Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Congress chief D K Shivakumar said the thumping victory of the party in the May 10 Assembly elections is the best birthday gift possible given to him by the people.

"My life is dedicated to serving the people of Karnataka", said Shivakumar, an eight-time MLA who celebrated his 62nd birthday on Monday.

"On the eve of my birthday, the people of Karnataka gave me the best birthday gift possible. Thanks to my Congress family for their warm greetings," he said.

Shivakumar is engaged in an intense competition with senior party leader Siddaramaiah for the Chief Minister's post.

The Karnataka Congress Legislaure Party at its meeting on Sunday unanimously passed a resolution authorising AICC President M Mallikarjun Kharge to choose the new Chief Minister of the state.

In the Assembly polls to the 224-member House, the Congress won 135 seats, the BJP 66 and the JD(S) 19. The results were declared on May 13.

 

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Kolkata, Nov 30: Two more Hindu priests were arrested in Bangladesh, ISKCON Kolkata spokesperson Radharamn Das claimed on Saturday.

Speaking to PTI, Radharamn said, "I have received information that two more ISKCON monks have been arrested by police in Bangladesh."

In a post on X on Friday night, Radharamn said, "In the meantime, bad news has come: two devotees who went with prasad for Chinmaya Prabhu were arrested on their way back to the temple, and Chinmaya prabhu's secretary is also missing. Please pray for them."

Earlier on Friday, Radharamn had posted, "Another Brahmachari, Sri Shyam Das Prabhu, was arrested by Chattogram Police today."

"Does he look like a terrorist? #FreeISKCONMonks Bangladesh. The arrest of innocent #ISKCON brahmacharis are deeply shocking & disturbing," Radharamn posted on X on Saturday. His comments comes comes in the backdrop of unconfirmed reports of arrest of three more ISKCON monks, days after the arrest of spiritual leader Chinmay Das.

Chinmay Das, who also served as a spokesperson for Bangladesh Sammilita Sanatani Jagran Jote, was arrested at Dhaka's Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on Monday while en route to Chattogram to attend a rally. He was denied bail and sent to jail on Tuesday by the Chattogram Sixth Metropolitan Magistrate Court.

Historically, Hindus made up approximately 22 per cent of Bangladesh's population during the 1971 Liberation War.

The Hindu population, once a substantial demographic in Bangladesh, has experienced a significant decline in recent decades, with the minority community now comprising only around 8 per cent of the country's total population.

This drop is largely attributed to a combination of socio-political marginalisation, exodus and sporadic violence over the years.