Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)
Bengaluru, Apr 30: Yashwanthpur Congress MLA and Bangalore Development Authority chairman, S T Somashekhar, had planned to hold a meeting of like-minded Congress legislators who are frustrated at the high-handed attitude of JD(S) leadership, on Monday April 29. After the matter was taken up with Congress high command and objections were raised for the meeting by JD(S) supremo, H D Deve Gowda and chief minister, H D Kumaraswamy, the Congress leadership intervened and ensured that the meeting was cancelled.
It is said that in-charge of Congress affairs in Karnataka, K C Venugopal, took Somashekhar to task for planning this meeting after which Somashekhar dropped the plan.
S T Somashekhar
Congress leadership is already facing the threat perception from BJP leadership which is claiming that the Lok Sabha election result will cause the downfall of the coalition government. Somashekhar’s planned meeting to express resentment at the way JD(S) leadership has crippled the powers of Congress legislators heading various boards and corporations, could have posed further problems to the party.
It is said that both Kumaraswamy and Deve Gowda questioned the Congress leadership about the said meeting which they said does not conform to coalition principles, and warned that if the meeting is held, their party may have to think of other options. They expressed worry about the message such a meeting might give to the people of the state at a time when results of the election are awaited. Venugopal pacified the leaders, and got in touch with Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president, Dinesh Gundu Rao, and asked him to see that this meeting did not happen. He also asked Somashekhar to take up issues if any with Siddaramaiah and Dinesh Gundu Rao directly.
Somashekhar said that the meeting was planned to discuss about problems encountered by chairpersons of corporations and boards and not against the government. Siddaramaiah said that a few legislators wanted to get together for lunch and postponed it as the leadership of the party asked them not to hold it now as it is election time. Saying that meeting was postponed and not cancelled, he analyzed that this cannot be termed as revolt, he added.