Anantkumar Hegde says his Twitter account blocked
Bengaluru: Former Union minister and controversial BJP MP Anantkumar Hegde on Sunday said his Twitter account has been blocked and accused the microblogging site of taking an 'anti-India stand' and acting "with very prejudiced intentions'.
The MP from Uttara Kannada has also written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi against the 'Digital colonisation' by a a corporate entity.
Hegde, in a Facebook post on Sunday said he took offence against a Khalistan supporter and the 'hidden agenda of the Tablighi Jamaat movement within India'.
He said he had written to the Prime Minister and Home Minister Amit Shah on April 20 against Gurupatwant Singh Pannun advocating independence of Punjab through formation of Khalistan.
"As a consequence of the two bold steps taken by me, on April 24, 2020 my official Twitter account got blocked by Twitter India Inc.," the MP alleged in the post.
The MP shared the message he received from Twitter where he was asked to delete the tweets that violate it's rules. Twitter also said that if he felt that it has made a mistake, he can appeal the violation. Hegde said he would not delete the tweet "because it was to expose the wrong being done under the umbrella of a religion."
"Undoubtedly I am not against any religion, but being an Indian, I will never allow any person or organisation to spread hatred or to provoke people to indulge in any anti- social or anti-national activity.
I stand affirm on my statement and will defend it strongly," Hegde stated.
The MP wrote to Modi on Saturday against Twitter India about "selective targeting" of several national handles and pro-Indian handles by suspending or locking rampantly in the past few months.
He alleged that the Twitter account of decorated veterans had been suspended without notice. He also charged some twitter handles with targetting the Prime Minister and Home Minister for their own pecuniary interests.
Hegde demanded that the selective targeting by Twitter be investigated. Hegde has a history of making controversial remarks.
Earlier this month, the state Congress had accused him of giving a call that Tablighi people should be shot down in the backdrop of a religious meet of the organisation in Delhi turning into a coroanvirus hotspot.
In February this year, he had reportedly claimed that the entire freedom movement was staged with the consent and support of the British, and the independence movement led by Mahatma Gandhi was a "drama",drawing the BJP leadership's ire.
He had earlier opposed the state celebrations of Tipu Jayanti during Congress rule in Karnataka since it was started in 2015 and had called the festival a "shameful event glorifying a brutal killer."
In 2017, as a union minister he had kicked up a row saying that the Constitution would be changed, but later apologised in the Lok Sabha after facing flak.
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Aditya Birla Group-led consortium acquires RCB for USD 1.78 billion
Bengaluru (PTI): A consortium led by the Aditya Birla Group (ABG) on Tuesday acquired 100 percent equity stake in IPL franchise Royal Challengers Bengaluru for a whopping USD 1.78 billion (approximately Rs 16,706 crore) from its current owner the United Spirits Limited.
Other parties involved in the group are -- Blackstone’s perpetual private equity strategy, BXPE, a firm of which Viral Patel is the CEO, Bolt Ventures, owned by American investor David Blitzer, and media conglomerate Times of India.
“United Spirits Limited, pursuant to the meeting of its Board of Directors, today announced that it has entered into definitive agreements for the sale of the 100 percent equity stake held in its wholly owned subsidiary Royal Challengers Sports Private Limited (RCSPL) to a consortium,” the USL said in a statement.
“The consortium comprises Aditya Birla Group (ABG), The Times of India Group (Times), Bolt Ventures (Bolt), and Blackstone’s perpetual private equity strategy, BXPE (Blackstone) for a total consideration of INR 166.6 bn in an all cash transaction,” the statement added.
The transaction includes RCB's men’s and women’s (WPL) teams.
“RCSPL owns and operates Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) franchises that participate in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and Women’s Premier League (WPL).
“Upon completion of this transaction, the consortium will, through its ownership of RCSPL, acquire the rights to own and operate the IPL and WPL franchise,” said the USL.
The announcement also concluded the strategic review of RCSPL that was initiated by USL on November 5, 2025.
The United Spirits Limited is a subsidiary of UK-Diageo, and they were keen to move away from RCB as the team was not central to their business plans.
Commenting on the transaction, Praveen Someshwar, MD & CEO, USL, said: “This transaction marks an important milestone for USL as we sharpen focus on our core beverage alcohol business to unlock its true potential. RCB has grown into the most prominent and commercially successful franchise in the IPL and WPL.
“We are excited for the future of RCB under the stewardship of the new owner. As Sports enters a new phase of growth in India & globally, we believe this is in the best interest of the franchise and our stakeholders.”
Kumar Mangalam Birla, Chairman, Aditya Birla Group, said, “Over the past 2 decades, the IPL has morphed to become a global sporting powerhouse that has changed the face of Indian cricket creating enormous value for India.
“RCB, as one of the most compelling franchises in modern sport, offers the Aditya Birla Group a distinctive platform to extend its legacy of institution-building into the arena of global sport.”
As per the sale agreement, Aryaman Vikram Birla, ABG’s director, will be the chairman of RCB while Satyan Gajwani of Times of India will be his deputy.
Aryaman Birla, said: “It is a privilege to come together in this partnership to shape the next phase of growth for RCB. This partnership brings together a deep understanding of sports, media and consumer businesses.
“Together, we will continue to Play Bold -- on the pitch, in the community, and for the fans who make RCB what it is.”
Gajwani, Chairman, Times Internet Limited, said: “RCB is the reigning champion and the most popular brand in the IPL. We will build RCB into a global sporting institution, while remaining rooted in Bengaluru and Karnataka and its incredible fanbase.”
Blitzer hoped to build on RCB’s recent success.
“RCB has a world-class fanbase, and the IPL is one of the great growth stories in global sport. Having invested in clubs and leagues around the world, I believe the opportunity at RCB stands out.
We look forward to working alongside our partners and the BCCI to build on the franchise’s championship success,” he said.
Patel praised the RCB as one of the strongest sporting brands in the world.
“We are excited to invest in RCB, building on Blackstone’s long-standing commitment to India. RCB stands out as one of the most popular sports franchises in the world with a powerful brand, a loyal fan base, and multiple avenues for growth,” he added.
However, formalities such as ratification from the BCCI, IPL Governing Council, its WPL counterpart and the Competition Commission of India are still pending.
Earlier, IPL franchise Rajasthan Royals was acquired by US-based Kal Somani-led consortium for USD 1.63 billion (approx Rs 15,290 crore),
The Somani-led consortium includes Rob Walton from the Walmart family and Hamp family (Ford motor company).
Somani is an Arizona-based tech entrepreneur who has founded IntraEdge (technology services and solutions), Truyo.Ai (data privacy rights and AI governance) and Academian (edtech services).
The other contenders to buy the team, which won the inaugural trophy in 2008, were the Times Internet-led consortium, the Aditya Birla Group and the Mittal family led by ArcelorMittal CEO Aditya Mittal.
