Moneybags calling shots in Congress, says miffed Sharief

All is not well in the ruling Congress, with veteran leader and former Railway Minister C K Jaffer Sharief on Saturday launching a pungent attack on Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's style of functioning.

Sharief told reporters that Siddaramaiah was "high on arrogance" and that affairs in the state Congress had spiraled out of control. "It's like there's no high command. Only those with money have the command. The party is in the hands of those who don't know the Congress' culture," Sharief said.

The 84-year-old said he had no hopes of his grandson C K Abdul Rahman Sharief getting the party ticket for the upcoming Assembly polls. "No one has talked to me. Everyone has ignored," he rued.

Party tickets had been finalised for candidates belonging to one particular community, Sharief pointed out. "Varthur Prakash in Kolar, 'MTB' Nagaraj in Hoskote, Byrathi Basavaraj in KR Puram, Byrathi Suresh in Hebbal...if people from one community get priority, what will others get," Sharief asked, adding that there was "complete confusion" in the party.

Though he did not take the name of any particular community, all those whom he referred to belong to the Kuruba community.

Sharief also took exception to the government's decision to grant 'religious minority' status to the Lingayat community. "Government and religion are two different things. No government should interfere with religion. The way the government went about the Lingayat religion decision was wrong," Sharief said.