Sonia, Kharge, Rahul, Akhilesh join Opposition leaders in protest against SIR
Read:Parliament Monsoon session LIVE Day 6
Ahead of the day's proceedings in Parliament, top Opposition MPs, including Ms. Sonia Gandhi, Mr. Kharge, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Samajwadi Party's Akhilesh Yadav, TMC's Derek O'Brien and Sagarika Ghose, DMK's Kanimozhi and A. Raja, besides others, raised slogans and protested against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar.
There was a huge banner in front of them which read 'SIR- Attack on Democracy' as they lined up on and near the steps of the Makar Dwar of Parliament and staged a protest for the fifth consecutive day.
With 'Stop SIR' placards in hand, several MPs of the opposition, including those of the Congress, DMK, TMC, Samajwadi Party, RJD and Left parties, participated in the protest and raised slogans.
The Opposition has been protesting in both Houses of Parliament against the SIR, alleging the EC's exercise was aimed at "disenfranchising voters" in Bihar ahead of the Assembly elections. They have been demanding a discussion on the issue in both Houses.
On Friday (July 25, 2025), several MPs of the INDIA bloc parties, including Mr. Kharge and Mr. Rahul Gandhi, had held an unusual protest in the Parliament House complex against the voter roll revision in Bihar by tearing posters with 'SIR' written on them and putting them in a 'disposal bin'.
They had also staged a protest march in the complex, demanding the rollback as well as a discussion on the issue in both Houses.
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29 minutes ago
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Calling himself an 'organisational man", his recent call inviting JD(S) workers to join the Congress—while claiming the party will remain in power in Karnataka forever—was yet another instance of this organisational push. For Shivakumar, timing and location always matter—and are always strategic. Recently, at the Congress government's Sadhana Samavesha event in Maddur, organised to launch development works worth Rs 1,146 crore, he made an open call asking JD(S) workers not to waste their time in the regional party and instead join the Congress. He made this offer right in the backyard of his arch political rival and union minister HD Kumaraswamy. Still smarting from the Lok Sabha loss of Shivakumar's brother DK Suresh to BJP's CN Manjunath—Kumaraswamy's brother-in-law—the KPCC president is looking to reshape the political map and perhaps even reclaim his brother's seat. Shivakumar's sharp statement—'The Congress flag will fly high in the future in Karnataka. 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The Congress gave him a ticket to contest from Maddur, and he won. Shivakumar then took the opportunity to praise him in Maddur for donating property worth Rs 2 crore for a Congress Bhavan. 'My initial thought was to field Gurucharan, nephew of SM Krishna, from Maddur. But the survey report was in favour of Uday, and today he has won the seat for the Congress," the deputy CM said. When Shivakumar was asked about Uday's alleged involvement in Operation Lotus, he defended him: 'He did whatever he did, as he was in the opposition." From the beginning, Shivakumar has made it clear that his organisational strategy is borrowed from the RSS playbook. 'The Congress, until now, has been a mass-based party. We should now look at converting it into a cadre-based one under my leadership in the state," he said. He explained that the RSS and BJP's cadre-based training had helped them gain political momentum across the country, and that the RSS's strategy of identifying young minds, grooming cadres, and inducting them into the BJP has always yielded good results. 'I have designed my own model for Karnataka, and I have convinced senior leaders about how I plan to work it out. The Congress has its own base, strengths, and history, and with collective leadership and boosting the morale of the cadre, we will be able to achieve a lot," he told this reporter back in 2019. And now, it's evident that Shivakumar has been methodically working towards this cadre-based strategy. 'One by one, party worker by party worker—we know all of them are disillusioned in the JD(S). We are giving them an out, giving them a political revival. If they join the Congress under DK Shi (as Shivakumar is fondly called by his supporters), they will be able to work for a national party that has gained much ground and appreciation among people for its welfare schemes," said a close associate of the deputy CM and KPCC chief. In May this year, Shivakumar struck deep into the JD(S) heartland of Hassan—home turf of party patriarch HD Deve Gowda—by orchestrating the defection of 12 JD(S) and 4 BJP leaders to the Congress. The event was made into a grand show, with Shivakumar using the opportunity to send a loud political message. A senior leader from his home turf of Kanakapura put it simply: 'Shivakumar wants to sweep the 2028 assembly polls. Nothing can stop him now. The only thing needed is voter support—and that, he already has." Shivakumar, while addressing the gathering, said that he had made an offer to JD(S) workers and not legislators. 'They (JDS MLAs) are taking care of their future, but they are not doing anything at the local level. How long do the party workers have to wait?" Shivakumar explained, justifying why he was inviting them into the Congress fold with open arms. In 2023, Shivakumar extended this strategy to BJP workers in Channapatna—the constituency of then chief minister HD Kumaraswamy. He wrote a letter inviting BJP workers from the taluk to join the Congress, showing that his party was leaving nothing to chance in building ground-level support ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. 'The doors will always be open to all those BJP leaders and workers in Channapatna who believe in Congress's ideologies," he said. This was a direct attempt to counter Kumaraswamy in his stronghold. And it set the stage for Shivakumar's next big move. Just 24 hours before the nomination deadline for the Channapatna bypoll, five-time MLA CP Yogeshwar quit the BJP and joined the Congress. A former minister and BJP-nominated MLC, Yogeshwar was upset that the BJP had not given him a ticket. Soon after, he was spotted meeting Shivakumar at his residence in Sadashivanagar, Bengaluru. Yogeshwar's sudden switch caught both the BJP and JD(S) off guard. Shivakumar ensured he was fielded as the Congress candidate against Kumaraswamy's son Nikhil. Nikhil lost—his third electoral defeat—by a margin of 26,000 votes. A win that helped soothe Shivakumar's nerves after his brother's crushing defeat in the Lok Sabha elections from the Bangalore Rural seat—a constituency that also includes Shivakumar's own Kanakapura assembly seat, which he has won undefeated six times. Shivakumar has consistently executed what is now being called his surgical strikes on the BJP and JD(S). In September 2023, over 15 prominent leaders and former corporators from both parties joined the Congress in Bengaluru in his presence. The event—held at the Bharat Jodo Auditorium—saw the likes of former deputy mayor L Srinivas, Prasad Babu, and former taluk panchayat member Anjinappa being welcomed by Shivakumar himself. This was the third major operation in Bengaluru, following earlier efforts in Yeshwantpur and RR Nagar. It was part of his larger plan— Operation Hasta—named after the Congress hand symbol. Under Operation Hasta, the Congress aimed to rope in BJP leaders and deal a blow to the saffron party ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Senior BJP leaders like ST Somashekar and MTB Nagaraj—both originally from the Congress—were reportedly on Shivakumar's radar. While this hasn't materialised fully yet, the groundwork remains in motion. Somashekar had publicly called Shivakumar his guru, saying, 'Whatever I have achieved politically was due to his blessings." His remarks embarrassed the BJP, already in disarray after its crushing defeat in the assembly elections. top videos View all Other discontented BJP leaders—like former ministers N Muniratna and MTB Nagaraj—too have spoken openly about their discomfort within the BJP after joining it, pointing to a growing opportunity for Shivakumar's Congress to strike again. Shivakumar isn't just reshaping the Congress—he's rebuilding it, brick by brick, karyakarta by karyakarta, in the image of the only model that has worked for the BJP: the cadre. Only this time, the hand is on the other side. About the Author Rohini Swamy Rohini Swamy, Associate Editor at News18, has been a journalist for nearly two decades in the television and digital space. She covers south India for News18's digital platform. She has previously worked with More Get Latest Updates on Movies, Breaking News On India, World, Live Cricket Scores, And Stock Market Updates. Also Download the News18 App to stay updated! tags : BJP congress DK Shivakumar karnataka rss view comments Location : Bengaluru, India, India First Published: August 02, 2025, 08:00 IST News politics DK Shivakumar's Sleight Of 'Hand': Karnataka Congress Makeover RSS Style Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
