Eviction row: Is Cong leader Venugopal 'super CM' of K'taka, asks state BJP
Bengaluru (PTI): Accusing Congress General Secretary K C Venugopal of intervening in Karnataka's administration in light of an eviction row here, opposition BJP on Sunday asked whether he is "super CM" of the state.
Karnataka deserves respect, autonomy, and honest governance, and not high-command "theatrics", Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Assembly R Ashoka said.
"Karnataka is not a colony of Rahul Gandhi and his coterie."
He was responding to Venugopal's post on 'X' regarding the demolition of unauthorised constructions in Kogilu village.
Stating that he has spoken to CM Siddaramaiah and his deputy D K Shivakumar, Venugopal in the social media post on Saturday had said, he had conveyed "the AICC's serious concern that such actions should have been undertaken with far greater caution, sensitivity, and compassion, keeping the human impact at the centre."
"They have assured that they will personally engage with the affected families, put in place an appropriate mechanism for addressing grievances, and ensure rehabilitation and relief for those impacted," Venugopal added.
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Venugopal's statement came in the wake of Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan criticising the demolition drive as the "brutal normalisation of the bulldozer raj".
LoP Ashoka asked, "Who is K C Venugopal to intervene in the administration of Karnataka. Is he a Super CM, or does the Congress high command believe elected state governments function on Delhi diktats."
Karnataka is governed by a constitutionally elected chief minister and Cabinet, not by an AICC General Secretary, he said. Expressing a party opinion is one thing, but issuing moral sermons and pressure tactics on a state government is "blatant overreach" and an insult to federalism, the BJP leader added.
"What's more troubling is the rank hypocrisy. Has K C Venugopal ever shown the same urgency when medical and other waste from Kerala have been illegally dumped along Karnataka's borders, threatening Bandipur, forest regions, public health, and wildlife? Has he spoken up for Karnataka's environment, farmers, or border districts with the same concern and compassion," he asked.
"Silence there. Sermons here."
Stating that this selective outrage exposes the truth, Ashoka said this is not about humanity or sensitivity, it's about Congress high command politics, Kerala appeasement, and election optics, especially when top party leader Priyanka Gandhi represents that state in the Lok Sabha.
"Karnataka's dignity, self-respect, and administrative authority cannot be compromised to please party managers sitting in Delhi. The people of this state did not vote for a remote control government," he said.
Humanitarian concerns must be addressed through law, due process, rehabilitation, and accountable state mechanisms and not through telephonic or social media instructions from party officials with no constitutional role, he added.
Following Vijayan's criticism, Shivakumar had shot back at the Communist veteran, asking him to take care of Kerala's affairs while Bengaluru will be managed by the incumbent government.
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Rupee hits all-time low for second time in a week
Mumbai (PTI): The rupee depreciated 31 paise to settle at 91.99 against the US dollar on Wednesday, touching the lowest closing level for the second time in less than a week, amid increased month-end demand for the greenback.
Forex traders said the rupee opened higher as the US dollar index softened and a long-awaited trade breakthrough with Europe offered quiet reassurance. However, increased month-end demand for the American currency as well as the ongoing geopolitical tensions dented investors' sentiments.
At the interbank foreign exchange, the rupee opened at 91.60 and touched an early high of 91.50, but pared all the gains to touch an intra-day low of 91.99 against the greenback.
The domestic unit settled 31 paise down, revisiting its lowest-ever closing level of 91.99 against the greenback. The Indian currency previously ended at this level on January 23 when it also hit its all-time intraday low of 92 against the US dollar.
On Tuesday, the rupee rebounded from its all-time low levels and gained 22 paise to close at 91.68 against the US dollar.
Analysts said the rupee opened higher as the US dollar index softened and a long-awaited trade breakthrough with Europe bolstered investor sentiment.
India and the European Union on Tuesday announced the conclusion of negotiations for the free trade agreement (FTA), under which a number of domestic sectors such as apparel, chemicals and footwear will get duty-free entry into the 27-nation bloc, while the EU will get access to the Indian market at concessional duty for cars and wines, an official said.
The deal has been dubbed the "mother of all deals" as it will create a market of about 2 billion people.
Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, was trading 0.07 per cent lower at 96.14.
Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, was trading 0.43 per cent lower at USD 67.28 per barrel in futures trade.
On the domestic equity market front, Sensex jumped 487.20 points to settle at 82,344.68, while Nifty surged 167.35 points to 25,342.75.
Foreign Institutional Investors turned net buyers and purchased equities worth Rs 480.26 crore on Wednesday, according to exchange data.
