6 months ago
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With a conception of the Congress leaders hoping that the precocious bid volition bring an extremity to the disorder caused by the tussle implicit leadership, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge connected Sunday — without naming anyone — blamed the section leaders for having created the confusion.
“Congress precocious bid has not created immoderate confusion. It is immoderate leaders successful the State [Congress] who are doing it,” Mr. Kharge told presspersons successful Kalaburagi connected Sunday.
He was responding to queries implicit a missive sent to him by immoderate leaders seeking involution to resoluteness the infighting successful the State portion of the party. “I person not received immoderate specified missive truthful far. I volition effort to recognize the volition of it erstwhile it reaches me.”
For implicit 2 months, the tussle implicit enactment betwixt Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar has intensified with nationalist statements being issued by their followers successful favour of their leaders.
‘Power-sharing pact’
The authorities crossing the midway people of its tenure connected November 20 has rekindled speculation implicit a “power-sharing agreement” betwixt the 2 leaders, who are present looking astatine the party’s precocious bid for a resolution.
Cautioning against projecting the Congress arsenic being babelike connected 1 person, Mr. Kharge said, “No 1 should assertion that they unsocial brought the enactment to powerfulness oregon built the Congress. The enactment has been built by its workers. Every person and idiosyncratic had a relation successful strengthening the party.”
Amid the amusement of one-upmanship by some camps, Mr. Shivakumar met his fierce hostile and sacked erstwhile Minister K.N. Rajanna, who has been publically supporting Mr. Siddaramaiah to implicit the afloat five- twelvemonth term, connected Saturday night.
While some leaders did not uncover the intent of the meeting, it is learnt that Mr. Shivakumar wanted to connection truce successful his bid to instrumentality each person into assurance arsenic helium mounts unit connected the Chief Minister. The Deputy Chief Minister had besides met Public Works Minister Satish Jarkiholi, different confidant of the Chief Minister recently.
Sources said that the gathering was to besides question Mr. Rajanna’s enactment to Congress MLC S. Ravi, a comparative of Mr. Shivakumar, successful the predetermination to the station of Apex Bank president.
‘Rajanna is adjacent to maine too’
“Is Chief Minister adjacent to him (Mr. Rajanna)? He (Mr. Rajanna) is adjacent to maine too. Who is not adjacent to him (Mr. Rajanna)? I made Mr. Rajanna the president of Apex Bank during S.M. Krishna’s word arsenic Chief Minister. All Congress leaders are moving together. We are each friends and colleagues,” Mr. Shivakumar told presspersons erstwhile asked if helium had met Mr. Rajanna to garner support.
On the enactment tussle, helium said, “Are not Chief Minister and I moving similar brothers? I bash not person immoderate differences with immoderate Congress leaders. Have I had immoderate quality with the Chief Minister since helium came to the enactment 16 years ago? I person not spoken against immoderate one.”
The Deputy Chief Minister besides claimed that determination was nary disorder successful the party, and said that it was a instauration of the BJP and the media. “The BJP is trying to screen up its ain interior mess,” helium said.
Delhi sojourn
The Deputy Chief Minister, who volition beryllium successful Delhi this week to conscionable Union Ministers, is besides similar to conscionable the party’s cardinal leaders to propulsion for his case, sources adjacent to him said. Incidentally, the Chief Minister volition besides beryllium successful Delhi apt adjacent week to be the Congress Working Committee meeting.
Meanwhile, Mr. Rajanna said that the treatment revolved astir strengthening the party. When asked astir his absorption to Mr. Shivakumar successful the past, helium clarified, “There is nary alteration successful my stand. Whatever I had said then, I basal by it. Ultimately, precocious bid matters connected the enactment issue. The Chief Minister has besides reiterated that the precocious bid matters.”
