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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Rupee slips 1 paisa to 90.67 against US dollar in early session
Mumbai (PTI): The rupee slipped by 1 paisa to 90.67 against the US dollar in the early session on Monday amid FII outflows and a stronger greenback.
A marginal rise in global crude oil prices and a sharp decline in the country's forex reserves also weighed on the local unit, according to forex traders.
At the interbank foreign exchange, the rupee opened higher at 90.63 before falling to 90.67 against the US dollar, down 1 paisa from its previous close.
The rupee consolidated in a narrow range and settled 5 paise lower at 90.66 against the US dollar on Friday.
"The rupee opened slightly stronger from Friday close and should remain in a small range on a day when cash demand will be lower due to US Presidential Day holiday," Anil Kumar Bhansali, Head of Treasury and Executive Director, Finrex Treasury Advisors LLP, said.
Markets will watch out for India's trade balance figures, which could be released by the commerce ministry on Monday, he said.
Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, was trading 0.02 per cent higher at 96.93.
Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, was trading 0.04 per cent higher at USD 67.78 per barrel in futures trade.
At the domestic equity markets, Sensex declined 71.53 points to 82,555.23 in early trade while Nifty was down 11.95 points to 25,459.15.
On Friday, foreign institutional investors offloaded equities worth Rs 7,395.41 crore, according to exchange data.
Reserve Bank data released on Friday showed India's forex reserves were down USD 6.711 billion to USD 717.064 billion during the week ended February 6. In the previous reporting week, the kitty had jumped by USD 14.361 billion to an all-time high of USD 723.774 billion.
