Karnataka: Amid Turmoil In Congress, High Command To Hold Meet In Delhi On Wednesday

Congress leaders in Karnataka are scheduled to meet the high command in New Delhi on 2 August, Wednesday, following the stormy Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting held in Bengaluru.

Two meetings are planned for the day, according to Congress leaders.

The first meeting will focus on strategies for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, while the second meeting will bring together the new ministers of the state Cabinet and party leaders such as AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge, former Congress president Rahul Gandhi, AICC general secretary K C Venugopal, and others, as stated by Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) working president Saleem Ahmed.

Originally, the meeting was supposed to take place when the 26-party Opposition grouping Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) met in Bengaluru on 18 July.

However, due to the demise of former Kerala chief minister Oommen Chandy on that day, the meeting of newly appointed ministers was postponed, as explained by Ahmed.

The conference in Delhi holds significance in light of the contentious CLP meeting held last week.

During the meeting, many MLAs expressed grievances about the lack of funds for development works and complaints about certain ministers being inaccessible to MLAs.

Prior to the meeting, a letter written by MLA B R Patil and signed by 10 other legislators had also circulated, causing embarrassment to the Siddaramaiah-led state government.

In addition to discussing these issues, demands from senior members such as MLC B K Hariprasad, who is expected to be included in the Cabinet, will also be addressed in Delhi.

According to a report in The Indian Express, he is likely to be appointed as a KPCC working president. Currently, the state unit has five working presidents.

The Karnataka leadership is relying on the party high command to highlight the financial difficulties faced by the state due to the implementation of the government's five poll guarantees.

Around 40 state leaders are anticipated to participate in the meetings scheduled for Wednesday.