Karnataka: LoP claims ‘war’ between Siddaramaiah, Shivakumar; targets Cong ahead of GBA polls
Bengaluru (PTI): Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly R Ashoka, on Friday, claimed that a "war" has begun within the ruling Congress in Karnataka between Siddaramaiah and his deputy D K Shivakumar over the chief ministerial post.
He also expressed confidence that the BJP would win all five corporations under the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA), scheduled for polls later this year, while accusing the Congress government of "misgovernance".
"The war has begun once again. DK (Shivakumar) versus Siddaramaiah… the battle for the CM’s chair has started. Yathindra Siddaramaiah (the CM’s son and MLC) has once again stirred controversy by saying that his father will serve a full five-year term," Ashoka claimed.
"When all Congress leaders and legislators are stating that the high command’s decision is final, Yathindra’s assertion shows who he thinks the high command is," he added.
Speaking to reporters, he described the Congress high command in Delhi as "dead, powerless, and without any value".
"The fight for the CM’s chair has begun again and will continue daily now that the legislature session has concluded," he added, asserting that the people will teach the Congress a lesson for its "misgovernance and maladministration" in the upcoming local body polls.
The BJP leader was reacting to Congress MLC Yathindra Siddaramaiah’s statement that the party high command had given a clear signal that there would be no leadership change in the state and that Siddaramaiah would remain CM for the full five-year term, as well as to Shivakumar’s sharp response, which took a jibe at Yathindra.
The "leadership tussle" within the ruling party has intensified amid speculation of a possible change in the chief ministership after the Congress government completed the halfway mark of its five-year term on November 20, 2025.
The speculation was fuelled by the reported "power-sharing" arrangement between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar at the time of the government’s formation in 2023.
Ashoka said the BJP has called a meeting on Saturday regarding the polls to the five corporations under the GBA.
"Several rounds of discussions have already taken place. In tomorrow’s meeting, the GBA poll in charge appointed by the party high command, Ram Madhav, will be present. There will be a detailed discussion with all MLAs from the city, defeated candidates, and district office bearers," he said.
"We should win Bengaluru. Earlier, we had won the Bengaluru corporation polls when Siddaramaiah was CM. Now, with rampant corruption, rising fares, and taxes, the Congress will certainly face public anger. We will prepare a plan to win all five corporations," he claimed.
Reacting to the state government’s decision to conduct all local body polls, including the GBA, using ballot papers, Ashoka called it a "Tuglaq-like administration," inconsistent in its actions.
"EVMs were introduced by the Congress government under Rajiv Gandhi. The public has accepted EVMs, and courts have upheld them. Now, facing repeated defeats and unwilling to accept that the loss is due to poor leadership, the Congress is blaming EVMs," he claimed.
Ashoka also said that the BJP will stage street protests to demand the removal of Excise Minister R B Timmapur, who is facing corruption charges and allegations of a Rs 6,000-crore scam in his department.
Reacting to the state cabinet’s decision on Thursday to clear Rs 67.26 crore for 'Social Media Analytics Solutions'—a software powered by Artificial Intelligence to verify digital content and social media posts and prevent the spread of fake news—Ashoka termed it a "waste of taxpayers’ money aimed at targeting those who speak against the government."
"They don’t have money for development; there have been incidents of government employees dying by suicide due to unpaid salaries. Yet they have crores to spend on harassing those who question or oppose the government. This is shameful," he claimed.
"Such matters should have been discussed in the Assembly. This is nothing but a waste of taxpayers’ money," he added.
Ashoka also defended the BJP’s newspaper advertisement on Friday supporting the Centre’s VB-G RAM G Act, saying it was funded by the party itself, unlike the Congress, which he alleged misused public funds via the state’s Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Department to criticise the central government’s legislation.
Responding to Congress leaders accusing the BJP of "disrespecting" the Father of the Nation in the ad—which depicted a caricature of Mahatma Gandhi, a messenger of nonviolence, raising a walking stick towards the Congress leadership—he claimed, "Seeing Congress misuse his name and cover up its misdeeds and corruption, Gandhi might well have raised the stick himself."
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J'khand: Businessman 'jumps to death' from 6th floor of apartment, probe underway
Ranchi (PTI): A Ranchi-based businessman died allegedly by suicide by jumping from the sixth floor of his apartment here, police said on Friday.
The incident took place around 10:30 pm on Thursday in Hindpiri police station area, they said.
“The deceased, Anurag Sarawgi, was heard speaking to someone over the phone in a loud tone. The door of his room was bolted from inside. He then suddenly jumped from the sixth floor of the apartment,” SP (City) Paras Rana told PTI.
No suicide note was recovered from his room, Rana said.
A thorough investigation is underway, the SP added.
(Assistance for overcoming suicidal thoughts is available on the state’s health helpline 104, Tele-MANAS 14416.)
