POLITICS

Kharge in overhaul mode

The Congress Chief, Mallikarjuna Kharge is nowadays busy in overhauling the party organisation in States. Within a short period, he dissolved Himachal and UP units of state, district and bloc level.

 Why Pakistani envoy to Bangladesh met BNP Chief Khaleda Zia?

The Pakistan Government is directly or indirectly involved in the Bangladesh affairs. It was re-confirmed when the Pakistani envoy to Bangladesh, Syed Ahmed Maroof held a meeting with Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Chief Khaleda Zia and a day after, Bangladesh Foreign Ministry sent a letter from the Security Services Division (SSD) ordering visa facilitation for Pakistani citizens or people of Pakistani origin. The letter has been sent to all missions across the globe. The move comes shortly after Bangladesh said it would halt visa services from one of its missions in India’s Tripura’s Agartala, where protesters breached the mission due to a security lapse while demonstrating against attacks on Hindu Bengalis and other minorities in the country.

Power-sharing secret pact in Karnataka exposed again?

The Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka, D K Shivakumar, who is also the KPCC Chief, has hinted that there is a ‘secret pact’ of power-sharing that would elevate him to the CM’s post at an appropriate time. In May 2023, the Congress captured power in the state with 135 seats, and after intense deliberations, Siddaramaiah emerged as the winner in the race for the CM. The party high command had although, anointed Siddaramaiah as the CM and Shivakumar as his Deputy, there were rumours of a secret pact - a 50:50 power-sharing formula mooted by the party leadership to placate Shivakumar. Recently, Shivakumar revealed that there was indeed a ‘power-sharing pact’ in place. During an interview with a national TV channel, when asked if he would be a Deputy CM forever despite his huge contribution to the party, Shivakumar shot back saying, “Not forever. We have had some understanding…and I don’t want to discuss it in the media. I am waiting for that day.” However, the Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has categorically denied that there was a pact. “There is no pact. We all will abide by the party high command’s diktat,” he said.