'No cabinet reshuffle on cards': DK Shivakumar dismisses rumours over Karnataka government
"No cabinet reshuffle is on the cards. Myself and the chief minister are meeting central ministers to discuss various state issues," Shivakumar told reporters.
When asked about the buzz that he will take over as chief minister after completion of two-and-half-years of the Congress government in the state, Shivakumar termed it media speculation and clarified there is no such plan.
The Karnataka Congress has been under scrutiny over reports of a rotational chief minister arrangement between Shivakumar and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah following the party's victory in the 2023 Assembly elections.
While both leaders have publicly denied any such formal agreement, speculation continues to persist within party circles.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge had recently said there is no proposal before the party for an immediate reshuffle and that the media would be informed if such a decision were made.
While few ministers are reportedly under scrutiny for performance and corruption concerns, these claims have not been officially acknowledged by the government or party leadership.
Shivakumar said Siddaramaiah is meeting Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to seek permission for an air show that has become a signature event during Mysuru Dasara, celebrated in September-end. He also said four vacant MLC positions will be filled before the next assembly session.
Shivakumar, who also holds the water resources portfolio, said he met Union Environment and Jal Shakti ministers on Tuesday and demanded early clearance of several water projects, including the Yettinahole Project and Kalasa Banduri project.
On the Yettinahole Integrated Water Supply project, the deputy chief minister said the Centre has stalled works in Tumkur and Hassan districts citing forest land issues.
"We have given alternative land and sought early forest clearance so that work can continue," he said.
The project addresses acute drinking water shortages in drought-prone districts of southern Karnataka and aims to supply water to approximately 75 lakh people across 6,657 villages and 38 towns.
The deputy chief minister said he also sought early forest clearance for the Kalasa-Banduri Project from the Centre, saying the tender has already been issued.
In the meeting, he informed that the Goa government issued a show cause notice to Karnataka in 2023 objecting to works falling under Mahadayi Wildlife Sanctuary.
"It is a drinking water project and will not affect Goa. Goa cannot dictate us. Let the central government decide this matter," he said.
He said the state government plans to withdraw a case filed in the Supreme Court in this regard and is taking legal opinion on the same.
Shivakumar also demanded that the Union government issue a gazette notification for the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal verdict concerning the allocation of Krishna river waters among the riparian states of Karnataka, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana.
"Twice the meeting was postponed without any reasons. I was told a meeting will be held this month on this issue," he added.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
India Today
12 minutes ago
- India Today
Tulsi Gabbard releases documents targeting Obama over 2016 Russian interference
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard released newly declassified documents on Wednesday that, according to her, reveal efforts by senior Obama administration officials to politicise intelligence findings related to Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential a press briefing, Gabbard claimed the Obama administration deliberately crafted a 'false narrative' suggesting Russian President Vladimir Putin worked to help Donald Trump win the 2016 evidence has emerged of the most egregious weaponization and politicization of intelligence in American history,' Gabbard said. 'This was not an intelligence failure—it was an intelligence fabrication.'New evidence has emerged of the most egregious weaponization and politicization of intelligence in American history. Per President @realDonaldTrump's directive, I have declassified a @HouseIntel oversight majority staff report that exposes how the Obama Administration DNI Tulsi Gabbard (@DNIGabbard) July 23, 2025 She added that the documents show the January 2017 Intelligence Community Assessment (ICA) was 'manufactured' to falsely implicate Russian support for Trump, to undermine his legitimacy even before he took remarks follow the release of a report initially drafted in 2017 by the Republican-led House Intelligence Committee. According to the report and corroborating details from newly released ODNI memos, the intelligence community's conclusion that Putin favored Trump allegedly lacked the same 'professional rigor' applied to other ECHOES ACCUSATIONSPresident Donald Trump amplified Gabbard's claims, calling Obama the 'ringleader' behind what he described as a 'treasonous conspiracy' to delegitimise his presidency. 'We caught them—Obama, Clinton, Susan Rice, and others. They thought it would all be buried in classified documents, but the truth is coming out,' Trump confirmed that the declassified materials have been referred to the Department of Justice and the FBI for further investigation. 'No matter how powerful, every person involved must be investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,' she ODNI memo released alongside the report names several former intelligence leaders—including ex-DNI James Clapper, former CIA Director John Brennan, and former FBI Director James Comey—as having played key roles in crafting the disputed OFFICE DENOUNCES ALLEGATIONSIn a rare response, former President Obama's office issued a statement strongly rejecting the claims. 'These bizarre allegations are ridiculous and a weak attempt at distraction,' said spokesperson Patrick Rodenbush. 'Nothing in the document undercuts the widely accepted conclusion that Russia sought to influence the 2016 election, though no votes were changed.'Rodenbush pointed to the 2020 bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee report, led by Republican Chairman Marco Rubio, which affirmed that Russia interfered with the intention of aiding Gabbard and Trump insist the documents expose a long-running conspiracy, major media outlets including CNN and The New York Times have noted that the newly released report is a revised version of a 2017 GOP-led independent investigations and Senate findings over the past several years have consistently upheld that Russia engaged in efforts to interfere in the 2016 election, though no direct coordination with the Trump campaign was ever Praises GabbardAt a recent appearance, President Trump praised Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, highlighting her role in releasing documents that allege former President Barack Obama led efforts to manipulate the 2016 election.'Where's Tulsi? She's hotter than everyone,' Trump said, drawing laughter from the crowd. 'She's got the documents. She uncovered that Barack Hussein Obama led a group of people who rigged the election. They cheated—plain and simple.'Trump went on to say that Gabbard assured him there's more to come: 'She told me, 'You've seen nothing yet.' We're very proud of you, Tulsi. What happened wasn't a loss—it was a stolen win.'- EndsTune InMust Watch
Hindustan Times
42 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Opposition bloc will ‘collectively decide' on VP election: Mallikarjun Kharge
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge told HT on Wednesday that the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) will 'collectively take a decision' for the upcoming vice-president election. The Election Commission of India, earlier in the day, announced that it has already started the preparations relating to the vice-presidential elections, 2025. (PTI) The Election Commission of India, earlier in the day, announced that it 'has already started the preparations relating to the vice-presidential elections, 2025. On completion of the preparatory activities, the announcement of the election schedule to the office of the Vice-President of India will follow as soon as possible.' VP Jagdeep Dhankhar resigned on Monday evening, citing health grounds, in an unexpected move that has rocked Parliament for two days. On Wednesday, Kharge told HT, 'We will call a meeting of the INDIA group parties and take a collective decision on what to do for the VP election.' In the last VP election in 2022, the Congress-led Opposition fielded former Union minister Margaret Alva against Dhankhar. The INDIA bloc came into existence next year when more than 30 parties joined hands to fight the Lok Sabha polls. Kharge added that every party needed to be consulted to arrive at a decision and the bloc will act together on issues inside and outside Parliament. A section of the Congress leaders indicated that the INDIA group will decide its candidate depending on several factors, including the National Democratic Alliance's nominee.
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
Age of consent must stay 18: Centre to Supreme Court
The Union government on Wednesday opposed any move to lower the age of consent under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act or introduce exceptions for adolescent relationships, telling the Supreme Court that such dilution, 'even in the name of reform or adolescent autonomy,' would dismantle the statutory shield meant to safeguard minors and risk opening the door to child abuse. The Centre firmly urged the top court to reject any proposition to amend or dilute the age of consent, stating that such a move would embolden exploitative conduct and harm the very children the law seeks to protect. (HT Photo) In its written submissions filed before a bench of justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta, the government underscored that the current threshold of 18 must remain 'strictly and uniformly enforced' to maintain the integrity of child protection laws and uphold the best interests of minors. 'The statutory age of consent fixed at eighteen years must therefore be strictly and uniformly enforced. Any departure from this standard, even in the name of reform or adolescent autonomy, would amount to rolling back decades of progress in child protection law,' the Centre said, adding that 'introducing a legislative close-in-age exception or reducing the age of consent would irrevocably dilute the statutory presumption of vulnerability that lies at the heart of child protection law.' The Centre's categorical stand assumes significance amid a deluge of cases where courts are increasingly confronted with situations involving consensual relationships between adolescents, often leading to the prosecution of young boys under POCSO, even when the alleged victim does not complain of coercion or exploitation. The Centre's response comes in the wake of concerns raised by senior advocate Indira Jaising, who, in her capacity as amicus curiae, had submitted earlier this year that mandatory reporting of all sexual activity involving minors, even consensual encounters between adolescents, was leading to the criminalisation of young people and severely compromising the health rights, privacy, and autonomy of adolescent girls. Jaising and senior advocate Sidharth Luthra are assisting the top court in a 2012 public interest litigation filed by advocate Nipun Saxena. The matter is expected to be taken up again on Thursday. Emphasising the deliberate and coherent statutory policy behind setting 18 as the age of consent, the Centre, however, stated: 'The legislative determination to fix the age of consent at eighteen years, and to treat all sexual activities with a person below that age as an offence irrespective of purported consent, is a product of a deliberate, well-considered and coherent statutory policy.' This policy, the submissions said, is reflected not just in the POCSO Act but also across several legal instruments, including the Indian Penal Code, its successor the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), the Indian Majority Act, the Juvenile Justice Act, and the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act -- all of which view individuals under 18 as legally incapable of full agency in decisions with lasting consequences. 'It is submitted that this policy decision is an outcome of careful and ongoing legislative discussions, considering India's cultural diversity, socio-economic conditions, and the practical challenges faced across the country,' the government said. 'It reflects a clear understanding of the vulnerability of minors, the common occurrence of coercion and manipulation in such situations, and the challenges in proving the absence of consent when minors are involved,' added the submissions, settled by additional solicitor general Aishwarya Bhati. The government also warned that lowering the age of consent would shift focus from the conduct of the accused to the perceived willingness of the child, undermining the spirit of child-centric justice and increasing the risk of victim-blaming. 'A diluted law risks opening the floodgates to trafficking and other forms of child abuse under the garb of consent…such a shift would inevitably lead to the re-victimisation of the child by shifting the focus from the unlawful conduct of the accused to the credibility of the child's version,' it further noted. While acknowledging that some adolescent relationships may be consensual and born out of 'emotional curiosity or mutual attraction,' the Centre maintained that these instances must be left to the courts to evaluate individually, and should not become the basis for legislative change. 'Such instances must be carefully scrutinised by courts on a case-by-case basis, using discretion and sensitivity to the facts. This judicial discretion, however, is distinct from legislative dilution. The moment the statute begins to generalise such exceptions, it weakens the bright-line protective standard that currently acts as a deterrent and shield for all children,' the submissions stated. Referring to data cited by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Human Resource Development in its 240th Report, the government highlighted that more than 50% of sexual offences against children are perpetrated by persons known to the victim, including family members, caregivers, and teachers, which, it said, are relationships often marked by a power imbalance that prevents children from resisting or reporting abuse. 'In such cases, presenting 'consent' as a defence only victimises the child, shifts the blame onto them, and undermines the very object of POCSO to protect children from exploitation regardless of whether they were 'willing',' the Centre said. It further asserted that strict liability under POCSO is not punitive but protective, recognising that minors, regardless of physical maturity, are often incapable of giving informed consent, especially under social, familial, or economic pressure. 'This principle is not confined to a single enactment but is consistently reflected across multiple enactments…This formulation is a deliberate choice, grounded in the recognition that minors lack the legal and developmental capacity to give meaningful and informed consent in matters involving sexual activity,' the government submitted. Invoking international commitments, the Centre also pointed to India's obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), which defines a child as anyone under 18 and mandates States to protect them from all forms of sexual exploitation and abuse. The POCSO Act, it added, was 'enacted in direct response to this obligation, codifying a strict liability regime wherein all sexual acts with children under 18 are criminalised, irrespective of perceived consent.' The Centre firmly urged the top court to reject any proposition to amend or dilute the age of consent, stating that such a move would embolden exploitative conduct and harm the very children the law seeks to protect.
