Congress in K'taka depends on Yediyurappa's move to act accordingly, says HD Kumaraswamy
Bengaluru, Jun 30: Former Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy on Thursday said Congress leaders depend on BJP strongman B S Yediyurappa's future course of action.
The Congress leaders in Karnataka are waiting for Yediyurappa's move to act accordingly. The Congress leaders are watching former Chief Minister Yediyurappa's activities and the subsequent developments taking place in the BJP, Kumaraswamy, the JD(S) second-in-command, told reporters during an event in the party head office.
He refused to comment on the Congress party's claim of winning 130 seats in the general Assembly election next year.
I will not comment on their internal survey but we will certainly achieve our target, Kumaraswamy said.
The JD(S) leader blamed the BJP and the Congress for joining hands with big survey companies and issuing flawed survey reports. However, the media reports show the status of the national parties, he added.
Lashing out at the Congress, he said the party has demonstrated during the Rajya Sabha election, who is the B-Team of the BJP.
To a query on former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's claim that some JD(S) MLAs were in touch with him, Kumaraswamy said some people might be in touch with him (Siddaramaiah) but there is squabbling in Congress, which would come out in a month.
What's the point in going to a sinking ship? The Congress is sinking across India, the JD(S) leader said.
Kumaraswamy said the party is addressing the challenges in achieving its target of winning 123 seats in the next Assembly election.
Regarding the Karnataka High Court's observation that the State Anti-Corruption Bureau itself has become a collection centre', the JD(S) leader said there cannot be more shameful when the High Court observes that the head of ACB himself is corrupt.
There is no point in carrying out raids. Numerous raids had been carried out but tell me in how many officers faced action. Cash, gold, investment documents of the officers involved in corruption are shown but is there a single instance of taking action against them? asked Kumaraswamy.
He charged that Rs five crore worth of property was found during a raid at an IAS officer's house when Siddaramaiah was the Chief Minister but no action was taken against him.
The JD(S) leader said his party would launch Janata Mitra' (people's friend) campaign from Friday for 17 days in Bengaluru.
In these 17 days, the party would cover the 28 Assembly constituencies in the city, Kumaraswamy said adding that 15 LED vehicles have been hired to tell the people of the city about the mission and objectives of the JD(S).
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SC asks states to treat rising child trafficking cases as grave; seeks coordinated action
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court has voiced grave concern over rising cases of child trafficking, saying gangs are operating across the country and if States and Union territories do not take immediate action, thing will go beyond control.
The court said only the state government and its home department can act vigilantly in this regard.
“As a court we can monitor, but ultimately the action has to be on the part of the state government, the police, and other agencies. Therefore, this is our humble request”, a bench comprising Justices JB Pardiwala and K V Viswanathan said during the hearing of a plea on Wednesday.
The bench was irked over the "lackadaisical" approach of several states and UTs in implementing a 2025 judgment aimed at dismantling organised trafficking networks.
Justice Viswanathan said the retrieval of children in some cases proves the problem can be tackled, but it requires a level of political and administrative will which is lacking at present.
The verdict, delivered on April 15, 2025, had mandated several institutional reforms, including completion of trials in trafficking cases within six months on a day-to-day basis.
It had also directed strengthening of Anti-Human Trafficking Units (AHTUs) and improving investigation standards.
Besides asking for setting up of state-level committees to monitor vulnerable trafficking hotspots, it had asked the authorities to treat missing children cases as trafficking unless proven otherwise.
Earlier, the bench had termed the compliance reports filed by a few states as "nothing but an eye wash."
On Wednesday, the bench noted that Madhya Pradesh, Goa, Haryana, Lakshadweep, Mizoram, Odisha, and Punjab had still failed to file reports in the prescribed format.
When the home secretary of Madhya Pradesh offered an apology for the lapse, the bench granted a "final opportunity" but warned that continued failure would lead to states being officially branded as "defaulting".
The bench noted that at least 15 states are yet to constitute review committees mandated to identify and monitor trafficking-prone areas.
The matter will now be heard on April 29.
