Rahul Gandhi intervened on the alleged rift in Karnataka Congress, said – work unitedly

Less than a year before the assembly elections, party leader Rahul Gandhi held an important meeting with senior party leaders amid the tussle in the Karnataka unit of the Congress. During this, he appealed to the party unit to unite and fight together to defeat the BJP in the upcoming elections. Along with this, he asked the party leaders not to discuss the internal affairs and leadership issues of the party in public forums. Rahul Gandhi has arrived in Karnataka to attend the 75th birthday celebrations of former Chief Minister and Leader of Opposition in the state Siddaramaiah.

He also met the Mahant of Muruga Math in Chitradurga. Rahul Gandhi’s visit to a prominent Lingayat religious place is significant as the community has a 17 per cent vote bank. Which is important to the BJP and has traditionally been with them.

There is a apprehension that if the tussle between the two leaders – Legislature Party leader Siddaramaiah and state president DK Shivakumar over the chief minister’s post does not end, then there may be a rift in the party ahead of the assembly elections.

Rahul Gandhi said after the meeting, ‘The entire leadership of Karnataka will join hands together and win the 2023 elections. Unknowingly, some statements are made here and there in front of the media. Don’t fall into that trap. Party leaders should not speak separately, outside or inside. The Political Affairs Committee of the Karnataka Congress met on Tuesday for the first time since its establishment on July 9.

Siddaramaiah’s supporters have planned a grand celebration on his birthday, a clear show of strength by his camp. The former Chief Minister’s AHINDA formula to unite minority (minorities), Hindulidwar (backward classes) and Dalits may harm the vote base of rival BJP and JDS.

However, both Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar have openly said that the chief minister’s decision will be taken by the party’s newly elected MLA and the high command on securing majority in the elections. However, their respective leaders are being projected by their supporters, which is making things worse.

All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary KC Venugopal has claimed that there is no infighting in the party for the top post and blamed the media for creating news about the tussle between the two top Congress leaders.

While the tussle between the two factions has intensified over the chief minister’s post, a senior Congress leader and former Karnataka Chief Minister Veerappa Moily has fielded Congress’s Lingayat leader SR Patil for the post of CM.

Responding to his comments, Moily said, “My comments were misinterpreted, and like SR Patil, we have many capable candidates for the post of CM.” But when he was asked to choose between Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar, he shrugged off the question.

In an interview with NDTV, Siddaramaiah has confessed that he aspires to become the chief minister if his party comes to power. He had said, “Yes. I wish. But it depends on the MLAs. We don’t know. The newly elected MLAs will decide after the 2023 elections. But there is nothing wrong in aspiring to be the CM. If DK Shivakumar becomes the CM. If they want, they can also aspire. The party high command has not yet decided on the CM candidate and there is a long way to go for this.