CM post not vacant, matter laid to rest, says K'taka Min Priyank Kharge; blames BJP for speculations
New Delhi, Aug 1 (PTI): The chief minister's post in Karnataka is not vacant, state IT Minister Priyank Kharge asserted on Friday, blaming "crisis-hit" state BJP for fuelling such speculation in an attempt to divert attention from its own shortcomings.
In an interview with PTI, he said the Congress party, at the Centre and state-level, has clearly stated that there is no proposal to change Chief Minister K Siddaramaiah.
"I don't know where this is coming from because when KC Venugopal, our general secretary organisation, our in-charge general secretary Randeep Surjewala, Siddaramaiah, the Chief Minister, the Deputy Chief Minister ShivaKumar and the Congress President (Mallikarjun) Kharge themselves have said that there is no change of guard that is being discussed," he said.
The Congress leadership, he said, "is very clear" on the issue and "extremely vocal about that".
"So, I don't think we need to keep answering these questions that the BJP has to speak about," he said.
"So, that matter is laid to rest and the seat is not vacant."
Speculations of a simmering power tussle between Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar have been rife ever since Congress returned to power in May 2023.
Supporters of Shivakumar have at times claimed that a "rotational Chief Minister" arrangement was agreed in 2023, under which he would take over from Siddaramaiah midway through the five-year term.
However, the Congress leadership has never officially confirmed any such agreement.
With Siddaramaiah's tenure nearing its halfway mark, speculations have again been aired about the change of leadership.
On his part, Shivakumar denied any plans for a leadership change or Cabinet reshuffle, while Siddaramaiah stressed that he would remain the chief minister for the entire tenure.
Asked about the source of leadership change speculations, Karnataka Minister Kharge said the opposition BJP is trying to hide their weakness.
"Currently, the BJP in the state is completely a shattered party. They are rudderless and leaderless...There is a lot of chaos in the BJP, and that is very evident on the floor of the House as well," he said.
Kharge went on to allege that half of the BJP MLAs walk out of the Assembly and the remaining "jump" into the well of the House, when they have to take a stand on an issue.
"So, there are leadership issues, there is a crisis in the BJP, and they are imploding. And every two days, you have the State President and the Leader of Opposition saying that no, we are going to continue," he said.
"So, I think just to hide their flaws, just to hide their weaknesses and their disunity, they keep coming up with these conspiracy theories."
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PM Modi inaugurates India AI Impact Expo, interacts with startups
New Delhi (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday inaugurated the India AI Impact Expo here featuring over 600 high-potential startups and 13 country pavilions showcasing international collaboration in the AI ecosystem.
He also interacted with startups participating in the expo.
The prime minister visited various stalls and spoke with the companies participating in the expo. He was seen asking questions from company representatives to better understand what they are showcasing.
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The prime minister spent several minutes at various stalls while interacting with the representatives.
The Expo brings together global technology firms, startups, academia and research institutions, central and state governments and international partners.
Spread across 10 arenas covering more than 70,000 square metres, the Expo brings together global technology firms, startups, academia and research institutions, Union ministries, state governments and international partners.
The Expo also features 13 country pavilions, showcasing international collaboration in the Artificial Intelligence (AI) ecosystem. These include pavilions from Australia, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Serbia, Estonia, Tajikistan and Africa.
The Expo will host over 300 curated exhibition pavilions and live demonstrations, structured across three thematic chakras -- people, planet and progress.
In addition, the Expo will feature over 600 high-potential startups, many of them building globally relevant and population-scale solutions. These startups will demonstrate working solutions that are already deployed in real-world settings.
