New Delhi: The Congress on Thursday accused the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi of indulging in vendetta politics after a case was registerd in Karnataka against Sonia Gandhi for raising questions over the PM-CARES fund.
The party also hit out at the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh, alleging that was it playing dirty politics by registering a case against the party's state unit chief Ajay Kumar Lallu and arresting him twice on Wednesday. The party also urged Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to review his decision.
"It is extremely unfortunate that at a time like this, when the world is facing a disaster like coronavirus and where in India crores of people have lost their livelihood and are forced to walk home, instead of helping them and providing for them all that you (BJP) want to do is vendetta politics.
"You are not just misusing government machinery, you are also inciting vendetta politics. We strongly condemn this," Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate said at a press conference held through video conferencing.
A case has been registered against Congress president Sonia Gandhi at Sagara town in Karnataka's Shivamogga district on a complaint that @INCIndia, the official Twitter handle of the Congress, tried to create distrust among the masses with its tweet by spreading "baseless charges."
The complainant alleged that on May 11 at 6 pm, the INC India Twitter account posted messages against Prime Minister Narendra Modi alleging "misuse" of PM-CARES Fund set up to enable people contribute to help the government fight the coronavirus and "similar distressing situations."
Shrinate said it was not just about the FIR against Sonia Gandhi, "this gives us an insight into how the BJP and Mr Modi operates".
"Even at a time like this, what is important for them is vendetta politics. This is a democracy and in a democracy opposition leaders have a basic right to ask questions," she said.
Shrinate said this was a not a question on the state of affairs, but on the PM-CARES Fund, where thousands of crores have been deposited and even with so much funds available why are migrants still forced to walk and why are people still suffering.
"Why can this money not be released... every Indian wants to ask this question," she said.
About about the arrest of Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Ajay Kumar Lallu, Shrinate said, "This is political vendetta. We request that you leave aside this politics, reconsider the allegations against Ajay Lallu ji and end this politics of vengeance."
The Uttar Pradesh Congress chief was arrested twice on Wednesday -- first in Agra for sitting on a dharna to protest against UP government not granting permission to allow buses arranged for migrants by the Congress enter the state.
He was granted bail by an Agra court and released, before being rearrested by a team of Lucknow police in a second case filed here in connection with the Congress' standoff with the state government.
"This is a murder of democracy. We strongly condemn the detention of Ajay Lallu ji. The Chief Minister should reconsider this. It seems that the BJP government is indifferent to the suffering of the people," Shrinate said.
She said that "dirty politics" was being played even at the time of coronavirus pandemic. "Not only did the Adityanath government rejected our offer of help with the buses, but even sent UP Congress President Ajay Lallu in custody."
The Congress leader alleged that all charges against Lallu are ridiculous.
"In the FIR, he has been accused of causing loss to the people, which is ridiculous because he was helping people," she said.
"Everyone in Uttar Pradesh understands this dirty politics of the BJP government. Ajay Lallu ji has struggled a lot and worked hard. He is being targeted for helping the labourers," Shrinate alleged.
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Aditya Birla Group-led consortium acquires RCB for USD 1.78 billion
Bengaluru (PTI): A consortium led by the Aditya Birla Group (ABG) on Tuesday acquired 100 percent equity stake in IPL franchise Royal Challengers Bengaluru for a whopping USD 1.78 billion (approximately Rs 16,706 crore) from its current owner the United Spirits Limited.
Other parties involved in the group are -- Blackstone’s perpetual private equity strategy, BXPE, a firm of which Viral Patel is the CEO, Bolt Ventures, owned by American investor David Blitzer, and media conglomerate Times of India.
“United Spirits Limited, pursuant to the meeting of its Board of Directors, today announced that it has entered into definitive agreements for the sale of the 100 percent equity stake held in its wholly owned subsidiary Royal Challengers Sports Private Limited (RCSPL) to a consortium,” the USL said in a statement.
“The consortium comprises Aditya Birla Group (ABG), The Times of India Group (Times), Bolt Ventures (Bolt), and Blackstone’s perpetual private equity strategy, BXPE (Blackstone) for a total consideration of INR 166.6 bn in an all cash transaction,” the statement added.
The transaction includes RCB's men’s and women’s (WPL) teams.
“RCSPL owns and operates Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) franchises that participate in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and Women’s Premier League (WPL).
“Upon completion of this transaction, the consortium will, through its ownership of RCSPL, acquire the rights to own and operate the IPL and WPL franchise,” said the USL.
The announcement also concluded the strategic review of RCSPL that was initiated by USL on November 5, 2025.
The United Spirits Limited is a subsidiary of UK-Diageo, and they were keen to move away from RCB as the team was not central to their business plans.
Commenting on the transaction, Praveen Someshwar, MD & CEO, USL, said: “This transaction marks an important milestone for USL as we sharpen focus on our core beverage alcohol business to unlock its true potential. RCB has grown into the most prominent and commercially successful franchise in the IPL and WPL.
“We are excited for the future of RCB under the stewardship of the new owner. As Sports enters a new phase of growth in India & globally, we believe this is in the best interest of the franchise and our stakeholders.”
Kumar Mangalam Birla, Chairman, Aditya Birla Group, said, “Over the past 2 decades, the IPL has morphed to become a global sporting powerhouse that has changed the face of Indian cricket creating enormous value for India.
“RCB, as one of the most compelling franchises in modern sport, offers the Aditya Birla Group a distinctive platform to extend its legacy of institution-building into the arena of global sport.”
As per the sale agreement, Aryaman Vikram Birla, ABG’s director, will be the chairman of RCB while Satyan Gajwani of Times of India will be his deputy.
Aryaman Birla, said: “It is a privilege to come together in this partnership to shape the next phase of growth for RCB. This partnership brings together a deep understanding of sports, media and consumer businesses.
“Together, we will continue to Play Bold -- on the pitch, in the community, and for the fans who make RCB what it is.”
Gajwani, Chairman, Times Internet Limited, said: “RCB is the reigning champion and the most popular brand in the IPL. We will build RCB into a global sporting institution, while remaining rooted in Bengaluru and Karnataka and its incredible fanbase.”
Blitzer hoped to build on RCB’s recent success.
“RCB has a world-class fanbase, and the IPL is one of the great growth stories in global sport. Having invested in clubs and leagues around the world, I believe the opportunity at RCB stands out.
We look forward to working alongside our partners and the BCCI to build on the franchise’s championship success,” he said.
Patel praised the RCB as one of the strongest sporting brands in the world.
“We are excited to invest in RCB, building on Blackstone’s long-standing commitment to India. RCB stands out as one of the most popular sports franchises in the world with a powerful brand, a loyal fan base, and multiple avenues for growth,” he added.
However, formalities such as ratification from the BCCI, IPL Governing Council, its WPL counterpart and the Competition Commission of India are still pending.
Earlier, IPL franchise Rajasthan Royals was acquired by US-based Kal Somani-led consortium for USD 1.63 billion (approx Rs 15,290 crore),
The Somani-led consortium includes Rob Walton from the Walmart family and Hamp family (Ford motor company).
Somani is an Arizona-based tech entrepreneur who has founded IntraEdge (technology services and solutions), Truyo.Ai (data privacy rights and AI governance) and Academian (edtech services).
The other contenders to buy the team, which won the inaugural trophy in 2008, were the Times Internet-led consortium, the Aditya Birla Group and the Mittal family led by ArcelorMittal CEO Aditya Mittal.
