Siddaramaiah's repeated "chest-thumping" on completing term direct snub to Cong high command: Ashoka
Bengaluru (PTI): BJP leader R Ashoka on Thursday said Chief Minister CM Siddaramaiah's "repeated chest-thumping" about completing a full term, despite the supposed "power-sharing agreement", was nothing short of a direct snub to the Congress high command.
When a sitting CM keeps reiterating his own permanence while conveniently ignoring the party's internal commitments, "it's not confidence, it's defiance," the Leader of Opposition in Karnataka Assembly said.
Siddaramaiah had on Wednesday asserted that he will be in office for a full five-year term, amid speculations about leadership change in the ruling Congress later this year.
"What happened to the (Congress) "high command's will"? Has it been reduced to a rubber stamp in Karnataka? Or has Siddaramaiah already declared independence from party discipline?" Ashoka asked in a post on 'X'.
"By brushing aside the power-sharing pact and daringly stating "why should there be a doubt", he's not just undermining Karnataka Congress Chief and Deputy CM D K Shivakumar, he's publicly diminishing the authority of Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge," Ashoka said.
Kharge had on Monday asserted that it is up to the party high command to decide on matters such as change of guard.
If the Congress high command had any real control, they would not allow their own CM to so brazenly contradict internal arrangements, Ashoka further said.
But then again, maybe the CM's chair in Karnataka is decided by "lottery" and "luck", not leadership and loyalty, he added.
The question now is not whether Siddaramaiah will complete his term, it's whether the Congress high command has the spine to assert itself, Ashoka said.
There was stiff competition between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar for the chief minister's post after the declaration of Assembly election results in May 2023, and the Congress had managed to convince the latter and made him the deputy CM.
There were some reports at the time that a compromise had been reached based on a "rotational chief minister formula," according to which Shivakumar will become CM after two-and-half years, but they have not been officially confirmed by the party.
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Worker’s body reaches Ranchi from Saudi 4 months after death; family rejects over compensation
Ranchi (PTI): The body of a migrant worker from Jharkhand’s Giridih district killed in Saudi Arabia in October last year has arrived at Ranchi Airport, but his family refused to accept it over pending compensation, officials said.
Shikha Lakra, team leader of the state migrant control cell, told PTI that, before taking the body of Vijay Kumar Mahato, the family is demanding compensation from the private company where he used to work in the Arab country.
Mahato was killed in an alleged crossfire between the police and criminals.
“Since it was a bullet injury case, the matter is before a court in Jeddah. The final compensation may depend on the court’s decision,” Lakra said.
“The Indian Embassy informed us about the body’s arrival, and coordination was done with district authorities. Our role is limited to coordination in cases involving overseas employers and foreign jurisdiction,” she added.
Giridih Deputy Commissioner Ram Niwas Yadav said the authorities will try to convince the family to perform the last rites.
“We have already sanctioned Rs 5 lakh under the government scheme for migrant’s deaths abroad. The compensation payment might take some time,” he said.
The body is currently at the mortuary of Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in Ranchi.
The Family members said they will only accept it if the company provides written assurance regarding compensation. “Without that assurance, we will not receive the body,” said Ram Prasad Mahato, the deceased’s brother-in-law.
Mahato, a native of Dudhpaniya village in Madh Gopali panchayat under Dumri block, was employed as a tower line fitter. His family said he was struck by a bullet during a gunfight between local police and an extortion gang and later succumbed to his injuries.
Social activist Sikander Ali said Mahato is survived by his wife, two young sons aged five and three, and elderly parents.
