Change of guard in Karnataka: Kharge says only high command will take a call

AICC president warned legislators and party leaders against creating ‘unnecessary complications’ by talking out of turn

Amid speculations within the Karnataka Congress over a possible change of guard in the government, All-India Congress Committee (AICC) president Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday said that the it is the party high command that has to take a call on such decisions.

Responding to a pointed query about statements from some quarters pertaining to a possible change of Chief Minister by October, Mr. Kharge said, “Any such decisions are in the hands of the party high command and nobody can say here what is going on at the level of the high command. I cannot respond to such statements here. I can only tell what is happening at the AICC level.”

Warning legislators and party leaders against creating “unnecessary complications,” Mr. Kharge said: “The high command has got the power to take further action, but no one should unnecessarily create problems.”

Pointing out that AICC general secretary in charge of Karnataka Randeep Singh Surjewala is in Bengaluru to gather the opinion of legislators and party leaders, Mr. Kharge said: “Based on his report and what feedback he gathers, we will decide what steps to take”.

Surjewala begins meetings

Meanwhile, amid signs of “disgruntlement” and voices of dissent within the ruling Congress, Mr. Surjewala began meetings with party legislators in Bengaluru.

According to party sources, as part of his three-day visit, Mr. Surjewala is likely to hold mostly one-on-one meetings with legislators to gather their opinions on the government’s and Ministers’ performance.

On Monday, he met B.R. Patil, Aland MLA, followed by separate meetings with MLAs from the Chickballapur and Kolar regions. While Mr. Patil had recently alleged bribery in public housing allotments under the Housing Department, Bharamagouda (Raju) Kage, Kagwad MLA, had hinted at resigning, citing delays in development works and fund release, and alleging that the administration had “completely collapsed.” Mr. Surjewala is set to meet Mr. Kage on Tuesday. 

Sources said the legislators who met Mr. Surjewala aired their grievances relating to the non-release of funds to their constituencies and inaccessibility of the Ministers. The MLAs were quizzed with a 10-point questionnaire by Mr. Surjewala, sources said.

‘Figment of imagination’

However, terming the meetings as an organisational exercise undertaken jointly by the AICC and the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee, Mr. Surjewala brushed aside speculations about a leadership change. “Any news that is being circulated in the media about leadership change is only a figment of imagination,” he said.

Stating that he will hold individual meetings with party legislators, MPs, defeated candidates, and  district Congress committee chiefs before meeting Ministers, the Chief Minister, and the Deputy Chief Minister, he said the purpose was to assess the status of guarantee schemes in their constituencies as the government had completed two years in office.

“We will introspect if any course correction is needed and what further transparency and accountability that can be brought about. This is a continuous and long exercise and will happen over a period of a month or month-and-a-half,” he said.

“We also want to understand from the legislators the status of the Congress organisation in their respective Assembly segments. The functioning of the block Congress committee, the Assembly Congress committee, the NSUI, the Youth Congress, the Seve Dal, SC/ST Minority and OBC departments, will be analysed, so that they can be reviewed and reconstituted if necessary,” he added.