Power tussle: Shivakumar loyalists make fresh pitch for leadership change
Bengaluru (PTI): The ongoing power tussle in the ruling Congress in Karnataka intensified with supporters of Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar gathering at a hotel to discuss strategies to see their leader's elevation to the top post in the state.
Magadi MLA H C Balakrishna organised the gathering where discussions were held "to end the confusion regarding power sharing".
"Nearly 40 like-minded MLAs" gathered in the private hotel on Thursday night where it was decided to lobby for Shivakumar's elevation as the Chief Minister, Congress sources said.
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Speaking to reporters, Balakrishna, a Shivakumar loyalist, said his birthday falls on Saturday. "Since I will not be here (Bengaluru) from Friday morning as I am going out, I asked all like-minded people to have a get-together on Thursday. We invited everyone and organised this gathering."
When asked about what they discussed, the Magadi MLA said, "The discussion here was that in the present situation, if our party continues like this, it will be difficult for us in the future. The high command must give a final shape to this issue (leadership row). We have decided that we should urge them (high command) to do so."
To the question whether they would visit Delhi, Balakrishna said the matter is not about going to the national capital.
The high command is not "sleeping there in Delhi". It knows what is happening in Karnataka, he added.
According to him, when the Congress MLAs go to their constituencies, they often face questions and discussions on leadership change.
"In our constituencies, this is the only discussion and it irritates us. We must request the high command to put an end to this. Let us see how to speak about it further," Balakrishna said.
He said summoning leaders individually would not help.
"We are clear. The high command should intervene and draw a final curtain on this issue," Balakrishna said.
He added that when Congress MLAs gather, conversations naturally happen.
"During such discussions, many MLAs expressed that unless this is resolved, it will be difficult for us and our future will be uncertain," the MLA said, hinting that the leadership issue would damage the party's prospects in the 2028 assembly election.
When asked about the calls to change the Congress Karnataka unit president, which Shivakumar has been holding for the past 10 years, he said let the high command change if it wishes.
"We only want a final decision. Whether they change the president or someone else, that is not the main question. Our demand is that a final shape be given to the Congress party here," the MLA emphasised.
To a question about whether he was suggesting changing the Chief Minister in the state, Balakrishna said, "Didn't the high command say a decision will be made? Whether they change the president or the CM is the high command's decision. But a decision must be made. It's not just our opinion. What we want is that the confusion must end."
The meeting took place about a week before the budget session of the Karnataka legislature that will start from March 6.
Some other MLAs said they want Shivakumar to replace Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.
The power tussle has flared up in the state since November, 2025, when the Congress government completed the halfway mark of two-and-half years.
There have been reports when the Congress came to power that there was a power sharing agreement between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar.
According to the agreement, Siddaramaiah will be the CM for the first two-and-half years, and later Shivakumar would take charge. There was no definitive confirmation though.
Shivakumar has been hinting that a power sharing agreement did exist and very few people know it.
On the other hand, Siddaramaiah has been asserting that he would remain the CM for the full five year term.
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Malaysian Indian sentenced to jail and caning for raping Indonesian woman in Singapore
Singapore (PTI): An Indian-origin Malaysian man was sentenced in Singapore to 12 years' jail and 12 strokes of the cane for raping a domestic worker outside a train station after tricking her into thinking that he was a police officer.
Sharveen Chetty, 48, pleaded guilty on February 4 to one charge of raping the 35-year-old Indonesian woman in the bushes outside Exit F of a subway, Little India Mass Rapid Transit station, at about 8pm on July 11, 2022.
The victim was with her friends at the time, but Chetty lured her away before he sexually assaulted her, according to a report by The Straits Times on Thursday.
Two other charges – a second rape charge and a charge of impersonating a police officer – were taken into consideration during sentencing on Wednesday.
The witnesses who testified on the first day of the trial included a doctor from Women’s and Children’s Hospital who examined the victim a day after the rapes, and forensic scientists from the Health Sciences Authority.
Chetty had initially contested the charges in a High Court trial that began on February 3. But he changed his mind and pleaded guilty on what would have been the second day of the trial, according to the daily report.
In sentencing, Justice Dedar Singh Gill considered it aggravating that Chetty had targeted the victim because she was a foreigner who might be unfamiliar with the local authorities.
The judge rejected the defence's arguments that the rape was not premeditated.
The judge, however, noted that Chetty had pleaded guilty before the victim and key prosecution witnesses testified, thus sparing her and her friends from going through cross-examination.
The prosecution had sought a sentence of between 11 and 13 years’ jail and 12 strokes of the cane, noting Chetty’s extensive efforts to disguise himself, and his predatory act of leading the victim away from the rest of the group.
Chetty admitted that he became sexually attracted to the victim.
