Congress ready if early elections are held in Karnataka: D K Shivakumar
Bengaluru, Mar 29: Karnataka Congress chief D K Shivakumar on Tuesday said his party is prepared to face the electorate in case early assembly elections are held in the state, while cryptically mentioning November 27 as a possible date for announcement.
Meanwhile, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will be visiting the state later this week and holding a series of meetings with leaders and office bearers, as the party prepares for the assembly polls scheduled next year.
"Let them (Election Commission) do it (announce elections) whenever they want...let them announce tomorrow itself, this month, on November 27 or March (next year). The Congress party is ready," Shivakumar told reporters here in response to a question on the possibility of early assembly elections in the state.
Asked about him specifically mentioning November 27 as the date of announcement, he said, "We too get certain information, as you people (reporters) get."
Sharing details of Rahul Gandhi's visit to the state, Shivakumar said he is coming to Karnataka on March 31, and will be visiting Siddaganga mutt, a prominent Lingayat mutt in Tumakuru district, to offer respects to the gadduge (final resting place) of Shivakumara Swamiji on his 115th birth anniversary.
"After arriving in Bengaluru at about 2 pm, he will directly visit the mutt and return to the city, where he will be meeting party leaders of Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) limits at the Congress office, and on April 1 at 11 am he will be meeting the extended executive committee of state Congress including lawmakers, defeated candidates, former MPs and office-bearers," he said.
Gandhi will also have a Zoom call with party workers actively engaged in the Congress membership drive, and a separate meeting is likely with Youth Congress, Mahila Congress, NSUI and Seva Dal, Shivakumar said, adding that about 47 lakh members have been enrolled into the party in Karnataka, and this is highest in the whole country.
Responding to a question on whether the Congress is displaying soft Hindutva, with Rahul Gandhi visiting mutts ahead of assembly polls, Shivakumar pointed out that the Gandhi family has a long association with mutts and religious institutions.
"The family has visited thousands of mutts. Indira Gandhi had visited Sringeri mutt, Rajiv Gandhi spent an entire week at the Sringeri mutt doing a homa (fire ritual). Even Sonia Gandhi had visited the Siddaganga mutt," he noted.
The KPCC President said he has asked Congress workers and leaders to garland their motor vehicles and gas cylinders on March 31 and post photos and videos of it on social media by tagging Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in protest against price rise.
He said, on April 7, protest rallies will be held against price rise in the districts.
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Tweets by journalist Rana Ayyub derogatory, communal: Delhi HC
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New Delhi (PTI): The Delhi High Court on Wednesday termed certain tweets by journalist Rana Ayyub "highly derogatory, inflammatory and communal" as it sought her stand on a petition seeking removal of the allegedly objectionable content from social media.
Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav, who was hearing a lawyer's petition alleging that Ayyub's tweets insulted Hindu Deities and "revered historical figures", observed that even an FIR was also directed to be registered against her in relation to the tweets and called upon the Centre, Delhi Police and X to "work in tandem" and "do the needful in 24 hours".
"Let the matter be called day after. Action is necessary in view of the highly derogatory, inflammatory and communal tweets by respondent no. 4 (Ayyub), pursuant to which FIR has also been directed against respondent no. 4 by a court of competent jurisdiction," the court ordered.
Observing that the "matter requires consideration", the court issued notice to the Centre, Ayyub as well as X on the petition seeking the immediate removal of the "highly derogatory, inflammatory, and communal tweets" by Ayyub.
The court also made Delhi Police a party to the case.
Petitioner Amita Sachdeva said she is a devout follower of the Sanatan Dharm, and on her complaint, a magisterial court had already directed the registration of an FIR while holding that the journalist's tweets prima facie disclose cognisable offences under the Indian Penal Code.
The plea said the petitioner approached X's resident grievance officer as well as the Grievance Appellate Committee for the removal of the content.
However, the committee declined to grant relief, stating the matter was sub-judice, it added.
The petitioner said the continued public availability of the tweets has caused continuing and direct injury to her religious sentiments and violated her fundamental rights guaranteed under Articles 21 (Right to life and liberty) and 25 (Freedom of religion) of the Constitution.
In January 2025, a magisterial court directed Delhi Police to register an FIR against Ayyub for allegedly making derogatory posts in 2016-17 that included "insults to Hindu deities, spreading of anti-India sentiment and incitement of religious disharmony."
In an order dated January 25, 2025, it said, "From the facts of the case, prima facie cognisable offences are made out under sections 153 A (punishment for promoting enmity between different groups on the ground of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc), 295 A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) and 505 (statements conducing public mischief) of the IPC."
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