BJP leader alleges CM Siddaramaiah snooping on rival Cong faction of Shivakumar
Bengaluru (PTI): Senior BJP leader R Ashoka on Monday alleged that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has let the intelligence agencies to track the activities of the MLAs supporting Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar.
Referring to a media report, he said the CM uses intelligence agencies to snoop on his rivals within his own party to protect his chair.
"So now, State Intelligence has a new full-time job - tracking dinner attendance of DyCM D K Shivakumar's faction," Ashoka, who is Leader of the Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly, said in a post on 'X'.
The BJP leader alleged that though drug factories are run unchecked, communal tensions are on rise and law and order has weakened, the top priority of this government is to count MLAs and shadowing political rivals.
"This is the complete politicisation of administration under CM Siddaramaiah. The state machinery exists to protect the people of Karnataka, not to protect your chair," Ashoka charged.
He also took a dig at Congress MP Rahul Gandhi.
"Where is Rahul Gandhi now? The same Rahul Gandhi who lectures about misuse and weaponisation of institutions is silent now," the former Deputy Chief Minister said.
Stating that Karnataka deserved governance and not surveillance politics, he said Siddaramaiah must stop misusing state intelligence for personal political survival.
Amid a power tussle between Siddaramaiah and his deputy Shivakumar, 40 MLAs loyal to the latter gathered in a hotel in Bengaluru and reportedly discussed how to see their leader become the chief minister.
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Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
