Pressure on Siddaramaiah piles up as another Congress leader threatens to quit party
Karnataka Congress leader A.H. Vishwanath said he may leave partry as an arrogant chief minister Siddaramaiah had sidelined him
Bengaluru: Senior Karnataka Congress leader A.H. Vishwanath Monday said he may leave the party, adding to the dissent in the state unit that has seen the exit of several senior leaders in the recent past.
In a letter to K.C. Venugopal, the party general secretary and in-charge of Karnataka, Vishwanath said an arrogant chief minister Siddaramaiah had sidelined him.
Vishwanath, former state minister and member of Parliament, said he was cut off from party activities and discouraged from speaking up. There is no coordination between the party and the government in Karnataka, he said, adding senior leaders are not allowed to express their views to the government.
Venugopal and a three-member All India Congress Committee (AICC) are in Bengaluru since Monday to shortlist a candidate for the post of KPCC president, understand the ground situation and prevent the exit of top leaders.
Also read: Congress begins selection process for new Karnataka party chief
Senior leaders like S.M. Krishna and V. Srinivas Prasad, among others, have already quit the Congress to join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)—the principal opposition party in the state.
Many other legislators and senior party members too have expressed their dislike for Siddaramaiah to the party high command.
Former chief minister Krishna had said that he was sidelined by the party that he served for nearly 50 years. “Congress party will exist due to its history but whether credibility will be associated with party is a question mark," Krishna while leaving the party in January.
Prasad had a fallout with his once close aide, Siddaramaiah, after the former was dropped from the cabinet in the June 2016 reshuffle that saw nearly 14 senior ministers dropped only to be replaced by first time legislators.
Also read: Dissent against Siddaramaiah grows as former Karnataka minister quits
Prasad left Congress and unsuccessfully contested April byelections in Nanjangud with a BJP ticket.
Others like former Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president Janardhana Poojary have also questioned the “arrogance" of the chief minister.
The state unit has served notices to all dissenting leaders including Vishwanath.
Calling the Siddaramaiah led government rude and undemocratic, Vishwanath said there is no internal democracy in the party. “Many senior leaders are leaving congress party because of the arrogant attitude of Siddu. Many have already left and many more are on the way to leave the party including some sitting MLA’s," he said in the letter.
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