Congress Leaders Discuss Karnataka Leadership Issue Amid Tensions

Amid ongoing tensions in Karnataka, Congress leaders, including Sonia Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge, convened at 10 Janpath to address leadership issues. The meeting was inconclusive, with plans for further discussions to ensure party unity.

India

-Krishna Kripa

The
Congress
leadership
in
Karnataka
is
currently
embroiled
in
a
power
struggle,
prompting
top
party
officials
to
meet
on
Saturday.
The
discussions,
however,
did
not
yield
any
conclusions,
and
another
meeting
is
planned
soon.
The
aim
is
to
ease
tensions
between
Chief
Minister
Siddaramaiah
and
his
deputy,
D
K
Shivakumar.

Congress
Parliamentary
Party
Chairperson
Sonia
Gandhi
hosted
the
meeting
at
her
residence
on
10,
Janpath.
Attendees
included
Congress
President
Mallikarjun
Kharge,
former
party
chief
Rahul
Gandhi,
and
AICC
General
Secretary
K
C
Venugopal.
They
discussed
the
ongoing
political
situation
in
Karnataka.

Leadership
Tensions
and
Unity

After
the
meeting,
Venugopal
addressed
reporters,
stating,
“We
had
a
general
discussion
about
the
current
political
situation.
We
also
discussed
Karnataka,
but
there
will
be
another
discussion
about
Karnataka.” He
emphasised
that
the
Congress
remains
united
both
nationally
and
within
Karnataka.

The
leadership
issue
has
intensified
as
the
Congress
government
reached
the
halfway
mark
of
its
five-year
term
on
November
20.
Speculations
about
a
change
in
chief
minister
have
been
rife,
adding
to
the
internal
tensions
within
the
party.

Upcoming
Rally
Preparations

Venugopal
also
mentioned
preparations
for
a
rally
scheduled
for
December
14
against
what
they
term
“vote
chori.” This
event
was
part
of
the
broader
discussions
on
the
political
landscape
during
the
meeting.

Earlier
in
Bengaluru,
Shivakumar
accompanied
Kharge
to
the
airport
after
paying
tribute
to
B
R
Ambedkar
on
his
69th
death
anniversary.
This
led
to
speculation
about
possible
discussions
on
leadership
issues
between
them.

Efforts
to
Maintain
Stability

In
recent
developments,
both
Siddaramaiah
and
Shivakumar
have
held
breakfast
meetings
at
each
other’s
residences.
These
meetings
were
reportedly
instructed
by
the
high
command
to
pause
leadership
tensions
and
signal
Siddaramaiah’s
continuation
as
Chief
Minister
for
now.

This
move
is
seen
as
strategic,
especially
with
the
Belagavi
legislature
session
approaching.
The
high
command’s
intervention
aims
to
maintain
stability
within
the
party
amid
ongoing
speculations.

The
Congress
leadership
continues
to
navigate
these
challenges
while
striving
to
present
a
united
front.
Further
discussions
are
anticipated
as
they
work
towards
resolving
internal
disputes
and
focusing
on
upcoming
political
events.

With
inputs
from
PTI