From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru

Bengaluru, May 3: The Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) Legal Cell and Human Rights Department has issued a notice to the 'rebel' party leaders from Mandya district for their alleged anti-party activities and violation of party discipline in the just concluded Lok Sabha elections.

The notice follows the demand for expulsion of the party leaders, including former minister N Cheluvarayaswamy and others, who had worked for the BJP-supported Independent candidate Sumalatha Ambarish, wife of former minister and Kannada film actor Ambarish, against the Congress-JD(S) coalition candidate Nikhil Kumaraswamy, son of Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy.

In a letter to State Congress chief Dinesh Gundu Rao, KPCC Legal Cell and Human Rights Department Chairman C M Dhananjay sought the party leadership to expel Congress ‘rebel’ leaders and former MLAs N Cheluvarayaswamy, P M Narendra Swamy, Ramesh Bandisidde Gowda, K B Chandrashekar and party’s defeated Mandya candidate G Ravi from the party for the party's indiscipline, and violating coalition dharma.

The rebel congress leaders, who supported Sumalatha, reportedly opposed the coalition party candidate from JD(S) Nikhil Kumaraswamy, the letter claimed.

The party’s unwillingness to initiate action against its Mandya leaders, has left a section of the Congress and JD(S) leaders fuming.

The party’s refusal to take action against leaders would encourage other party leaders indulge in similar indiscipline in the future, Dhananjay said.

Meanwhile, KPCC Chief Dinesh Gundu Rao called Cheluvarayaswamy to the party office on Friday and sought an explanation on the dinner meeting video with Sumalatha, which has been leaked to the media, causing embarrassment to the party.

Speaking to presspersons Cheluvarayaswamy said he and Narendra Swamy and other DCC leaders maintained distance from the JD(S) candidate during the election campaign.

But he contended that they had not supported Sumalatha in the polls.

However, the Mandya DCC president reportedly submitted a report to KPCC saying that Cheluvarayaswamy and others supported Sumalatha in elections.

The former Minister said he and Mandya Congress leaders should not be held responsible in the case Nikhil Kumaraswamy was defeated. Both parties should treat it as the people’s mandate, he said.

State Food and Civil Supplies Minister B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan, who was with Dinesh Gundu Rao, defended Cheluvarayaswamy and said the Congress leaders had supported the JD(S) during the by-polls held in the constituency last year.

Meanwhile, speaking to reporters, State Congress president Dinesh Gundu Rao said the party’s district and local leaders have been given powers to decide the necessity of entering into alliance with the JD(S).

The Karnataka State Election Commission announced polls in 63 ULBs, including eight city municipal councils (CMC), 33 town municipal councils (TMC) and 22 town panchayats (TP).