Karnataka Deputy CM DK Shivakumar says he will stand by Siddaramaiah like a "rock"
Hassan (Karnataka), Dec 5: Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Thursday said he will stand by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah like a "rock", until death.
He said this at the ‘Jana Kalyana Samavesha’, a convention jointly organised by the state Congress and Swabhimanigala Okkuta (federation organisations of oppressed communities).
"Don't worry, in Mysuru I have said that this bande (rock) -- D K Shivakumar -- will be with Siddaramaiah. This Shivakumar will be with him, now, tomorrow, and until death. Keep this in mind. This is the history of this Kanakapura bande," Shivakumar, who is often referred to as "Kanakapura bande" by local media and supporters, said.
Shivakumar represents Kanakapura assembly segment.
ALSO READ: No agreement with DK Shivakumar on power-sharing, will abide by high command decision: Siddaramaiah
Addressing the convention, he said, "It is my duty and Dharma to work honestly, wherever I work."
"....no need to worry. We are working for the poor honestly...unitedly all our Ministers in the cabinet and legislators will work under his (CM) leadership to serve the state and its people...."
The convention was initially planned by the federation of organisations of oppressed communities as a Siddaramaiah-centric mega "show of strength" event, in solidarity with the Chief Minister, who is facing allegations in the MUDA site allotment scam.
However, the Congress party's involvement as the joint host of the event was confirmed by the Chief Minister himself last week, amid reports that a section of leaders within the party were against such an event being organised outside the party framework. An anonymous "complaint letter" purportedly written by a Congress leader to AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge had also surfaced.
The state Congress led by its President Shivakumar had also renamed the convention as ‘Jana Kalyana Samavesha’ from 'Siddaramaiah Swabhimaani Janandolana Samavesha'.
Interestingly, Shivakumar's statement came a day after Siddaramaiah rejected his claim that they have a power-sharing pact.
Shivakumar had reportedly told media recently that there was an agreement between them, before coming to power.
In response, Siddaramaiah had on Wednesday said there was no such pact, and that he would abide by the high command's decision.
There was stiff competition between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar for the chief minister's post after the declaration of Assembly election results in May last year, and the Congress had managed to convince the latter and made him the deputy chief minister.
There were some reports at the time that a compromise had been reached based on a "rotational chief minister formula," according to which Shivakumar will become CM after two-and-half years, but they have not been officially confirmed by the party.
Shivakumar has made no secret of his ambition to become CM.
Addressing the convention, Shivakumar claimed that the Congress' five guarantee schemes are "permanent", and it was certain that the party would come to power in 2028. "No one can change this."
He also expressed confidence about Congress winning all seven assembly segments in the Hassan district in the next polls. The party currently represents only one seat in the district. "We need your cooperation for it."
Pointing to BJP and JD(S)' defeat in recent by-polls to Shiggaon, Sandur and Channapatna Assembly segments, the Deputy CM said, JD(S) patriarch H D Deve Gowda and his son and Union Minister H D Kumaraswamy during campaigning had claimed that they will "root out" the Congress government.
"Mr Deve Gowda, this isn't a potato crop grown in Hassan or a groundnut plant to root out. This is a government which has the support of 138 MLAs, it has public support...." he said.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Mule bank accounts frozen in crackdown on cyber fraudsters in Karnataka, 68 held
Bengaluru (PTI): The Karnataka State Cyber Command has arrested 68 people as part of a statewide drive against mule bank accounts and “mule herders” involved in cyber fraud, officials said on Friday.
The special operations, which have been continuing since last week across Karnataka, targeted networks engaged in aggregating and selling mule bank accounts used for cyber crimes.
The arrests were made between December 2025 and February 2026, police said in an updated report.
“The Karnataka Cyber Command has conducted statewide special operations against Mule accounts and mule herders across Karnataka. The special drive has continued since last week and this is an updated report,” the department said in a statement.
ALSO READ: CM Siddaramaiah appeals for peace after Bagalkote clashes, BJP blames Cong
Police said the investigation identified a network of “mule herders” — individuals who aggregate and misuse mule bank accounts — who were retailing and selling such accounts to cyber criminals.
A total of 68 key accused and suspects have been arrested during the period.
According to the statement, mule herders had collected personal information and documents from unsuspecting laypersons and opened multiple bank accounts in the names of their relatives.
“These accounts were operated in a business-like manner,” it added.
As part of the crackdown, police registered 60 cases and identified 869 mule accounts across the state. As many as 8,788 complaints were registered on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCRP) against the identified mule accounts.
The total money involved in all NCRP-linked crimes stood at Rs 85.05 crore, of which Rs 13.43 crore has been put on hold, the Cyber Command said.
During the drive, police obtained 32 search warrants and conducted 35 searches. In the searches, 35 ATM cards, 37 passbooks, 80 mobile phones, 28 cheque books and 22 SIM cards were seized, along with other incriminating materials, officials said. Pronab Mohanty, the Director General of Police (Karnataka State Cyber Command) supervised the special drive, police added.
