BJP-JD(S) claim 'Randeep rule' in Karnataka, call Surjewala 'super CM', as he meets Ministers
Bengaluru, Jul 16 (PTI): As AICC General Secretary in-charge of Karnataka, Randeep Singh Surjewala continued to hold one-on-one meetings with several ministers on Wednesday, opposition BJP and JD(S) took a dig at the ruling Congress, calling him "super CM".
They also asked whether "Randeep rule" has been imposed in the state.
While Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Assembly and BJP leader R Ashoka claimed that the Congress high command, which has completely lost confidence in CM Siddaramaiah, has imposed a "Randeep rule" in Karnataka.
Surjewala's one-on-one meetings with ministers entered the third day on Wednesday. These meetings are said to be aimed at understanding their grievances, assessing their performance, and addressing the complaints shared by the party MLAs against the ministers.
Earlier, the AICC General Secretary had held two rounds of one-on-one meetings with party legislators in the state.
"Is Randeep rule implemented in the state? Will Thursday's cabinet meeting also be chaired by Surjewala?" Ashoka asked in a post on 'X'.
"The Congress high command, which has completely lost confidence in the lottery CM Siddaramaiah, has imposed a "Randeep rule" in Karnataka," he claimed and said said, "It should not be surprising if Surjewala, who is listening to the complaints and grievances of dissatisfied MLAs in the KPCC office and five-star hotels and reviewing the performance of ministers, comes to the cabinet meeting to be held at the Vidhana Soudha on Thursday and presides over it himself."
"CM Siddaramaiah has no control over the administration, and Deputy CM D K Shivakumar does not have the support of the MLAs, and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi does not have the power to appoint whoever he wants as the Chief Minister," Ashoka alleged.
"Overall, the Congress party in Karnataka is in a state of "limbo" without a single leader who can handle the post of Chief Minister effectively," Ashoka claimed.
Meanwhile, JD(S) State Youth President Nikhil Kumaraswamy in a post on 'X' sarcastically said, "Congratulations to Surjewala on his silent elevation as the Super CM of Karnataka."
"Looks like the elected CM has handed Surjewala a GPA to run the government," he slammed.
"Democratically elected MLAs are now forced to bow before a 'Surjewala Sarkar' for constituency development funds," he claimed.
"Siddaramaiah is outgoing (as CM), D K Shivakumar is incoming, but Surjewala is already ruling," Nikhil Kumaraswamy claimed, pointing at CM change speculations within the ruling Congress.
The Congress has reduced Karnataka to a puppet state, he said, calling it "a total mockery of federalism and democracy."
❓ರಾಜ್ಯದಲ್ಲಿ "ರಣದೀಪ್" ಆಡಳಿತ ಜಾರಿ ಆಗಿದೆಯಾ?
— R. Ashoka (@RAshokaBJP) July 16, 2025
❓ಗುರುವಾರದ ಸಂಪುಟ ಸಭೆಯೂ ಸುರ್ಜೆವಾಲಾ ಅವರ ಅಧ್ಯಕ್ಷತೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ನಡೆಯುತ್ತಾ?
ಲಾಟರಿ ಸಿಎಂ @siddaramaiah ಅವರ ಮೇಲೆ ಸಂಪೂರ್ಣವಾಗಿ ವಿಶ್ವಾಸ ಕಳೆದುಕೊಂಡಿರುವ ಕಾಂಗ್ರೆಸ್ ಹೈಕಮಾಂಡ್ ಕರ್ನಾಟಕದಲ್ಲಿ ''ರಣದೀಪ್ " ಆಡಳಿತ ಹೇರಿದೆ.
ಕೆಪಿಸಿಸಿ ಕಚೇರಿಯಲ್ಲಿ, ಪಂಚತಾರಾ ಹೋಟೆಲ್ ಗಳಲ್ಲಿ… pic.twitter.com/oqLwyQ70MY
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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.
