Siddaramaiah, DK Shivakumar's proposed meeting with Kharge, Rahul Gandhi raises eyebrows
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy D K Shivakumar's proposed meeting with the party high command has raised eyebrows in the political circle.
The two leaders are likely to meet Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday evening, sources said.
Though Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar have said that their Delhi visit pertained to their official work, their meeting with the top leaders assumes significance in the wake of ministers and MLAs indicating leadership change in the state and dissidence in the party.
The Congress general secretary and Karnataka in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala is camping in Bengaluru and has been holding meetings with the ministers and MLAs to resolve their issues.
Surjewala on Tuesday declined to comment on the ongoing discussions regarding the leadership change in the state, suggesting that it is no longer pertinent and also indicated that such decisions rest with the party high command.
Though Surjewala ruled out gathering any opinion on leadership change, BJP state president B Y Vijayendra said the Congress general secretary is setting the ground for the leadership change by November or December.
Despite strict directions to the party leaders not to discuss anything in public on the internal matters of the party and government, including the issue of leadership change, MLAs are vocal.
Some Congress MLAs are upset with the government. Kagwad MLA Raju Kage threatened to resign for lack of development in his constituency.
Aland MLAs B R Patil recently alleged corruption in housing scheme for poor families. Backing him, another Congress MLA Belur Gopal Krishna demanded that Housing Minister B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan should resign.
Cooperation Minister K N Rajanna predicted a major development in September.
In the midst of Surjewala holding meetings with MLAs, CM Siddaramaiah asserted that he would complete his five years' term.
In response, some Congress MLAs, including Ramanagara legislator H A Iqbal Hussain from Shivakumar camp, insisted that they want their leader to become CM.
Shivakumar, who is also the Congress state president, not only asserted that he would toe the party line but also served a show-cause notice to his supporter MLA Hussain for his statement.
The Deputy Chief Minister and his brother D K Suresh, who is a former MP, have stated that the Chief Minister's post is not vacant.
There was stiff competition between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar for the Chief Minister’s post after the declaration of Assembly election results in May 2023, and the Congress had managed to convince the latter and made him the Deputy CM.
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-a-half years in November 2025, but they have not been officially confirmed by the party.
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HC says Bhojshala complex is Goddess Saraswati temple, scraps ASI order on namaz on premises
Indore (PTI): In a big win for the Hindu side, the Madhya Pradesh High Court on Friday declared that the disputed Bhojshala complex in Dhar district is a temple dedicated to Goddess Saraswati, and the Centre and ASI can decide on its administration and management.
The HC's Indore bench, which was hearing the case, also said the Muslim community, which called the 11th century monument Kamal Maula Mosque, may approach the state government for allotment of separate land in the district for construction of a mosque.
In its much-awaited verdict in the Bhojshala Temple-Kamal Maula Mosque complex dispute, the court observed that there were indications of a Sanskrit teaching centre and a temple of Goddess Saraswati existing in Bhojshala.
The religious character of the disputed complex of Bhojshala-Kamal Maula Mosque indicates it is a temple of Goddess Saraswati, noted the HC.
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"If the Maulana Kamaluddin Welfare Society applies for land allotment for building a mosque in Dhar district, the state government can consider it," maintained the division bench.
The HC scrapped the 2003 Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) order which allowed Muslims to offer Friday prayers on Bhojshala premises.
Nearly 1,200 police personnel were deployed in and around the complex ahead of the HC ruling.
Dhar Collector Rajeev Ranjan Meena warned of strict action against anyone spreading objectionable content on social media, as the administration erected barricades at the site where Friday prayers coincided with the court verdict.
The long-running dispute pertains to the religious nature of the ASI-protected monument in Dhar district.
The Hindu community considers Bhojshala to be a temple dedicated to Vagdevi (Goddess Saraswati), while the Muslim side calls the monument Kamal Maula Mosque. A petitioner from the Jain community claims the disputed complex is a medieval Jain temple and gurukul.
After the controversy over the Bhojshala complex erupted, the ASI issued an order on April 7, 2003, permitting Hindus to worship at the complex every Tuesday and Muslims to offer namaz there every Friday. The Hindu side challenged the order in the HC, seeking exclusive rights to worship at the complex.
A division bench of Justices Vijay Kumar Shukla and Alok Awasthi of the HC's Indore bench began regular hearings on five petitions and one writ appeal related to the case on April 6 this year.
After hearing all the parties against the backdrop of differing religious beliefs, historical claims, complex legal provisions, and thousands of documents related to the disputed monument, the bench had reserved its decision on May 12.
During the hearing, petitioners from the Hindu, Muslim, and Jain communities presented detailed arguments and sought exclusive worship rights for their communities at the monument.
The ASI, after conducting a scientific survey of the monument, indicated in its over 2,000-page report that a massive structure dating back to the reign of the Parmar kings of Dhar predated the mosque, and that the current disputed structure was built using repurposed temple components.
The Hindu side claimed that coins, sculptures, and inscriptions found by the ASI during its scientific survey prove the complex was originally a temple.
However, the Muslim side argued in court that the ASI's survey report was "biased" and prepared to support the claims of the Hindu petitioners.
Refuting this, the ASI told the court the scientific survey process was carried out with the help of experts, including three from the Muslim community.
The HC had ordered the ASI to conduct a scientific survey of the Bhojshala Temple-Kamal Maula Mosque complex on March 11, 2024. The ASI began the survey on March 22 that year and, after a detailed 98-day survey, submitted its report to the High Court on July 15.
