Rafale deal is Rs 40k Cr worth scandal: Siddaramaiah
Talented students feted at Mysuru working journalists association
Mysuru, August 26: Former chief minister Siddaramaiah said that "the Congress has been educating the people about the Rafale deal scandal happened in the Defense Ministry. AICC president Rahul Gandhi has raised the issue in the Parliament. The Rafale deal is a scandal worth Rs 40,000 crore".
Felicitating the talented students at a felicitation programme organised by the district working journalists association here on Sunday, he said that the Congress would come to the streets and educate the people about the BJP 's mask in the scam. But it has no political motive. This is not a small scandal. It is one of the biggest ever scandals in the Defense Ministry, he said.
The Congress has fielded 63 candidates in the Mysuru city corporation election. The Congress believed in decentralisation. The Congress had brought in reservation in local bodies during the tenure of Rajiv Gandhi due to which women, faults and backwards classes have got opportunity. It was because of Congress that the women have got 50% reservation. But the BJP had opposed it. In fact, Rama Joyis had moved the Supreme Court against the issue. The BJP has been opposing the reservation in government and local bodies. But the Congress has been advocating social justice and equality , he said.
Both JDS and BJP could not come to power independently in Mysuru city corporation. His government has given Rs 2,530 crore for the development of Mysuru city. The development works that happened in the city was evidence for that. The city did not see any Development when the JDS and BJP were in power in the corporation. Because of Congress, the city was in number one in development. Considering the development, people should vote Congress candidates, he said.
Because of the false propaganda of the BJP, the Congress has lost the earlier election. Now people have understood the BJP and the Congress would certainly win the election, he exuded confidence.
The coalition government has decided to waive off the loans taken from private money lenders and it was in the common minimum program list of the government. He has said that he would become the chief minister again as the Congress would get the majority in the next election. Regarding reservation in promotion, the government has enacted a law and the Supreme Court would see to it, he said.
Regarding Defense Minister visit to Kodagu, he said that the minister came and went. No relief was announced. Is it right? Is not it the duty of the central government? The centre should immediately announce Rs 1000 crore compensation to Kodagu,. He would thank the people who stood with the Kodagu people who in distress. The centre should have announced the relief instead of waiting for the letter from the state government. The attitude of the Defense Minister was too much. She hasn't behaved as the Union Minister. The way the Union Minister behaved with the state Minister was Not acceptable. Nirmala Sitharaman who was elected to rajya sabha from Karnataka should not have acted like that, Siddaramaiah said.
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.
EAM Jaishankar holds talks with EU counterparts in Brussels, discusses Iran conflict
New Delhi (PTI): External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met with his counterparts from the 27 member states of the European Union (EU) in Brussels focusing on global flashpoints in Ukraine and West Asia as well as ways to deepen India's relations with Europe.
Jaishankar is on a two-day visit to the Belgian capital at the invitation of EU Foreign and Security Policy Chief Kaja Kallas to attend a meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council of the bloc.
It is the first high-level visit from India to Brussels headquartered EU after the two sides firmed up a landmark Free Trade Agreement (FTA) in January.
The external affairs minister held separate meetings with European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and his counterparts from Germany, Greece and Belgium.
"A new chapter in India-EU ties has opened up in 2026," Jaishankar said in an apparent reference to the outcomes reached by the two sides in their summit meeting in January in New Delhi.
"The Foreign Ministers coordinate translating the various agreements into outcomes. Our conversation today therefore covered trade, investment, technology, mobility and defence in particular," he said on social media.
"The stronger convergence between India and EU in a multipolar world is also expressed in closer consultations. Discussed the West Asia conflict, the Ukraine situation and the Indo-Pacific in today's gathering," he said.
Apart from the FTA, the India-EU summit produced a plethora of other outcomes including a security and defence partnership and a comprehensive framework for cooperation on mobility.
The Foreign Affairs Council discussed how to better protect shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, including possible contributions by the EU's naval mission Aspides, and a European security strategy, Kallas told reporters.
Global oil and gas prices have surged after Iran has virtually blocked the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow shipping lane between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman that handles roughly 20 per cent of global oil and LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas).
The West Asia region has been a major source of India's energy procurement.
The closure of the strait is hurting the global economy and it is helping Moscow fund its war, Kallas said, days after the US temporarily lifted sanctions on procurement of Russian crude oil.
She said the focus on the Middle East should not take the focus away from the war in Ukraine, and the easing of US sanctions on Russian oil sets a "dangerous precedent".
Following his meeting with Von der Leyen, Jaishankar said her highly successful state visit to India in January marked a "turning point" in India-EU ties. "We are following up vigorously on it."
Von der Leyen said that the two sides had concluded a free trade agreement, "the mother of all deals", and signed the Security and Defence Partnership.
"Now we are focused on efficient implementation, to deliver for the people of Europe and India as soon as possible," she said.
"We also discussed developments in the Middle East and in Ukraine. De-escalation, stability and energy security are our shared objectives," she added.
After his talks with German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, Jaishankar said they exchanged notes on the conflict in West Asia.
"A valuable exchange of notes on the conflict in West Asia. Also took stock of the progress of our bilateral relations following the State visit of @bundeskanzler Friedrich Merz to India," he said.
