Shivakumar cancels Davos trip, cites engagements in Delhi and Bengaluru
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar has cancelled his scheduled visit to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, citing official engagements in New Delhi and Bengaluru.
"The Deputy CM has a series of meetings lined up with AICC functionaries regarding Assam assembly elections and is also spearheading the campaign against the union government over MGNREGA due to which a five-day special session of the Karnataka Assembly is scheduled to begin from January 22," his office said in a release on Saturday.
According to the Deputy CM's itinerary, Shivakumar, who was in Delhi to take part in a preparatory meeting in connection with the Assembly elections in Assam, will be travelling to Bidar in northern Karnataka this evening.
He will attend the funeral of former minister Bheemanna Khandre, who died late last night, at the age of 102, in Bidar.
Later, he will travel to New Delhi via Hyderabad at night.
The decision to skip the Davos summit, scheduled from January 18 and Shivakumar's return to Delhi has fuelled speculations about the stability of current leadership.
It also comes in the backdrop of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's brief conversation with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy Shivakumar on Tuesday evening, sparking rumours that the high command may be addressing the ongoing power tussle.
The leadership tussle in the ruling party has intensified after the Congress government crossed the halfway mark of its five-year term on November 20. The speculation has been fuelled by the reported 'power-sharing' arrangement between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar at the time of the government’s formation in 2023.
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.
Trump says he ‘hasn’t even thought about’ continuing Iran ceasefire
Washington: US President Donald Trump has said he has not yet considered whether he would continue the ceasefire involving Iran, while also claiming the United States holds the advantage in negotiations.
Speaking to reporters, Trump said he was prepared to make a deal with “whoever is running the show” in Iran.
“They are fighting with each other, there’s tremendous infighting. They’re probably fighting for leadership in many cases. I think they’re fighting not to be leader because we knocked out two levels of leaders,” he said.
Trump added, “When they want they can call me. We have all the cards, we’ve won everything.”
Referring to ongoing negotiations, he said, “They gave us a paper that should’ve been better. And, interestingly, immediately when I cancelled it [envoy trip to Pakistan], within 10 minutes we got a new paper that was much better.”
“We talked about they will not have a nuclear weapon, very simple … They offered a lot, but not enough,” he added.
When asked whether he would continue the ceasefire, Trump replied, “I haven’t even thought about it.”
The remarks come as uncertainty remains over the future of the temporary truce and broader negotiations between Washington and Tehran.
