Congress in talks with JD(S) ahead of counting in Karnataka
New Delhi, May 14: As the exit polls after the Karnataka Assembly election predicted a hung assembly in the state, with six surveys showing BJP emerging as the single largest party and three showing Congress in the lead, the Congress party has started talks with H.D. Kumaraswamy-led Janata Dal(S) to forge a post-poll alliance.
The Congress has already sent two senior leaders of the party, Ghulam Nabi Azad and Ashok Gehlot, to Karnataka and they are in talks with the JD(S) leaders, said a party source.
However, former Chief Minister and Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) state President H.D. Kumaraswamy had left for Singapore on Sunday morning and was expected to be back late on Monday.
A Congress leader said the party will win close to 130 seats. "Our senior leaders are in talks with even those who have gone to Singapore," said a party source.
A day after a record 72.13 per cent of 5.06 crore electorate voted on a hot weekend, leaders of the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday claimed their party would be winning hands down, while the JD-S vowed to decide who will form the next government, if it does not get majority.
Polling was held in 222 segments of the 224-member Assembly, as election to Bengaluru's Rajarajeshwari (RR) Nagar had been postponed to May 28 following recovery of voter cards from a flat, while it was countermanded in Jayanagar segment due to the death of BJP contestant B.N. Vijaya Kumar on May 4.
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Centre spent Rs 76.13 lakh on print media ads for RSS centenary, reveals RTI
New Delhi: The Union Ministry of Culture allegedly spent Rs 76.13 lakh on print advertisements marking the 100-year celebrations of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), according to a Right to Information (RTI) reply.
The information was sought by RTI activist Ajay Basudev Bose, who filed an application seeking details on expenditure incurred by the ministry for advertisements commemorating the RSS centenary.
Bose shared a picture of the reply from the ministry on his official ‘X’ handle.
“It is informed that an amount of Rs 76,13,129 has been spent on advertisement given in various print media by the Ministry of Culture on the occasion of the completion of 100 years of RSS,” the government’s reply stated.
RTI reply shows Min of Culture Govt of India spent a Whopping Rs 76L,13K,129 on Advertisement in Print Media on occasion of 100 yrs of #RSS
— AJAY Basudev Bose (@AjayBos93388306) April 16, 2026
When Everyone knows RSS is Not Registered & Does not Pay any Tax is it justified to spend Tax Payers Money on such Private event??@RSSorg… pic.twitter.com/dW4IUtdNCg
Bose questioned the expenditure in the post X, “when Everyone knows RSS is Not Registered & Does not Pay any Tax is it justified to spend Tax Payers Money on such Private event??”
Reacting to the development, Karnataka’s IT-BT and Panchayat Raj Minister Priyank Kharge also criticised the spending.
In a post on X, he asked why public money was being used for what he described as a “private ideological project.”
"Modi Sarkar spent Rs 76,13,129 of public money on newspaper advertisements to celebrate 100 years of the RSS. Why is Government spending taxpayers money on an unregistered, non-tax-paying organisation to celebrate their centenary?," he added.
Why is public money being used to serve a private ideological project?
— Priyank Kharge / ಪ್ರಿಯಾಂಕ್ ಖರ್ಗೆ (@PriyankKharge) April 16, 2026
Modi Sarkar spent ₹76,13,129 of public money on newspaper advertisements to celebrate 100 years of the RSS.
Why is Government spending taxpayers money on an unregistered, non-tax-paying organisation to… pic.twitter.com/EoZ6Pim3IM
According to reports, the RSS describes itself as a volunteer-based organisation and has stated that it functions as a body of individuals rather than a registered entity.
Founded by Keshav Baliram Hedgewar in 1925, the organisation is marking its centenary year beginning from Vijaydashami in 2025, with the milestone observed on October 2.
