Ramesh flays Cong for not making him minister

Senior Congress MLA Ramesh Kumar is learnt to have taken umbrage at the State party leadership ignoring him for a ministerial post.

Speaking at the party executive committee meeting on Saturday, Kumar is said to have accused the party leaders of targeting him and alleged that leaders at the helm were misleading Congress chief Sonia Gandhi by misrepresenting facts.

Filing a first information report (FIR) was a non-issue for these leaders at the time of issuing tickets to contest elections. When it came to ministry formation, an FIR became an issue, he is understood to have stated in the meeting.

However, there was no reaction to Kumar’s outburst. But it caused immense embarrassment to the party. Kumar is facing an allegation of encroaching on forest land in Kolar, and the matter is in court. This is not the first time he has spoken his mind. In the Legislative Assembly, too, he had been candid enough to express his views on many issues.

Kumar also took exception to State Congress president Parameshwara’s statement that the party would select candidates for the Lok Sabha polls next year after consulting grassroots-level workers. The opinion of local leaders is not properly heard while selecting candidates.

Ultimately, those who have clout manage to get tickets and not the sincere workers, Kumar retorted.

Another senior leader

H Hanumanthappa reportedly suggested that the government should stop using the services of retired officers in running the administration. It is because of this reason, the party government has been facing a lot of allegations, he is learnt to have said, indirectly referring to allegations that a retired IPS officer was calling the shots in transferring police officers in the government.

This is not all. Wakfs Minister Qamarul Islam was seen yelling at leaders from Gulbarga, including Iqbal Ahmed Saradagi. Islam is learnt to have been upset with the district Congress leaders for not inviting him to a district-level meeting held recently.

The incident took place right in front of the media and in the presence of former chief minister N Dharam Singh.