No greed to become CM again but 'let's see' in next polls: Siddaramaiah
Bengaluru, Oct 26: "Let's see if there are blessings of the people in the next elections," was senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah's refrain Friday when asked if he wants to become Karnataka chief minister again even though he asserted he has no such "greed".
The head of the Congress-JD(S) coalition coordination committee also accused state BJP chief and former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa of being "greedy" to become chief minister once again, as he was growing old.
"... Am I going on claiming that I will become chief minister (like Yeddyurappa)... have I said that? That question does not arise at all at this stage... Let's see if there are blessings of the people in the next election," he said in response to a question about his aspiration to become chief minister again.
Speaking to reporters in Shivamogga, he said, "... If people bless in the next assembly election, let's see it then..."
Noting that he contested the recent assembly polls on the insistence of Congress President Rahul Gandhi, the Congress legislature party leader said there are no such thoughts in his mind as of now.
"I had got an opportunity to become chief minister for five years, we have run a government that has walked its talk, and we have fulfilled the promises made to the people. I have that contentment. I don't have the greed to keep on becoming the chief minister," he added.
Ahead of the May 12 assembly polls, Siddaramaiah had indicated that it could "most likely" be his last election.
Earlier during the 2013 assembly polls also he had said it was his last election.
Chiding the BJP for its claims that the coalition government would not last long, Siddaramaiah claimed Yeddyurappa has greed, and somehow wants to become chief minister, but his desire would not get fulfilled.
"As Yeddyurappa is growing old he some how wants to become the chief minister before the Lok Sabha election, so various kinds of exercises are going on, but their (BJP) attempts will not succeed and this government will not fall, it is stable," he said.
Asserting that results of November 3 bypoll for two assembly and three Lok Sabha segments would have nothing to do with the longevity of the coalition government, he said it was formed to keep the BJP away from power and as the mandate was not clear in favour of any political party in the May polls.
Asked whether the Congress was 'A team' or 'B team' in the coalition government, Siddaramaiah said there is no A or B team.
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NATO, others turn down US call for help in Hormuz: Trump
Washington (PTI): President Donald Trump on Tuesday said NATO and most of US' other allies have rejected his calls to help secure the Strait of Hormuz as the war with Iran entered the third week.
In a social media post, Trump asserted that Iran’s military has been “decimated” and he no longer felt the need for assistance from NATO countries or anyone else.
Last week, Trump had sought help from European nations and others who depend on oil supplies transiting from the Hormuz Strait to safeguard the critical waterway.
“The United States has been informed by most of our NATO “Allies” that they don’t want to get involved with our Military Operation against the Terrorist Regime of Iran, in the Middle East, this, despite the fact that almost every Country strongly agreed with what we are doing, and that Iran cannot, in any way, shape, or form, be allowed to have a Nuclear Weapon,” the US President said in a post on Truth Social.
Iran's attacks on Gulf nations and its grip on the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world's oil is transported, have sparked increasing concerns of a global energy crisis and are unnerving the world economy.
“I am not surprised by their action, however, because I always considered NATO, where we spend Hundreds of Billions of Dollars per year protecting these same Countries, to be a one-way street — We will protect them, but they will do nothing for us, in particular, in a time of need,” Trump said.
He said Australia, Japan and South Korea too have turned down his call for help.
“Fortunately, we have decimated Iran’s Military – Their Navy is gone, their Air Force is gone, their Anti-Aircraft and Radar is gone and perhaps, most importantly, their Leaders, at virtually every level, are gone, never to threaten us, our Middle Eastern Allies, or the World, again,” Trump said.
He said that given the scale of recent military successes, the US no longer "need" or desires assistance from NATO countries, adding that it never relied on such support in the first place.
Speaking as President of the United States, the "most powerful" country in the world, "we do not need" help from anyone, Trump said.
The West Asia conflict began on February 28 when the US-Israeli combine conducted airstrikes on Iran.
The Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway that connects the Persian Gulf to the open ocean, has effectively been shut following the US and Israel attack on Iran and Tehran's sweeping retaliation.
However, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had said that from Tehran's "perspective", the strait is "open". "It is only closed to Iran's enemies, to those who carried out unjust aggression against our country and to their allies.”
Earlier in the day, a second Indian-flagged LPG tanker, Nanda Devi, reached the country after safely sailing from the war-hit Strait of Hormuz. On Monday, the first ship, Shivalik, reached Mundra port in Gujarat.
As of now, 22 Indian vessels remain on the west side and two on the east side of the strait.
Indian authorities are in constant touch with all the relevant stakeholders in the region to secure the safe passage of the remaining ships, officials said.
