DK Shivakumar dismisses as false reports on Sonia being offered RS seat from State
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Congress chief D K Shivakumar on Tuesday dismissed as false and speculation some media reports which claimed that former party President Sonia Gandhi may be offered a Rajya Sabha seat from the State, and clarified that no such discussions have taken place.
There have been reports in a section of media that Sonia Gandhi may not contest the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, and she may be given a Rajya Sabha seat from Karnataka.
"All such information is false, no such discussions have happened. You (media) are writing such speculations, no such discussions have happened," Shivakumar, also the Deputy Chief Minister, said in response to a question on such reports.
Sonia Gandhi had won the1999 Lok Sabha elections from Ballari in Karnataka, defeating veteran BJP leader late Sushma Swaraj.
Meanwhile, Shivakumar hit out at BJP and JD(S) for the row over removal of Hanuman flag flying from the 108-ft flagstaff at Keragodu village in Mandya district.
Such things are being done to create disturbance and law and order situation, he said.
Alleging that innocent villagers are being misused, Shivakumar said, "in old Mysuru region (south Karnataka) people of all castes and religions are living with peace and brotherhood. Now they are trying to do an new experiment, let them do."
Stating that the Panchayat in Keragodu had obtained an undertaking from the local organisation concerned that they will not hoist anything other than national and Kannada flag, he said the government is committed to protect and respect the national flag and the Constitution.
The authorities in Mandya on Sunday hoisted a national flag, replacing the "Hanuman Dhwaja".
Replying to a question that BJP is planning to distribute Hanuman flag to every household, he said: "BJP had run a 'Har Ghar Tiranga' campaign, what happened to it, why have they left the Tiranga now? They are in the central government, let them bring in a law replacing Tiranga with Hanuman Dhwaja."
Taking a dig at JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy for joining the protest in the district headquarters city of Mandya against the removal of Hanuman flag, Shivakumar said, "he (Kumaraswamy) seems to have almost merged his party with the BJP, let them do anything, it is their party matter. He can wear any flag (shawl) of any colour."
"BJP doesn't have a base in Mandya, so they are using JD(S)' strength there," he said. "Let's see who will eat into whom."
Kumaraswamy on Monday took part in the protest, wearing a saffron shawl, as he blamed the Congress government for the disturbance in Keragodu, while accusing it of failing to handle the situation.
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New application filed in SC against Adani group over US indictment
New Delhi: A fresh application has been submitted to the Supreme Court of India, seeking the inclusion of key documents related to the recent US indictment of the Adani Group. Filed by advocate Vishal Tiwari, the petition aims to introduce two critical pieces of evidence into an ongoing case related to the Adani Group's financial practices.
The first document is a formal US court indictment accusing Gautam Adani, his relative Sagar Adani, and other company executives of orchestrating a massive bribery scheme to secure solar energy contracts worth billions of dollars in India. The indictment alleges that over $250 million in bribes were paid to Indian government officials to obtain these lucrative contracts.
The second document is a complaint from the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), which accuses the Adani Group of securities fraud. The SEC alleges that Adani executives misled investors to raise funds for these solar projects, despite knowing that part of the capital was linked to corrupt activities.
This development follows the US Attorney's Office's recent charges against the Adani executives, who are accused of masterminding a bribery scheme to secure power supply contracts with state-run utilities in India. The contracts were expected to yield up to $2 billion in profits over two decades.
These charges come amid an ongoing investigation by India's Securities and Exchange Board (SEBI) into the Adani Group, after allegations of stock manipulation and market irregularities surfaced, particularly following the release of the Hindenburg Report in early 2023. The new US legal documents could play a crucial role in strengthening the investigation into the Adani Group's business operations.
