B K Hariprasad
Credit: DH File Photo
Mangaluru: Veteran Congress leader and MLC B K Hariprasad has dismissed speculation about political turmoil in the State, and said there was no discussion on politics between Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and AICC general secretary K C Venugopal during their meeting on the sidelines of a programme in Mangaluru.
“It is the media that has been talking about revolution. Let Sankranti (January 14) come, and then we can talk,” Hariprasad remarked while responding to reporters’ questions in Mangaluru.
When asked about rumours of a change in the Chief Minister, he retorted, “Who told you that? If there is any such matter, the decision will be taken by Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, and Mallikarjun Kharge. That topic is old. Ask me if there is anything new.”
He further said, “Our people keep predicting things based on fortune-telling practices. But within the framework of the Constitution, it is the senior Congress leadership that takes such decisions. We know where these speculations originate. No one has spoken about this openly.”
Reacting to Congress workers shouting slogans in favour of their preferred leaders at the Mangaluru International Airport, Hariprasad said, “There is nothing wrong if workers raise slogans for the leaders they support. At least they didn’t shout slogans for BJP leaders. There is no individual worship here — workers simply welcome their leaders. There is no harm in that.”
He also emphasised that the Congress mandate belongs to the party as a whole. “All Congress MLAs won in the name of the Congress. The party’s decision is final,” he asserted.