Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s meeting with Congress general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal, which came in the wake of bribery allegations made by some Karnataka Congress leaders, has sparked discussions in the state unit. Senior leaders maintained that the 20-minute meeting at Venugopal’s residence was a “courtesy call”. Sources said the CM wished to discuss his meeting with President Droupadi Murmu and one with state cabinet ministers.

Taking The Stage

Veteran journalist and IGNCA president Ram Bahadur Rai was seated at the front row of a government event in the capital to mark 50 years of the Emergency. Union Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat walked down to Rai, took him by the hand and led him to the stage where he was then seated. Union Home Minister Amit Shah praised Rai, a former Jansatta news editor who was jailed for over a year during the Emergency, multiple times during the event. Rai, who was part of a committee that led the JP movement, was awarded the Padma Shri in 2015 and the Padma Bhushan this year.