NEW DELHI, June 10 — The Congress high command on Tuesday issued a stern message to Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy DK Shivakumar, expressing displeasure over the loss of 11 lives during a stampede at Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. The tragedy occurred during a public celebration following Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s IPL triumph.
Party president Mallikarjun Kharge and senior leader Rahul Gandhi reportedly conveyed that “human lives are far more important than political optics,” rebuking the state leadership for attending the crowded victory celebrations amid safety lapses.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had earlier stated that he was not involved in organizing the event. “I was not a part of the planning or hosting. I only attended to greet the public and celebrate with them,” he clarified following the incident.
However, the party’s top brass was unconvinced. Both Kharge and Rahul Gandhi underlined that preventing such tragedies was the state government’s foremost duty, regardless of who hosted the event.
In a separate directive, the central leadership also pressed the state government to address growing unrest around the caste census conducted a decade ago. Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar were urged to initiate a recount to include groups that were allegedly left out of the earlier survey.
“The concerns of uncounted communities must be addressed to ensure justice and representation,” a party insider said, summarizing the leadership’s message.
The twin rebukes underscore the Congress leadership’s concern about governance in Karnataka amid mounting public criticism following the stampede and growing demands for updated caste data.
