We adhere to Kharge's guidance and value opposition's remarks: DK Shivakumar
Bengaluru, Mar 9 (PTI): Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Sunday said that the party adheres to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge's guidance and values opposition's comments.
Amid the power tussle in the Congress, Kharge on Saturday urged Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar to work together and prioritise the state's development.
In a statement that is seen as a subtle message to give up their power struggle, Kharge at Jewargi in his home district Kalaburagi, said in a public meeting, "If they (Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah) go together in the same direction, it will be correct. If they go in different directions, it will be difficult."
Shivakumar, who was sharing stage with Kharge, kept smiling as the latter made the observation.
Reacting to Kharge's remark, Shivakumar told reporters in Ramanagara, "I was there on the stage. We will listen to him (Kharge) and go by his guidance."
In the same breath he said, "Our opposition party also guides us. We heed to them too. They comment so much on us but we never feel bad about it. We will do whatever is to be done for the public good."
When reporters reminded him of going together with Siddaramaiah, Shivakumar, who is also the Congress state president, said, "I have understood what he has said."
State Home Minister G Parameshwara said he has no clue as to why the party national president made the comment.
"I don't know in what context he said so. We all are united only. We are working in unison. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, ministers and the entire government is working for the people only," Parameshwara told reporters here.
The comment gave the BJP an opportunity to highlight the squabbling in the ruling Congress.
Speaking to reporters in Hubballi, Union Minister Pralhad Joshi said Kharge's call to Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar to go together means that they are not united.
"Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has accepted that they are not together and all is not well in the Congress. Their situation can now be understood very clearly," Joshi said.
He also said that Siddaramaiah's son Yathindra has said he was confident that his father would read the 19th budget of the state. On the other hand, Shivakumar's supporters say he would present the next budget, Joshi said.
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NEET student hangs self in Rajasthan's Sikar
Jaipur (PTI): A student preparing for the NEET examination allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself in a rented room in Rajasthan's Sikar on Friday, police said.
According to the police, the student allegedly hanged himself from a ceiling fan using his sister's scarf while one sister was attending coaching classes and the other was in the bathroom.
He had appeared in the NEET UG exam 2026, which was cancelled due to paper leak, they said.
Udyog Nagar SHO Rajesh Kumar said that the deceased, identified as Pradeep Meghwal, was a resident of Kanika ki Dhani village in Jhunjhunu's Gudha Gaudji area.
He had been living in a rented room in Sikar's Jaldhari Nagar area with his two sisters while preparing for NEET over the last three years.
His elder sister later found him hanging and informed the landlord and police after bringing him down, officials said.
The SHO said the body was kept at SK Hospital mortuary, and a postmortem had not been conducted.
The student's father, Rajesh Kumar Meghwal, told police that Pradeep's NEET examination had gone well and the family was expecting him to score around 650 marks.
Former Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot expressed grief over the incident and linked it to anxiety among students after reports of irregularities and paper leaks in NEET 2026.
Pilot said repeated paper leak incidents and cancellation of examinations were affecting students' mental health and demanded a time-bound investigation and strict action against those responsible.
