Parameshwara being targeted in gold smuggling case amid Cong power struggle, alleges HD Kumaraswamy
Bengaluru, May 23 (PTI): Union Minister H D Kumaraswamy on Friday alleged that Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara is being deliberately implicated in the gold smuggling case involving Kannada actress Ranya Rao, as part of an internal power struggle within the ruling Congress party.
He also claimed that the motive is to sideline Parameshwara and derail his leadership ambitions.
In a statement, Kumaraswamy noted that Parameshwara's recent moves to organise a dalit convention and engage with senior party leaders in New Delhi may have ruffled feathers in the party.
He also referred to statements made by state Minister K N Rajanna in the assembly, hinting at surveillance and manipulation by a powerful political figure.
Kumaraswamy also said Rajanna’s remarks may now be relevant given the current developments.
The Union Minister also wondered how a Congress insider came to know about the alleged smuggling attempt involving an actress and how the information reached the authorities.
He raised doubts about whether the Intelligence Department, which reports directly to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, was truly unaware of these developments.
According to him, the gold smuggling case was being used to undermine Parameshwara's credibility and block his rise within the party.
A senior Congress leader, eyeing the CM’s post, may be orchestrating the situation behind the scenes.
Kumaraswamy further criticised the Congress party for blaming the central government while ignoring the internal power politics unfolding within their own ranks.
Lashing out at Kumaraswamy over the matter, Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar said, “Kumaraswamy has lost his mental balance.”
Shivakumar was speaking to reporters in Vijayapura.
Rao, the step daughter of DGP rank officer K Ramachandra Rao, was arrested on March 3 at Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru after arriving from Dubai. Acting on a tip-off, DRI officials detained her and recovered 14.2 kg of gold bars valued at over Rs 12.56 crore from her.
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Cong takes swipe at PM over India not being part of US-led 'Pax Silica' grouping
New Delh (PTI) The Congress on Saturday said it is perhaps not very surprising that India is not part of a US-led strategic initiative to build a secure silicon supply chain, given the "sharp downturn" in the Trump-Modi ties, and asserted that it would have been to "our advantage if we had been part of this group".
Congress general secretary in charge of communications Jairam Ramesh took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the news of India not being part of the group comes after the PM had enthusiastically posted on social media about a telephone call with his "once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC".
In a lengthy post on X, Ramesh said, "According to some news reports, the US has excluded India from a nine-nation initiative it has launched to reduce Chinese control on high-tech supply chains. The agreement is called Pax Silica, clearly as a counter to Pax Sinica. The nations included (for the moment at least) are the US, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia."
"Given the sharp downturn in the Trump-Modi ties since May 10th, 2025, it is perhaps not very surprising that India has not been included. Undoubtedly, it would have been to our advantage if we had been part of this group."
"This news comes a day after the PM had enthusiastically posted on his telephone call with his once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC," the Congress leader asserted.
The new US-led strategic initiative, rooted in deep cooperation with trusted allies, has been launched to build a secure and innovation-driven silicon supply chain.
According to the US State Department, the initiative called 'Pax Silica' aims to reduce coercive dependencies, protect the materials and capabilities foundational to artificial intelligence (AI), and ensure aligned nations can develop and deploy transformative technologies at scale.
The initiative includes Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia. With the exception of India, all other QUAD countries -- Japan, Australia and the US -- are part of the new initiative.
New Delhi will host the India-AI Impact Summit 2026 on February 19-20, focusing on the principles of 'People, Planet, and Progress'. The summit, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the France AI Action Summit, will be the first-ever global AI summit hosted in the Global South.
Prime Minister Modi and US President Trump on Thursday discussed ways to sustain momentum in the bilateral economic partnership in a phone conversation amid signs of the two sides inching closer to firming up a much-awaited trade deal.
The phone call between the two leaders came on a day Indian and American negotiators concluded two-day talks on the proposed bilateral trade agreement that is expected to provide relief to India from the Trump administration's whopping 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods.
In a social media post, Modi had described the conversation as "warm and engaging".
"We reviewed the progress in our bilateral relations and discussed regional and international developments. India and the US will continue to work together for global peace, stability and prosperity," Modi had said without making any reference to trade ties.
