DK Shivakumar rejects talks about Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah losing control over administration
Bengaluru, Jun 26 (PTI): Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivkumar on Thursday rejected talks about CM Siddaramaiah losing control over the administration, amid disgruntlement within the ruling Congress in the state, with some party MLAs openly speaking against their own government's functioning.
He blamed the media for "blowing up" the issue.
"I don't know. I don't know about it. I have not heard about it. Whatever is there, my party's high command leaders will come. I'm also speaking to all of them. There is nothing in that. There is nothing to blow up (the issue)," Shivakumar said, responding to a question about whether Siddaramaiah was losing grip over the administration with several MLAs speaking openly against the government and him.
Speaking to reporters here, he said, "The CM has not lost control. He has not lost control over the administration. Nothing like that. You media are blowing up things."
Congress' Aland MLA B R Patil has alleged bribery in the allotment of public housing under the Housing department. MLA Raju Kage, who represents the Kagwad assembly segment, has hinted at resigning, citing delays in developmental works and the release of funds, while alleging that the administration had "completely collapsed".
Their open remarks have embarrassed the ruling Congress, with opposition BJP and JD(S) using it to target the government, accusing it of rampant corruption and demanding the resignation of Siddaramaiah and Housing Minister B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan.
Siddaramaiah on Wednesday evening met Patil and Kage on his return from New Delhi, during which he reportedly assured to look into their grievances while asking them not to make public statements against the government.
The CM, during his Delhi visit, met Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and party general secretaries K C Venugopal and Randeep Singh Surjewala.
According to reports, the party leadership had asked the CM to resolve the issues, take MLAs into confidence, and to ensure that no one makes statements against the government publicly.
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NEET student hangs self in Rajasthan's Sikar
Jaipur (PTI): A student preparing for the NEET examination allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself in a rented room in Rajasthan's Sikar on Friday, police said.
According to the police, the student allegedly hanged himself from a ceiling fan using his sister's scarf while one sister was attending coaching classes and the other was in the bathroom.
He had appeared in the NEET UG exam 2026, which was cancelled due to paper leak, they said.
Udyog Nagar SHO Rajesh Kumar said that the deceased, identified as Pradeep Meghwal, was a resident of Kanika ki Dhani village in Jhunjhunu's Gudha Gaudji area.
He had been living in a rented room in Sikar's Jaldhari Nagar area with his two sisters while preparing for NEET over the last three years.
His elder sister later found him hanging and informed the landlord and police after bringing him down, officials said.
The SHO said the body was kept at SK Hospital mortuary, and a postmortem had not been conducted.
The student's father, Rajesh Kumar Meghwal, told police that Pradeep's NEET examination had gone well and the family was expecting him to score around 650 marks.
Former Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot expressed grief over the incident and linked it to anxiety among students after reports of irregularities and paper leaks in NEET 2026.
Pilot said repeated paper leak incidents and cancellation of examinations were affecting students' mental health and demanded a time-bound investigation and strict action against those responsible.
