'Power tussle' in Karnataka Cong to intensify after Bihar polls debacle, claims BJP
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Bengaluru (PTI): The opposition BJP in Karnataka on Friday predicted that the "power tussle" within the ruling Congress party is likely to intensify in the coming days.
According to BJP, with the Congress central leadership "weakened" by the Bihar poll debacle, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah would emerge stronger. This would make the issue of a potential CM change in the state more contentious.
Speculations about a possible change in leadership in the state have been circulating within political circles, particularly as the Congress government approaches the halfway mark of its five-year term in November, a period some are calling the "November revolution."
"If anyone in Congress is happy today and in a mood to celebrate, it is Siddaramaiah. He will be happy... With the Congress central leadership becoming weak following the Bihar results, Siddaramaiah will grow stronger," R Ashoka, Leader of Opposition in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly, said.
"He has been with other parties in the past, so he knows how to handle things. He will now play the game with Rahul Gandhi and the Congress leadership, he added.
Speaking to reporters at the BJP office, Ashoka said that internal rifts within Congress would deepen, and issues related to power transfer would gain momentum.
"Siddaramaiah is happy. He has strengthened his position as CM and firmly fixed himself to his chair, ready to face those challenging him," he said.
There has been ongoing speculation within Congress about a potential leadership change, with some citing a "power-sharing" agreement between Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM D K Shivakumar.
Ashoka pointed to a recent comment from Shivakumar, who had suggested that a win for Congress and its allies in Bihar would benefit him. "But with these results, it seems like the endgame for him," Ashoka remarked.
Other BJP leaders, including senior MLA C N Ashwath Narayan and Bangalore Central MP P C Mohan, who were present at the press conference, shared similar views, asserting that the "power tussle" within Congress would intensify in the coming days.
BJP leaders also claimed that the NDA's strong performance in Bihar would strengthen the party in Karnataka as well.
"After two-and-a-half years, Karnataka will see similar results to those in Bihar. There is maladministration and Muslim appeasement under CM Siddaramaiah. Soon, the people of Karnataka will teach a lesson to the Congress party," Ashoka said.
Ashoka further claimed that Congress had lost 99 per cent of the elections it fought under Rahul Gandhi's leadership. "He (Gandhi) has become an 'iron leg' (bad luck causing failure) for the Congress party," he added.
The NDA, comprising the BJP, JD(U), and other parties, is on track for a landslide victory in the Bihar assembly elections, with the alliance leading in 204 of the 243 seats.
Senior BJP leader B S Yediyurappa, addressing media in Shivamogga, credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and Bihar CM Nitish Kumar for the NDA's win in Bihar.
He assured that similar efforts would be made to secure a BJP victory in Karnataka in the future.
"Congress's debacle proves that people have not accepted Rahul Gandhi's leadership," Yediyurappa said.
State BJP chief B Y Vijayendra added that Congress's poor performance, with the party pushed to single digits in both seats and strike rate, showed how voters had rejected the party’s politics of excuses and entitlement.
"The same fate awaits them in Karnataka," he said.
In a post on 'X', Vijayendra wrote, "This verdict also proves that the people of Bihar rejected Congress and its allies’ repeated attempts to question and delegitimise our electoral system. Their narrative has no takers on the ground."
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Two arrested in K'taka for assaulting minors, uploading CSAM content
Bengaluru (PTI): Two men were arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting two minor girls, recording the acts on mobile phones and uploading the videos online as child sexual abuse material, police said on Thursday.
The accused have been identified as Kiran Kumar (29), hailing from Chitradurga district, and Aditya M K (20), hailing from Shivamogga district, they said.
A probe was initiated after information was received from the NCRP portal regarding a suspected instance of creation of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) for online dissemination, police said.
Accordingly, a case was registered at Kaggalipura Police Station under relevant sections of the IT Act on May 10, they added.
Investigation revealed that two minor girl victims were exploited and videos were created and uploaded to the internet. The child victims have subsequently recorded their statements as per procedure and further necessary legal steps have been taken, Pronab Mohanty Director General of Police, Cyber Command, said in a statement.
Based on the statements of the victims, the accused persons, who allegedly assaulted the minors, recorded the acts on mobile phones and uploaded the videos online, were arrested, he said.
Following the probe, sections 65(2) (rape) and 70 (gangrape) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with relevant sections of the POCSO Act, have been added to the FIR, police said.
Officials collected relevant information and on May 12, arrested the accused persons and seized three mobile phones belonging to them, in which the videos had allegedly been recorded, he said.
The accused were later produced before the court and taken into police custody for further investigation, he added.
According to him, in CSAM cases, police usually apprehend offenders who have downloaded such content or have kept them in their possession after obtaining them from elsewhere, usually the internet.
"The present case is one of the very few instances where content creators and uploaders have been apprehended," Mohanty added.
