New Delhi, Oct 17 (DHNS): Former chief minister S M Krishna on Friday told the Congress top brass if current Chief Minister Siddaramaiah did not change his style of functioning, the party might have to pay a heavy price in the State.

Krishna, who met both Congress president Sonia Gandhi and vice-president Rahul Gandhi here, reportedly told them Siddaramaiah's working style had demoralised the State bureaucracy and given the impression that the State government was losing its grip on the administration, party sources told Deccan Herald.

This is the second time Krishna has raised the issue with the party high command, the first being a couple of months ago.

The meeting gained significance after Siddaramaiah announcing his plan to reshuffle his Cabinet after the Dasara festival, and is expected to make changes in the party's State unit.

With complaints that only few of Siddaramaiah's loyalists, mostly from the erstwhile Janata Dal, were with him in the Cabinet, many Congress leaders were given the impression that he was ignoring them, Krishna reportedly told Rahul and Sonia.
Suggestions

While urging the party high command to advise Siddaramaiah to take all leaders into confidence, Krishna is learnt to have suggested that loyal party leaders be inducted in the next Cabinet reshuffle.

Citing the recent Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike elections, Krishna said the results indicated that the party’s as well as the government’s popularity is declining and immediate course corrections are required.

Apart from giving full power to the bureaucracy, Siddaramaiah should take steps to boost the morale of party workers, he has reportedly suggested.

However, sources also claimed Krishna did not press for change in leadership in the State government.