New Delhi: In the wake of the stampede at Bengaluru’s M. Chinnaswamy Stadium during Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) IPL victory celebrations — a tragedy that claimed 11 lives and left over 45 injured — Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM D.K. Shivakumar met Congress High Command in New Delhi this morning. 

The incident has sparked widespread public outrage and put the ruling Congress Government in Karnataka on the defensive, with the Opposition BJP-JD(S) combine intensifying its attack.

In response, the top state leaders flew to the national capital to brief the central leadership on the circumstances surrounding the tragedy, the State Government’s handling of the crisis and the growing political backlash.

At Congress headquarters in Indira Gandhi Bhavan, Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar met senior party leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, Leader of Opposition in LS; AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge; AICC General Secretary K.C. Venugopal and Karnataka in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala. The closed-door meeting began at 11.15 am and lasted over two hours.

During the meeting, the Karnataka leaders are said to have submitted a detailed explanation, supported by documents and reports, defending the Government’s position and clarifying what led to the tragic stampede.

The aim was to ensure the central leadership was fully briefed on the facts before the issue escalates further, especially with the Opposition continuing to mount pressure.

Sources indicated that apart from the stampede fallout, the discussions also touched upon internal matters such as a possible Cabinet expansion or reshuffle, the nomination of party leaders to the Legislative Council and other issues concerning the organisation of the party in the State.

While D.K. Shivakumar arrived in Delhi yesterday, CM Siddaramaiah reached the capital early this morning to join the high-level consultation. The meeting comes at a critical juncture, as the Congress leadership is reportedly concerned about the political repercussions of the tragedy, particularly in view of the upcoming local body elections.