The battle for supremacy in Karnataka’s Kolar district between a gaggle of Congress MLAs and a cupboard minister continues to disturb the schedules of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and the get together’s state unit president DK Shivakumar.
Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar needed to spend just a few hours to resolve the disaster that has introduced the ‘dynasty politics’ issue into sharper focus. The get together had no issues when progenies of a number of cupboard ministers had been nominated to contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. However the efforts of Meals and Civil Provides minister KH Muniyappa to get his son-in-law Chikanna Pedanna the get together ticket has run into severe hassle with 5 MLAs and two MLCs, who’re threatening to resign.
The first objection of the legislators is that the Muniyappa household can’t be having a ministerial publish, chairmanship of a state board for the daughter who’s already an MLA and now doubtlessly a Lok Sabha for the son-in-law.
The legislators’ assembly with Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar, who can also be the deputy chief minister, has solely led to the previous saying they are going to focus on the problem with Congress nationwide president Mallikarjuna Kharge. A assured Siddaramaiah has claimed that the matter can be resolved shortly and that each disgruntled MLA can be spoken to individually.
These protesting towards the nepotism of the Muniyappa clan are Karnataka minister MC Sudhakar, Kothur MLA G Manjunath, Malur MLA KY Nanjegowda, Bangarpet MLA SN Narayanaswamy, and MLCs Anil Kumar and Naseer Ahmed.
Congress insiders near the developments informed News18 that Siddaramaiah appealed to the dissenting leaders to not take any harsh choices and await the ultimate resolution to come back from the Congress excessive command. It’s learnt that the Chief Minister is anticipated to talk to Kharge, Sonia Gandhi, and Rahul Gandhi to speak why the protesting Congressmen are towards Pedanna’s candidature.
“We proceed to say that any worthy candidate, be it from the SC Left or SC Proper, needs to be given the Kolar Lok Sabha ticket, however we’re completely against Muniyappa and his household’s dominance,” mentioned one of many MLAs, referring to the Dalit Proper and Dalit Left sects that Scheduled Castes are divided into in Karnataka.
One other senior get together chief aware of the developments mentioned: “The CM has communicated to the dissenting leaders that he and Shivakumar will do all that they’ll to persuade the excessive command on their demand. Finally, Muniyappa must relent because the Karnataka Congress must hearken to what the native leaders are demanding. They’re those who work on the bottom. It solely seems to be like Muniyappa is placing strain, however will finally be checkmated.”
Throughout their dialogue with the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister, the dissenting leaders additionally expressed that they’d withdraw their protest if a candidate from the SC Left or SC Proper is chosen, however not if a member of Muniyappa’s household is picked. The group is reportedly leaning in the direction of a candidate from the SC Proper to be given a ticket this time from Kolar, however an SC Left title can also be acceptable to them. There are round 4 lakh SC Proper voters in Kolar district, and the group wants illustration, say the leaders.
Every week in the past, Muniyappa held a gathering with prime officers of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee, the place the minister claimed he was promised that the Kolar ticket can be given to his son-in-law. Later, in a one other assembly with Mallikarjun Kharge, when the demand was made by the chief, he was assured by the Congress excessive command that it might be fulfilled.
Inside days of reviews surfacing that Muniyappa’s son-in-law Pedanna might get the ticket, revolt broke out inside the Karnataka Congress the place leaders from the Kolar district had been seen up in arms towards Muniyappa and some other member of the family getting the ticket.
One other dissenting chief informed News18 that Muniyappa’s son-in-law had a collection of corruption circumstances towards him and has been on the radar of the Karnataka Lokayukta. Other than this, Pedanna can also be a serving authorities official who’s but to resign from his job. It could take him at the very least a month to resign and be relieved from his duties, by which essential campaigning time can be misplaced.
Muniyappa has dug in his heels on getting a ticket for his son-in-law. He reacted saying that at the very least 10 kin of ministers and Congress MLAs have been given tickets for the Lok Sabha polls this time. “I’m insisting on one as nicely. My resolution will rely on what the ultimate end result can be. I reiterate that I’ll observe what the excessive command says on the problem. However let me let you know that giving a ticket to an individual who doesn’t win would show ineffective. You want a winner and I’ve confronted many elections and know find out how to win one,” Muniyappa mentioned.
He additionally took a jibe on the dissenting legislators and known as their protest a “drama”. “None of them will resign. It’s simply drama. The thought is to stage one like this and threaten the ruling authorities as they’re afraid that if Muniyappa is given a ticket, it’s a sure-shot win,” he added.
Siddaramaiah, in the meantime, defended the protesting leaders and took objection to the dissent being known as a “drama”.
“Who’s saying this? It was not ‘drama’. It’s pure that if one group says one thing, the opposite will react with one thing else. The problem has not been resolved but,” the CM mentioned.
Shivakumar additionally tried to quell the dissent by stating that no last resolution has been taken but and a few of the legislators panicked as they “assumed” {that a} ticket to Pedanna was last.
“Now we have not introduced the ticket for anybody and it will likely be a call taken collectively. Everybody has to toe the get together line. Our precedence is to take care of self-discipline inside the get together,” the deputy CM mentioned.
The dissenting leaders have determined to attend for the ultimate resolution from the Congress excessive command and stay silent on the problem till then.
