Bangalore: Dharam Camp 'Garam' Over Siddu's Leadership
Special Political Correspondent - Daijiworld Media Network
Bangalore, Sep 1: The Congress high command is likely to announce its choice of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president today. Siddaramaiah is slated to visit New Delhi today, as per the instructions of the party leadership.
It is learnt, that the High Command has almost finalised the name of Siddaramaiah to the post of the KPCC president. However, a faction headed by ex-chief minister Dharam Singh are is to be stoutly opposing this move. The appointment process, which had been in the back-burner since the last three months, has reached a decisive stage. The party can not totally ignore the Dharam Singh lobby, which has considerable clout in certain pockets of the state.
Senior party leaders led by All India Congress Committee general secretary Hariprasad met in the city on Suday August 31 and decided to exert pressure on the national leadership of the party not to consider migrants, specifically Siddaramaiah for the post of the KPCC president. The meeting resolved to depute a deligation of state party leaders to New Delhi on Thursday September 4 to place their veiws before the central leadership affectively. A fax has already been despatched to the top leadership, not to announce its decision on this new appointment in a hurry, and to hold another round of discussions with all senior leaders.
Hariprasad met ex-minister D B Chandre Gowda on Sunday at his residence and discussed the issue with him, in a meeting presided by Dharam Singh. Ex-union minister Jaffer Shariff, KPCC vice president Hanumantappa and other senior leaders were present.
The meeting thought, that handing over the reins of the party to a relatively new entrant, to the detriment of those who have been earnestly serving the party since several decades, would not be apt. No decision should be taken on this issue all of a sudden. If senior leaders of the party are sidelined and a person who recently crossed over to the party is given prominence, it would be difficult to conserve unity in the party's state unit, the leaders felt.
The high command should not yield to the pressure tactics employed by certain leaders and make Siddaramaiah the state unit president. Siddaramaiah does not have the capacity to bring together all the groups within the party. Moreover, the party is likely to face internal disidence if he is made the president of the state committee, the meeting felt.
As suggested by Congress Working Committee member Margaret Alva, a fax was sent, registering the sentiments of the leaders, as the party was expected to announce its decision on the issue today. Party sources said, that both Hariprasad and Margaret Alva have assured the leaders, that they will try their best to convince the national leadership of their concerns and views on the issue.
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