Siddaramaiah, Shivakumar meet Congress high command over Bengaluru stampede
New Delhi (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Tuesday met Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi here to discuss the June 4 stampede incident in Bengaluru that left 11 people dead.
Congress president Kharge had sought a detailed report on the stampede.
"CM and Deputy CM have come to meet the high command to discuss the RCB incident. The party high command has called them," state PWD Minister Satish Jarkiholi told reporters here.
Jarkiholi said an investigation is underway to determine if there was negligence on the government's part.
"The truth will be known after the investigation report is finalised," he said.
The minister said he was in the national capital to meet Union ministers and discuss state projects.
Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar met the party chief at Indira Bhawan. They are also likely to meet Union ministers on state issues.
The Congress government in the state has come under sharp criticism in the wake of the incident, with opposition BJP and JD(S) holding both CM and Deputy CM directly responsible and demanding their resignation.
The stampede outside the Chinnaswamy Stadium led to 11 deaths and injured 56 people as crowds gathered for Royal Challengers Bengaluru's (RCB) IPL victory celebrations.
Siddaramaiah has distanced himself from the incident, saying he was informed late and that the government did not organise the stadium event.
The tragedy has sparked a controversy, with the Opposition demanding accountability and calling for a special Assembly session to discuss the incident.
BJP leaders have strongly criticised the state government, holding the chief minister and deputy chief minister directly responsible for it.
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Karnataka new excise policy: Local liquor to get costlier, premium may get cheaper
Bengaluru: The state government on Monday rolled out a new excise policy that shifts from the decades-old bulk litre-based system to a model based on alcohol content in beverages, Deccan Herald reported.
Karnataka becomes the first state in India to adopt this model. The change is expected to make lower-priced liquor costlier, while some premium brands may see a reduction in prices.
A senior Excise Department official said: “The policy is being implemented from today (May 11). The Karnataka Excise (Excise Duty and Charges) (2nd Amendment) Rules, 2026, notified after a public consultation on a draft released on April 18, slashes the number of excise slabs from 16 to 8.”
Local liquor manufacturers have alleged that the policy favours multinational companies producing beer and spirits over domestic distilleries.
According to the Karnataka Brewers and Distillers Association (KBDA), the first five slabs, which cater to the common man, house the maximum number of state-owned distilleries and contribute nearly 70-75% of the state’s excise revenue, have seen their Additional Excise Duty (AED) rise by 20-30%.
In contrast, slabs 6 to 8, which include products from multinational companies such as United Spirits, Bacardi, Heineken, Carlsberg, and Anheuser-Busch, have seen AED reduced by 10-15%. The association said that while larger companies can absorb pricing shifts across their diverse portfolios, smaller regional distilleries limited to budget liquor may face volume contraction and potential closure.
A senior KBDA member said the price of a 180 ml bottle in the lowest slab, which was around Rs 63 last year, has already risen to Rs 80, and the new policy is set to push that price further to Rs 105 a jump driven by a 42.8% tax bracket.
