Siddaramaiah gets Delhi summons over complaints to Digvijay

New Delhi, Jul 1: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has been summoned to Delhi by the central leadership of the Congress.

The chief minister will attend a meeting with the leaders on July 2, where the debacle in the Lok Sabha elections in the State is likely to be assessed. Siddaramaiah is expected to have a tough time at the meeting.

The development comes in the wake of several legislators and leaders blaming him for the party 's poor show at the hustings.

Digvijay Singh, the Karnataka in-charge of the party 's affairs, had a two-day brainstorming meeting with legislators and other leaders in Bangalore recently.

He is understood to have conveyed his opinion on the complaints against the chief minister.

Singh will also place his report before former Union Minister A K Antony, who has been asked by the party high command to prepare an analysis on the poor performance of the party at the national level in the Lok Sabha polls.

Antony, who is scheduled to hold a meeting with Karnataka leaders on July 2 to discuss the poll outcome, is likely to hold a separate meeting with Siddaramaiah and confront him with complaints against him, sources told Deccan Herald.

The former defence minister is also expected to seek the opinion of KPCC chief Parameshwara, who has also been asked to come to Delhi, about the complaints from legislators.

Antony will finally submit his report to party president Sonia Gandhi.

Though Singh held an open discussion with leaders in Bangalore, it is learnt that a large number of leaders, including MLAs and some MPs, met him separately and blamed Siddaramaiah and his team for the poor performance in the polls.

The party was hoping to win 18 to 20 seats, based on the performance in the Assembly elections, but it managed to win only nine.

The State leaders are of the view that the chief minister should be held responsible for the poor show and wanted Siddaramaiah 's style of functioning to change.

Siddaramaiah should take party leaders into confidence. Despite the Congress being in power, the party finished behind the BJP in 136 Assembly segments, they reportedly said.

The leaders are believed to have told Singh that major communities like Lingayats and Vokkaligas are very unhappy with the functioning of the government.

The two communities are feeling that the Congress-led government has completely ignored them.

The chief minister and a few of his associates in the government have nominated their own people to the Council, the leaders are said to have complained to Singh.

A coterie surrounding the chief ministers, mainly leaders who had quit the JD(S) to join the Congress, were having an upper hand in decision making, while original Congressmen were completely ignored, the leaders are learnt to have complained.

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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.

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