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Last Updated:June 10, 2025, 21:25 IST

Senior Congress leader KC Venugopal said the current political situation of Karnataka and the stampede incident in Bengaluru were also discussed during the meeting

Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah and his deputy DK Shivakumar met the Congress top brass at the new headquarters in Delhi on June 10. (Image: PTI/File)

Karnataka deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar on Tuesday shot down any possibility of a change of guard in the state government, saying “nothing is on the cards”.

“Nothing is on the cards. The general secretary has spoken. It is one voice, one party,” Shivakumar said as he and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah met the Congress top brass at the new headquarters in Delhi.

According to sources, Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar met senior Congress leaders and discussed various issues, including the June 4 stampede in Bengaluru. Party president Mallikarjun Kharge and opposition leader Rahul Gandhi expressed their displeasure over the involvement of the state government in the IPL victory celebrations of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) during which 11 people lost their lives in the stampede, the sources said.

Congress general secretary, organisation, KC Venugopal and the general secretary incharge for Karnataka, Randeep Surjewala, were also present during the three-hour discussion on state issues at the Indira Bhawan, where the party leadership told Siddaramaiah that the Congress government in the state should adopt a pro-people approach.

A source said Rahul Gandhi told Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar that human lives are of great value to the Congress party and the government has to be responsive towards people.

“…We also discussed the current political situation and the recent unfortunate incident in Bengaluru. PCC President (Shivakumar) briefed the party leadership on the incident and the action taken by the state government….” Venugopal told reporters after the meeting.

The Congress government in Karnataka has faced sharp criticism from the opposition BJP and JD(S), with both parties holding the chief minister and his deputy directly responsible for the tragedy and demanding their resignation. They have also sought a special Assembly session to discuss the incident.

The stampede took place on June 4 in front of the Chinnaswamy stadium, where a large number of people had gathered to take part in the RCB team’s IPL victory celebrations.

Venugopal said they briefed the leadership about the Bengaluru incident and the action taken by the state government. The CM was asked by the central leadership to present a report on the stampede incident, he said.

“Certainly, we are very much concerned about every human life and so is our party. An unfortunate incident happened and the Government of Karnataka has already ordered a judicial inquiry to know what really happened,” he said.

Not going into the specifics of the ongoing judicial inquiry into the stampede incident, he stressed that the Congress had a “clear view that there should be a clear-cut pro-people attitude on this issue”.

WHAT DID CM SIDDARAMAIAH SAY?

Siddaramaiah has distanced himself from the stampede incident. He has said he was informed late, and that the government did not organise the stadium event.

But, after the meeting with Congress leadership, he said as the topmost representatives of the state government, he and Shivakumar gave a briefing on the action taken in the stampede incident. He, however, said the Kumbh Mela incident should also be discussed in the same breath as the one in Bengaluru.

“We discussed the recent tragic incident and explained the measures we have taken. A magisterial inquiry is underway, and a judicial commission has been appointed, led by retired Justice Michael Cunha. Five police officers have been suspended, intelligence officers have been transferred, and the political secretary has been relieved,” he said.

He added: “We explained these actions, and there is a consensus that the measures taken are appropriate… The Kumbh Mela incident should be discussed first before addressing this issue. I am not using the Kumbh Mela deaths to defend this incident. When people die, it is human to feel sorrow. This incident should not be politicised.”

(With PTI inputs)

News Desk

The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, the Desk d…Read More

The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, the Desk d… Read More

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