Cong leadership to meet K'taka Ministers, party leaders to strategise on plan of action for LS polls
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Monday said the Congress leadership has decided to meet ministers and senior leaders of the party from the state on August 2 in New Delhi, to strategise on a plan of action for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
The meeting gains significance amid brewing discontent within the ruling party, with as many as 30 legislators reportedly having written to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and the party leadership expressing concern over non-implementation of development works in their constituencies and functioning of certain ministers.
"Yes, we have a political agenda, we have to finalise the plan of action for the Parliament (election), and how to go ahead with the Parliament (election). I want to fix the responsibility for all the leaders for the Parliament election and ticket (distribution) process," Shivakumar said in response to a question on state leaders going to Delhi for a meeting on August 2.
Speaking to reporters, he said, "How the candidate has to be selected, whether any minister or MLAs have to be in the field, who has to be responsible. We have to fix criteria for that, so they have called all the senior leaders."
AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge, party leader Rahul Gandhi, General Secretaries K C Vengopal and Randeep Singh Surjewala among others are likely to participate in the Delhi meeting.
Asked whether the meeting has also been called following dissent in the party, as some leaders are not happy, Shivakumar said there is no dissidence in the party and some MLAs had only requested for a CLP meeting, which was accordingly held last week.
"Some leaders had requested to call for CLP because earlier when it (CLP) meeting was called, national leaders of various parties had come to Bengaluru for INDIA (alliance) meeting, and CLP meeting had to be postponed," he said, adding that after the August 2 meeting, the chief minister and himself will be calling a meeting of all district leaders and look at various issues concerning them.
Several legislators are said to be miffed and have complained that they had not been able to get work done in their constituencies, and have not been granted transfers (of government servants) as requested. They are said to have expressed unhappiness regarding some ministers, alleging that they were not cooperating with them.
The Delhi meeting is taking place in the backdrop of the recent statement by senior party leader and MLC B K Hariprasad, that he knows "how to make and bring down a chief minister", and Shivakumar's own claims that a plot was being hatched in Singapore to topple the government.
Senior MLA B R Patil on Sunday said he threatened to resign during the recent Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting, citing "self-respect".
The behaviour and conduct of certain ministers has upset some legislators, Patil said, as he warned that their fight would continue, if it is not corrected.
Asked about Patil's comments, Shivakumar said, "He is a very sensitive man, he is a great friend of ours, he is an important leader of the party. He has (raised) some ethical issues. He had given a request. On his request only the CM had called for a meeting".
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NEET student hangs self in Rajasthan's Sikar
Jaipur (PTI): A student preparing for the NEET examination allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself in a rented room in Rajasthan's Sikar on Friday, police said.
According to the police, the student allegedly hanged himself from a ceiling fan using his sister's scarf while one sister was attending coaching classes and the other was in the bathroom.
He had appeared in the NEET UG exam 2026, which was cancelled due to paper leak, they said.
Udyog Nagar SHO Rajesh Kumar said that the deceased, identified as Pradeep Meghwal, was a resident of Kanika ki Dhani village in Jhunjhunu's Gudha Gaudji area.
He had been living in a rented room in Sikar's Jaldhari Nagar area with his two sisters while preparing for NEET over the last three years.
His elder sister later found him hanging and informed the landlord and police after bringing him down, officials said.
The SHO said the body was kept at SK Hospital mortuary, and a postmortem had not been conducted.
The student's father, Rajesh Kumar Meghwal, told police that Pradeep's NEET examination had gone well and the family was expecting him to score around 650 marks.
Former Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot expressed grief over the incident and linked it to anxiety among students after reports of irregularities and paper leaks in NEET 2026.
Pilot said repeated paper leak incidents and cancellation of examinations were affecting students' mental health and demanded a time-bound investigation and strict action against those responsible.
