Let BJP make a Dalit PM: CM

Strap: Siddaramaih says RSS sidelined Modi, challenges BJP to walk the Dalit talk

In a fiery counter to the BJP’s recent challenge, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah claimed that Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat had already signalled Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s political retirement now that he has turned 75.

He urged the BJP to use this “golden opportunity” to name a Dalit as its next Prime Minister. The mid-week remarks were aimed at Karnataka BJP president B Y Vijayendra, who had dared the Congress to declare Mallikarjun Kharge as its PM candidate to prove its commitment to Dalits and backward classes.

“Kharge is not just our AICC president, but a seasoned statesman. His rise is not due to any ‘Dalit card’ but decades of hard work, honesty, and leadership. In the Congress, it’s the party—not the BJP—that chooses its PM face,” Siddaramaiah said.

Siddaramaiah then flipped the script. “Instead of throwing challenges, why doesn’t Vijayendra name a Dalit leader as the BJP’s Prime Ministerial candidate? Be it Govind Karjol or Chalavadi Narayanaswamy—if he proposes their names, I’ll be the first to congratulate him,” he said.

Accusing the BJP of using Dalit leaders as political tokens, Siddaramaiah said the party’s track record shows a lack of genuine empowerment. “Look at Bangaru Laxman—a Dalit elevated to BJP national president, only to be humiliated, jailed, and forgotten. That disgrace led to his death,” he said.

Earlier, Vijayendra had questioned the Congress’s commitment to marginalised communities, claiming the Gandhis would never allow Kharge to become PM. Siddaramaiah dismissed the comments, calling Vijayendra “a state president who can’t even keep his chair steady”.

He also questioned the BJP’s celebration of figures like President Droupadi Murmu and A P J Abdul Kalam. “Why has Murmu never been projected as PM? Why does the BJP not have a single Muslim MP in the current Lok Sabha?” he asked.

Siddaramaiah accused the BJP of stifling backward-class leaders, citing S Bangarappa’s marginalisation under B S Yediyurappa and the sidelining of his son, Kumar Bangarappa, by Vijayendra. “If Vijayendra truly cares, he should resign and recommend Govind Karjol as BJP’s Karnataka president and CM face. But he won’t—because the BJP only uses Dalit leaders to pull others down, never to lift them up,” Siddaramaiah said.

Dharmasthala burials: Ex-SC judge seeks SIT probe

OB Bureau

A day after a delegation of lawyers met Chief Minister Siddaramaiah over the Dharmasthala secret burials case, former Supreme Court judge Justice V Gopala Gowda on Thursday issued a stern appeal for police protection for the whistleblower and his legal team, warning of threats and systemic delays in the investigation.

The whistleblower, a former sanitation worker, has alleged that between 1998 and 2014, he secretly buried multiple women’s bodies—many showing signs of sexual assault—in Dharmasthala. He claimed he was threatened into silence and only recently came forward with a formal complaint.

“It has been three weeks since the complaint was filed, and the investigation has barely moved. When the witness himself has stepped up, this kind of inaction suggests the case is being influenced or deliberately slowed down,” Justice Gowda said at a press conference in Bangalore.

The former judge also alleged that the whistleblower’s magistrate statement had been leaked, a serious breach of procedure. Calling it a “grave matter”, he demanded that the government order a Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe, monitored by a retired high court judge to ensure independence and credibility.

“I have reliable information that advocates handling this case are being intimidated. They, too, deserve full police protection,” he said.

The legal team’s charter of demands includes:

• Formation of a dedicated forensic science cell for the case
• Video documentation of all investigative steps
• Thorough crime scene mapping
• Immediate arrest and custodial interrogation of any individual found involved—“no matter how influential”

The whistleblower has reportedly identified multiple burial spots but no public excavation has taken place yet. With mounting public pressure and growing legal scrutiny, all eyes are now on the state government to act—or be accused of looking away.

Gold smuggling rap: No bail for Ranya or a year

OB Bureau

Kannada actress Ranya Rao, arrested in March for allegedly smuggling over Rs 12 crore worth of gold, will remain behind bars for up to a year. The Cofeposa Advisory Board has confirmed the Centre’s preventive detention order against her under the Conservation of Foreign Exchange and Prevention of Smuggling Activities (Cofeposa) Act, denying her bail for the duration.

The detention, issued on April 22 by the Central Economic Intelligence Bureau at the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI)’s request, was pending the Board’s approval. It was cleared this week by a panel led by Karnataka High Court judge Justice K S Mudgal, with Justices E S Indiresh and B S Shyam Prasad.

 

Ranya, 34, arrested at Kempegowda International Airport on March 3 after arriving from Dubai, was allegedly caught with 14.2 kg of gold concealed in her luggage. The gold’s market value was estimated at Rs 12.56 crore. DRI officials said her travel history raised red flags—she reportedly flew solo to Dubai 34 times between 2023 and 2025. A raid at her home later uncovered gold jewellery worth Rs 2.06 crore and Rs 2.67 crore in cash.

She is being held under Cofeposa, which permits preventive detention for up to one year, even without a chargesheet, based on suspicion of serious economic offences.

Two other accused—Telugu actor Virat Konduru (alias Tarun Konduru Raju), 36, a US passport holder, and hawala dealer Sahil Sakariya Jain, 26—face identical detention orders under Cofeposa. The same Advisory Board has confirmed their detentions. A three-month review is expected, but release is unlikely unless new grounds are presented.

While default bail was granted to Ranya under the Customs Act due to DRI’s delay in filing a chargesheet, she couldn’t avail it because of the Cofeposa order. Her bail plea is listed in the Karnataka High Court next week, alongside a habeas corpus petition filed by her mother Rohini H P.

Ranya faces charges under Sections 135 and 104 of the Customs Act, and inquiries under Section 108 are ongoing. Her legal team alleges procedural lapses and document manipulation by DRI, calling the charges compoundable.

Despite legal wrangling, Ranya remains locked up—and her silver screen comeback looks a long way off.