My chair not vacant, says CM Siddaramaiah
Bengaluru, Jan 12: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday said that his chair is not vacant but yet journalists are reporting that a change of guard in the state is in the offing.
Referring to the media reports that his deputy D K Shivakumar would replace him anytime soon, Siddaramaiah took a swipe at the "speculative journalism".
Speaking at the Press Club of Bangalore (PCB) Award-2024, the CM said, "We don’t have any confusion amongst us but journalists are still writing that ‘CM will be changed’. My chair is not vacant but they still say that the CM will be changed."
He said reports are made based on assumptions, though no such things would have happened.
"If people gather for dinner, then it becomes news based on speculation that such discussions would have happened, though we would have discussed something else and not what is reported there," Siddaramaiah said.
He was referring to the dinner meetings hosted by ministers which became a major talking point in the corridors of power.
The CM asked journalists to keep society and conscience in their mind while reporting.
"These days, speculative journalism is taking centrestage. It’s a dangerous trend. You should verify whether it is true or false. At least your reports should be closer to truth," he said.
Siddaramaiah emphasised upon healthy criticism, saying that it helps people to improve and take corrective measures.
Noting that journalism is a sacred profession, he called upon journalists to become voice of people instead of promoting superstition.
In this regard, he recalled an incident which had happened during his first term as CM from 2013 to 2018. A news channel in 2016 had a panel discussion of astrologers about the possible fallout after a crow sat on the glass of his car.
"Two astrologers were brought to the TV studio for panel discussion. One of them said I would not be able to present budget, while the other said I, would resign soon after presenting the budget but, I continued despite it. Such superstitions should not be encouraged," he said.
He wondered whether promoting such superstitions would bring a change in society or increase the credibility of journalists.
"People have lots of faith in you, which you should retain. You are the fourth pillar of democracy. People look up to you to see how the three pillars of democracy are working," Siddaramaiah said.
Karnataka Commerce and Industries Minister M B Patil received the PBC Man of the Year Award, while Woman and Child Welfare Minister Laxmi Hebbalkar, Energy Minister K J George and Food and Civil Supplies Minister K H Muniyappa were given the PCB Special Award.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Experience comes when you play bigger teams in bilateral series: Rashid Khan
Chennai (PTI): Afghanistan skipper Rashid Khan called for more bilateral series against stronger cricketing nations after his team signed off from the T20 World Cup on a high, defeating Canada in their final group match here on Thursday.
Afghanistan played some exhilarating cricket, going down to South Africa in a gripping second Super Over after the scores were tied, a humdinger that provided one of the early thrills of the World Cup.
However, the spin-bowling stalwart said Afghanistan could make significant strides if they get regular opportunities to compete against stronger cricketing nations.
"Couple of areas to improve, with the batting, the middle order got a bit stuck against the big teams, and then with the bowling the death overs. That comes when you play the bigger teams in bilateral series," said Rashid after his team defeat Canada by 82 runs, with him returning excellent figures of 2 for 19.
The stalwart said the side had arrived well prepared for the tournament and produced some breathtaking cricket, but admitted the narrow defeat to South Africa proved costly and remained a painful setback.
"We were well-prepared (for the tournament), we played some unbelievable cricket. The game against South Africa, that really hurt everyone. We had to win one of those (first two) games and see how the tournament unfolded. We'll take some positive things from this World Cup and look forward," he said.
With head coach Jonathan Trott set to part ways with the team, Rashid described the departure as an "emotional" moment for the side.
"I think we had some wonderful times with him. Where we are now, he played a main role. It's emotional to see him leave us, but that's how life is. We wish him all the best and somewhere down the line we see him again."
Ibrahim Zadran, who was named Player of the Match for his unbeaten 95 off 56 balls, said it was satisfying to finally register a substantial score after two below-par outings.
"I enjoyed it, didn't play better cricket in first two innings, which I expect. Wanted to back my skills, really enjoyed it. Pressure was there, it's there all the time. I want to put myself in pressure situations and enjoy it," said Zadran.
"Wanted to play positive cricket, rotate strike and punish bad ball, create partnerships and this is what I have done."
