Shah expressed his happiness over the COVID management in Karnataka but insisted that more should have been done in view of alarming rise in infections in the state.
Bommai said he gave details about the oxygen requirement of the state.
He said he asked permission to utilise the oxygen produced in the state instead of bringing it from other states and shortage of tankers hitting the oxygen supply.
In response, the Union Home Minister said the Centre would sanction four tankers, Bommai said adding that 10 more tankers would be given to the state in future but it would take some time.
The Minister said this week 2.67 lakh Remdesivir vials would be given by the Centre.
Shah assured Bommai that the Centre would try its best to provide Karnataka's share of oxygen as directed by the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court on May 7 stated that the minimum requirement of Karnataka, as projected by the state government on May 5, 2021, was 1,162 metric tonnes.
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Hormuz Strait disruptions have caused huge economic impact, energy instability in region: Navy chief
Mumbai (PTI): The Strait of Hormuz disruptions have caused severe economic impact and energy instability in the region, Indian Navy chief Admiral D K Tripathi said on Thursday amid the war in West Asia.
Speaking at an event where INS Sunayna, an offshore patrol vessel, set sail from Mumbai as Indian Ocean Ship (IOS) Sagar, the admiral said competition at sea has no longer remained confined to oil and energy.
It is now expanding towards resources that will shape future growth - such as rare earth elements, critical minerals, new fishing grounds and even data, he said.
The West Asia crisis began on February 28 after a joint attack by the US and Israel on Iran.
Iran's strikes on its neighbours along with its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz have disrupted the world's energy supplies with effects far beyond West Asia.
"With the conflict in West Asia well into its fifth week, the disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz have caused severe economic impact and energy instability in the region," Tripathi said.
There is significant increase in the marine survey, deep-sea research activity, and Illegal Unreported and Unregulated Fishing (IUU), often encroaching upon the sovereign rights of littoral nations and exploiting gaps in monitoring and enforcement, he said.
Alongside these, threats such as piracy, armed robbery and narco-trafficking backed by unimpeded access of advanced technology to non-state actors, have also become more complex and challenging to counter, the Navy chief pointed out.
Last year alone, the Indian Ocean Region witnessed a staggering 3,700 maritime incidents of varying nature, the admiral said.
Additionally, narcotics seizures in the region exceeded USD 1 billion USD in 2025, highlighting the persistence and spread of such challenges in the region, he said.
