Is Congress High Command Supporting K'taka Leadership on Stampede Enquiry?

Synopsis
The Congress high command reassures Karnataka leaders of its non-interference during the ongoing judicial enquiry into the tragic stampede incident that claimed 11 lives. AICC General Secretary K.C. Venugopal emphasizes the party's concern for human life while discussing the caste census and central government allocations.
Key Takeaways
- Concerns raised by Congress over the stampede incident.
- Judicial enquiry initiated by the Karnataka government.
- Caste census discussions were paramount during the meeting.
- Re-enumeration process suggested for accurate data collection.
- Criticism of the central government regarding funding allocations.
Bengaluru, June 10 (NationPress) The Congress high command expressed its concerns regarding the tragic stampede that resulted in the loss of 11 precious lives to Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar on Tuesday. However, they clarified that the party would refrain from interfering with the government's operations during the ongoing judicial enquiry.
AICC National General Secretary K.C. Venugopal conveyed this message to the press in New Delhi on Tuesday.
Prior to this, CM Siddaramaiah and Dy CM Shivakumar, who also serves as the Karnataka Congress chief, met with national leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, and Mallikarjun Kharge, AICC President. They provided an update on the stampede that occurred during the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) victory celebrations on June 4.
Karnataka in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala was also part of this significant meeting.
Venugopal stated, "We discussed the current political landscape, including the unfortunate and tragic stampede incident in Bengaluru. The CM and Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) President briefed the leadership about the event and the subsequent actions taken by the Karnataka government."
"We genuinely care about every human life. Our party values each life immensely. This unfortunate incident occurred, and the Karnataka government has initiated a judicial enquiry to ascertain the details," Venugopal added.
He emphasized, "Throughout the judicial enquiry, the party prefers to avoid delving deeply into the details. However, generally speaking, the party believes that there should be a clear pro-people stance in this matter as well."
Additionally, the meeting addressed the caste census conducted by the Karnataka government.
On the caste census topic, the Congress party acknowledges that the actions taken by the Karnataka government regarding the census should be supported in principle. Nevertheless, he mentioned that some individuals harbor concerns about the counting process and highlighted that the census conducted by the Karnataka government a decade ago contains outdated data.
"We have advised the CM to undertake a re-enumeration process within a reasonable timeframe, such as 60 to 70 days, whatever the CM and the government deem appropriate. We have decided to proceed with the re-enumeration of these figures," he affirmed.
He further pointed out, "Not many issues were raised today. The central government's approach is particularly significant. They are entirely neglecting Karnataka in terms of Plan allocation. The central allocation to Karnataka is completely unacceptable."
"They are marginalizing Karnataka. The injustice perpetrated by the Narendra Modi government against the people of Karnataka is intolerable. These are the matters we discussed during the meeting," he remarked.