Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)

Bengaluru, Jul 1: Former minister and veteran Congress leader H K Patil, who had recently taken to task the party leadership for deciding in favour of allotting nearly 4,000 acres of land to JSW Jindal at Ballari, is at loggerheads again with former chief minister Siddaramaiah.

The state government had appointed former police officer G A Bava, as the chairman of state minorities commission last week. Bava was about to take over charge of the commission. But H K Patil expressed his opposition to this appointment in the presence of Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president, Dinesh Gundu Rao. In the light of this development, Dinesh had asked Bava not to take charge of the commission.

Still, it is said that Bava has since taken over as the chairman of the said commission, under instructions from leader of the Congress Legislature Party, Siddaramaiah. This has incensed H K Patil. He reportedly has pressurized the party high command to instruct Bava to resign from the post, and appoint A M Hindasgeri in his post.

During the period candidates for the Lok Sabha election were being chosen, there was lot of pressure to allot Dharwad Lok Sabha constituency ticket from the Congress to a candidate from minority category. A M Hindasgeri was a strong contender for the ticket there. H K Patil had lobbied hard to see that Hindasgeri got a ticket. But because of the influence wielded by home minster, M B Patil, former minister, Vinay Kulkarni, had got the ticket.

At that time, Patil had told the party leaders that non-issuance of tickets to minority community in northern Karnataka will have adverse impact on party's chances in election. He had also talked to All India Congress Committee president, Rahul Gandhi. He also had obtained Rahul Gandhi's concurrence to make a person from north Karnataka the chairman of the said commission, as the post of the chairman of the said commission had not been given to a candidate from north Karnataka since the last 35 years.

But as soon as the Lok Sabha election was held, food and civil supplies minster, Zameer Ahmed Khan, had succeeded in getting Bava cleared for the post with the good books of Siddaramaiah. This had angered H K Patil.

There is news in some Congress circles that state in-charge of Congress affairs, K C Venugopal, has asked Bava to resign. He also has warned him of expelling from the primary membership of the party if he fails to follow the instructions. This development is expected to further aggravate rivalry between H K Patil and Siddaramaiah.