Pro-Shivakumar slogans greet KC Venugopal in Mangaluru amid power tussle in Karnataka
Mangaluru (PTI): The unease within the Karnataka Congress over the alleged power-sharing pact between Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar came to the fore when AICC general secretary K C Venugopal was greeted with pro-Shivakumar slogans at the city airport on Wednesday.
Venugopal arrived in Mangaluru to attend the centenary commemoration of the historic Narayana Guru-Mahatma Gandhi dialogue, an event organised by Mangaluru University and attended by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, cabinet ministers and senior Congress leaders.
A group of party workers raised slogans expressing support for Shivakumar as Venugopal exited the terminal.
Following Siddaramaiah's arrival here, his supporters countered with slogans like 'Siddu, Siddu, Poornaavadhi Siddu' (Full term CM Siddaramaiah).
The incident comes amid speculations that the Congress high command may revisit the reported internal understanding that Shivakumar would take over as Chief Minister mid-term—a claim repeatedly denied by the party but kept alive by sections within the state unit.
Speaking to reporters, Mithun Rai, a leader of the pro-Shivakumar group, insisted that there were “no rival camps” within the party, but acknowledged that many workers “would be happy to see D K Shivakumar become the Chief Minister.”
He described the slogan-shouting as an expression of “natural affection” for the Deputy CM among grassroots cadres.
The Congress in Karnataka has been facing recurring questions over leadership transition since the assembly election victory in 2023.
While both Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar have publicly maintained that the government is united, recent statements by their supporters—including MLAs openly batting for Shivakumar's elevation—have kept the debate alive.
Last week, Siddaramaiah dismissed talks of a change in leadership in the state as “baseless speculation,” while Shivakumar reiterated that his focus was on strengthening the party and delivering on governance.
The high command has also attempted to downplay the issue, saying the government is stable and functioning smoothly.
However, the Mangaluru episode is being viewed as another indication of simmering sentiment among a section of party workers, particularly those identified with Shivakumar’s organisational influence in the state.
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Three arrested in Gurugram for aiding Chinese cyber fraud syndicate
Gurugram (PTI): The Gurugram Cyber Police has arrested three men for allegedly providing calling support to a Chinese fraud syndicate, officials said on Wednesday.
According to the officials, a 20-port physical SIM box and a laptop were seized from them. These arrests come after a woman from Nagaland was held in connection with the same case.
The arrested accused have been identified as Karma (32) from Nagaland, and Lobsang Tsultim (33) and Ngawang Gyaltsen (35), both from Himachal Pradesh. Karma and Tsultim were arrested on February 14. Gyaltsen was intercepted on February 16 near Majnu Ka Tila in Delhi while attempting to flee to Nepal.
Police said the accused, during questioning, revealed that they were using SIM boxes to facilitate fraudulent calls targeting Indian citizens.
Karma and Lobsang Tsultim admitted to installing virtual SIM boxes in Gurugram on the instructions of a Chinese national named Tsega, they said.
These setups, which included 20 mobile phones, were capable of making over 20,000 calls a day. Tsega, allegedly used an application to contact Indian citizens for various crimes, including gaming and investment fraud, they said.
Tsultim and Gyaltsen were born in China and have lived in India as refugees for 15 years. Fluent in Chinese and Taiwanese, they communicated with Tsega via WeChat, a platform banned in India since 2020, they added.
ACP Cyber Priyanshu Dewan said the three accused were produced in court on Wednesday and have been sent to judicial custody.
"We are working to identify others involved in the network," he added.
