BENGALURU: The infighting in Karnataka Congress came to the fore again on Thursday as camps loyal to DK Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah argued with each other.
During a meeting at Siddaramaiah’s residence, his loyalists, including senior functionaries KR Ramesh Kumar and Krishna Byre Gowda, questioned Shivakumar’s alleged decision to align with JD(S) in the Mysuru mayoral elections without consulting the former chief minister. They pointed out that JD(S) had openly partnered with BJP in the legislative council. Siddaramaiah did not intervene in the argument.
Shivakuamar clarified that he had no role in the party’s Mysuru strategy and that things were planned at the local level. He said that he would look into the issue and take disciplinary action against those who went against the party’s diktat. He has asked Congress working president R Dhruvanarayana to submit a report on the issue.
Meanwhile, Congress has announced that it will launch a padayatra in 100 assembly constituencies, where it has lost, from March 3. In another development, former Pulakeshinagar MLA B Prasanna Kumar joined Congress on Thursday. Kumar, the son of late former minister B Basavalingappa, was with Congress earlier, but quit after Akhanda Srinivasamurthy left JD(S) to join Congress. He contested on a JD(S) ticket in 2018, losing to Srinivasamurthy.