DK Shivakumar rejects talks about Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah losing control over administration
Bengaluru, Jun 26 (PTI): Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivkumar on Thursday rejected talks about CM Siddaramaiah losing control over the administration, amid disgruntlement within the ruling Congress in the state, with some party MLAs openly speaking against their own government's functioning.
He blamed the media for "blowing up" the issue.
"I don't know. I don't know about it. I have not heard about it. Whatever is there, my party's high command leaders will come. I'm also speaking to all of them. There is nothing in that. There is nothing to blow up (the issue)," Shivakumar said, responding to a question about whether Siddaramaiah was losing grip over the administration with several MLAs speaking openly against the government and him.
Speaking to reporters here, he said, "The CM has not lost control. He has not lost control over the administration. Nothing like that. You media are blowing up things."
Congress' Aland MLA B R Patil has alleged bribery in the allotment of public housing under the Housing department. MLA Raju Kage, who represents the Kagwad assembly segment, has hinted at resigning, citing delays in developmental works and the release of funds, while alleging that the administration had "completely collapsed".
Their open remarks have embarrassed the ruling Congress, with opposition BJP and JD(S) using it to target the government, accusing it of rampant corruption and demanding the resignation of Siddaramaiah and Housing Minister B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan.
Siddaramaiah on Wednesday evening met Patil and Kage on his return from New Delhi, during which he reportedly assured to look into their grievances while asking them not to make public statements against the government.
The CM, during his Delhi visit, met Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and party general secretaries K C Venugopal and Randeep Singh Surjewala.
According to reports, the party leadership had asked the CM to resolve the issues, take MLAs into confidence, and to ensure that no one makes statements against the government publicly.
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Rahul on Indo-US trade deal: PM buckled under pressure to sell out farmers' blood & sweat
New Delhi (PTI): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi buckled under US pressure to finalise a trade deal and “sold out” the hard work of the Indian farmers through the agreement.
Addressing reporters in the Parliament House complex after he was not allowed to speak in the Lok Sabha as he insisted on quoting from an article that cited former Army chief M M Naravane's unpublished “memoir”, Gandhi also said that it is for the first time in history that the Leader of Opposition has not been allowed to speak on the president's address.
In a post on X, Gandhi said, “PM Modi is Compromised. PM is too afraid to let me speak in Parliament about Naravane, Epstein Files and how he has surrendered on Tariffs.”
Hitting back at the Congress and Gandhi, BJP MP Anurag Thakur asked whether the Congress and others in the opposition are with India's interest.
He also slammed Gandhi over his allegation that Prime Minister Modi buckled under US pressure to finalise the trade deal.
Speaking to reporters, Gandhi said the issue is not Naravane's statement, “that is a side show”, but the main thing is that “our prime minister has been compromised”.
“I want to say three things. They are not allowing me to speak. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is rattled. And the trade deal that had been stuck for the last four months, for some reason which Prime Minister Modi and I know, was sealed last evening,” he said.
Gandhi also claimed that Modi is under "enormous pressure", and his “image balloon” that had been inflated with thousands of crores could burst.
“The issue is not Naravane's statement, that is a side show, he (Modi) and I both know it. The main thing is that our prime minister has been compromised. Who has done it and how it has been done, the people of India have to think about it,” Gandhi said.
The Leader of Opposition also said the farmers of India must understand that there has been a “sell-out” of their hard work, as well as their blood and sweat, by Prime Minister Modi through this deal.
“He has sold it because he is compromised. He has not just sold you off, but the whole country. That is why they are not allowing me to speak,” Gandhi said, claiming that the prime minister is “scared”.
Asked what kind of pressure he was referring to, Gandhi said there is a case against industrialist Gautam Adani in the US and a lot more is to come in the Epstein files matter.
“There is a case on Adani in the US… That is not targeting Adani but Modi's financial structure. The Epstein files have more matter,” Gandhi said.
The Epstein files refer to thousands of pages of documents related to two criminal investigations into sex trafficking by financier Jeffrey Epstein and his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell, including travel logs, recordings, and emails, which have been a topic of conversation since Epstein died in custody in 2019.
Gandhi also called the pressure of the Epstein files and the case against Adani the two “pressure points” for the government.
In another X post in Hindi, Gandhi said, "For the first time in history, the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha is not being allowed to speak on a serious issue like national security.”
“Why is Mr Modi so rattled by General Naravane's statement and the Epstein case,” he asked.
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said the US has stated that American farmers' products will now be sold in the Indian market, bringing money to rural America.
“India's millions of farmers want to know what the terms of this trade agreement are? Is the Modi government planning to fully open the Indian agricultural sector to America? Will the government thrust Indian farmers into direct competition with American companies? Has a compromise been made on the interests of our farmers? The situation must be clarified immediately before the public,” she said.
India and the US agreed to a trade deal under which Washington will bring down reciprocal tariffs on Indian goods to 18 per cent from the current 25 per cent, US President Donald Trump said on Monday after a phone conversation with Prime Minister Modi.
Modi said he was delighted that "Made in India products will now have a reduced tariff of 18 per cent".
“Wonderful to speak with my dear friend President Trump today. Delighted that Made in India products will now have a reduced tariff of 18 per cent. Big thanks to President Trump on behalf of the 1.4 billion people of India for this wonderful announcement," the prime minister said.
