A team of 50 Karnataka Congress leaders and ministers is scheduled to meet the party leadership in Delhi on Wednesday to chalk out strategies for the 2024 Lok Sabha Polls. Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Tuesday said that All India Congress Committee president Mallikarjun Kharge, party leader Rahul Gandhi, General Secretaries K C Venugopal and Randeep Singh Surjewala among others are expected to be a part of the meeting in the national capital. The meeting with the high command assumes significance as it comes in the midst of discontent brewing within the Karnataka Congress. Around 30 legislators have written to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and to the high command while expressing their concern over the non-implementation of development works in their constituencies. The legislators have also pointed out the functioning of certain ministers, reported news agency PTI.
According to Congress leaders, the party high command is scheduled to hold two separate meetings with senior leaders of the KPCC for LS polls strategy and another with Rahul Gandhi wanting to meet the Karnataka ministers and taking stock of the five poll guarantees implementation.
While the first strategic meeting is scheduled at 3 pm, it is expected to be two and half hours long, the second will be held later in the night.
Earlier on Tuesday, Deputy CM Shivakumar spoke to the media and said there are going to be 50 key leaders from the state unit who will be attending the meeting in Delhi on Wednesday. The official list of invitees include 32 people for the meeting with the high command.
A number of Karnataka Congress MLAs are said to be miffed and have complained that they hadn't been able to get work done in their constituencies. They've also allegedly complained that they haven't been granted powers to decide on transfers (of government servants) as requested. As per PTI, they've expressed unhappiness regarding some ministers and accused them of not cooperating.
CM Siddaramaiah last week held a Congress Legislature Party meeting in which where some legislators expressed their concerns regarding the behaviour and conduct of certain ministers. According to PTI, there are also reports about talks regarding the need for a coordination committee in order to establish a better connection between the government and the party. However, this has not been confirmed by the state Congress yet.
Meanwhile, CM and Dy CM along with several other ministers of the state government have maintained their stance that there is no discontent in the party.