BENGALURU: Congress leaders from Karnataka, including Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy DK Shivakumar, will meet the party high command in New Delhi on Wednesday (August 2). Though the main agenda of the meeting is to chalk out an action plan for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, other issues plaguing the two-month-old Siddaramaiah government are also likely to be discussed, sources said.
The meeting assumes significance as it comes in the backdrop of a few legislators writing to the CM over lack of funds for their constituencies and working style of ministers. Also, remarks regarding the CM’s post by senior Congress leader and MLC BK Hariprasad had caused much embarrassment to the government.
AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge and former MP Rahul Gandhi will hold a meeting with 37 top leaders, including Siddaramaiah, Shivakumar, 19 ‘key’ senior ministers, and AICC functionaries between 3 pm and 5.30 pm where the strategy for the 2024 LS polls will be discussed. This will be followed by a separate meeting with Siddaramaiah and his cabinet colleagues, sources added.
“The meeting has been called to discuss the Lok Sabha elections, party interests, election strategy, and sharing of responsibilities. Not only the ministers, but also the MLAs, MPs and senior leaders of the party have been invited to the meeting that will be held in three parts,” a senior party leader said.
Also, the issue of MLAs not being consulted on several issues such as transfer of officials will be discussed, the source added.
MLC BK Hariprasad, who is reportedly miffed after he was not made a minister, is among the 37 top leaders invited for the meeting. “He is expected to raise several issues, including alleged corruption, against the government,” the source added.
Interestingly, Minor Irrigation Minister NS Boseraju, the floor leader in the Legislative Council, has been left out of this meeting.
The senior leaders who will be attending the meeting are ministers Dr G Parameshwara, MB Patil, Satish Jarkiholi, Ramalinga Reddy, Eshwar Khandre, HK Patil, KH Muniyappa, Dinesh Gundu Rao, KJ George, Priyank Kharge and Krishna Byre Gowda. KPCC working presidents Saleem Ahmed and Chandrappa, former union minister Veerappa Moily, AICC communication head Jairam Ramesh, former CM Jagdish Shettar, former DyCM Laxman Savadi, former ministers RV Deshpande, Vinay Kulkarni and Ramesh Kumar, MP DK Suresh, and Rajya Sabha members Dr Naseer Hussain, GC Chandrashekhar and Dr L Hanumanthiah will also be at the meeting.
Siddaramaiah is also likely to get the nod from the high command to fill the three vacant MLC posts by nominating former minister MR Seetharam, Mansur Ali Khan and Sudham Das to the Upper House.
