Parameshwara to remain KPCC chief; has Digvijaya's word for it

Bengaluru, Apr 19: AICC general secretary in charge of Karnataka Digvijaya Singh on Tuesday said there is neither a vacancy for the KPCC president’s post nor is there a contest for it in the state Congress.

G Parameshwara is the KPCC president. The party high command will take an appropriate decision on appointing the new president, if necessary, he told reporters who sought his reaction to speculation in political circles that the high command may appoint a new party chief.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is learnt to have recently suggested to the high command that appointment of a new party president will help strengthen the organisation ahead of the 2018 Assembly elections. A number of party leaders, including D K Shivakumar, M B Patil, K H Muniyappa and S R Patil, have been lobbying for the party president’s post.

Singh, who on Monday met senior party leaders to discuss preparations for next year’s Assembly elections, is learnt to have elicited opinions of the state leaders on appointing a new president. Parameshwara, too, has been making efforts to continue in the post.

On expanding the council of ministers and nominating members to the Karnataka Legislative Council, the AICC general secretary said the chief minister will take an appropriate decision in this regard.

This apart, senior leaders are learnt to have decided to commence the process of shortlisting probable candidates to contest the 2018 Assembly elections. To begin with, probable candidates will be identified in constituencies where the party failed to win in the last elections. An Assembly constituency-wise panel will be formed for this purpose, sources in the party said.

The leaders also decided to organise a convention of all castes, including upper castes, across the state in order to woo them. The state unit has so far focused only on Dalits and backward classes. People belonging to upper castes should not be neglected, the leaders are learnt to have resolved.

In Hubballi, interacting with journalists, Digvijaya Singh said the party will face the 2018 Assembly elections under the leadership of Siddaramaiah. After the elections, the newly elected MLAs would select the chief minister.

On the victory in the byelections, he said it reaffirms the fact that the Congress is giving a clean and progressive administration.

“It has proven that if the party fights elections unitedly, then none can defeat it,” he added. Replying to a question, he said EVMs used in the byelections were not tampered with.

Disciplinary action

Digvijaya Singh said a committee headed by senior party leader A K Antony will decide on the action to be taken against party leaders Janardhana Poojary and H Vishwanath for their reported anti-party statements

Comments

Add new comment

Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.

QR-code tips power Mangaluru's major drug bust: 25 arrested in 2 weeks

News Network

December 16,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 16: The Mangaluru City police have significantly escalated their campaign against drug trafficking, arresting 25 individuals and booking 12 cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act between November 30 and December 13. The crackdown resulted in the seizure of a substantial quantity of illicit substances, including 685.6 grams of MDMA and 1.5 kg of ganja.

The success of this recent drive has been significantly boosted by the city’s innovative, QR code-based anonymous reporting system.

"The anonymous reporting system has received an encouraging response. Several recent arrests were made based on inputs received through this system, helping police tighten the noose around drug peddlers," said the City Police Commissioner.

The latest arrests contribute to a robust year-to-date record, underscoring the police's relentless commitment to combating the drug menace.

Up to December 14 this year, the police have registered a total of 107 cases of drug peddling, leading to the arrest of 219 peddlers. Furthermore, they have booked 562 cases of drug consumption, resulting in the arrest of 671 individuals.

The scale of the seizure for the year reflects the magnitude of the problem being tackled: police have seized 320.6 kg of ganja worth ₹88.7 lakh and 1.4 kg of MDMA valued at ₹1.2 crore. Other significant seizures include hydro-weed ganja worth ₹94.7 lakh and cocaine worth ₹1.9 lakh, among others.

The Commissioner emphasized a policy of rigorous enforcement: "We ensure that peddlers are caught red-handed so that they cannot later dispute the case or claim innocence."

To counter the rising trend of substance abuse among youth, the Mangaluru City police have rolled out uniform guidelines for random drug testing across educational institutions.

As part of the drive, tests were conducted in approximately 100 institutions, screening an estimated 5,500 to 6,000 students in the first phase. 20 students tested positive for drug consumption during the initial screening.

Students who tested positive have been provided counselling and are scheduled for re-testing in the second quarter. The testing will also be expanded to students not covered in the first phase. In a move to ensure strict implementation, police personnel were deployed in mufti in some institutions. Reiterating a zero-tolerance stance, the Commissioner confirmed that random testing will continue, and colleges have also been instructed to conduct drug tests at the time of admission to deter substance abuse from an early stage.

Comments