‘Poll will be a battle between communalism & secularism’: Siddaramaiah
Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah believes that the Assembly election in the State on May 12 is a battle between communalism and secularism, and will set the agenda for 2019.
In an interview, he said the Congress returning to power in Karnataka is imperative for the national political scene to change.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is scheduled to make a series of visits to Karnataka in the last leg of the campaign, will not be able to sway the voters, he said.
“You cannot wave a magic wand and change things in an election,” he said, predicting a Congress victory and ruling out the possibility of a hung Assembly.
Accusing both Mr. Modi and BJP national president Amit Shah of making corruption allegations without substance, he said a slew of welfare programmes by his government would see his party through.
The Chief Minister — who is expected to contest from Chamundeshwari constituency in Mysuru district and is toying with the idea of also contesting from Badami in Bagalkot district — said the 2018 Assembly poll would be his last battle.
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Rahul Gandhi urges PM Modi to convene special Parliament session on Operation Sindoor, ceasefire
New Delhi: Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging the immediate convening of a special session of Parliament to discuss the recent Pahalgam terror attack, Operation Sindoor, and the ceasefire announced between India and Pakistan.
In his letter dated Sunday, Rahul Gandhi reiterated the “unanimous request of the Opposition” to hold the session in light of escalating tensions and the need for national consensus. He emphasized the importance of Parliament deliberating on these critical issues, calling it “crucial for the people and their representatives to discuss.”
“This will also be an opportunity to demonstrate our collective resolve to meet the challenges ahead,” Gandhi wrote, referring to the recent ceasefire agreement and the military developments preceding it.
Congress President and Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, also echoed the demand in a separate letter. He referenced an earlier appeal dated April 28, 2025, which sought a joint session in response to the Pahalgam terror incident. Kharge said the recent ceasefire, initially announced by U.S. President Donald Trump and subsequent developments made the session even more urgent.
The India-Pakistan ceasefire agreement came after three days of intense military confrontation, during which Operation Sindoor was carried out by Indian forces on May 7. The operation targeted nine terror infrastructure sites across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, in retaliation for the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam that killed 26 civilians.
Despite the ceasefire announcement, Pakistani drones reportedly violated the truce within hours, entering Indian airspace over Jammu, Srinagar, Punjab, and Rajasthan, prompting further defense action.
