CM Siddaramaiah, D K Shivakumar confronted by Lambani leaders at internal meet

Bengaluru: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy D K Shivakumar had to face the ire of Congress' Lambani leaders at an internal poll preparation meeting on Friday.

The Congress had convened a meeting of top party leaders to discuss strategy for 14 Lok Sabha segments going to polls in the second phase on May 7.

Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar were left red-faced when Lambani leaders lamented that no candidate from their community has been fielded in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. They also pointed out that there was no Lambani minister in the Cabinet for the first time since 1972. Further, they rued that no Lambani has been made an office-bearer of the party.

"With what face should we seek the community's votes?" the Lambani leaders are said to have questioned the Congress leadership, according to sources.

This came up when leaders in the meeting were asked to work with unity and not neglect any community, including microscopic groups. That is when MLC Prakash Rathod rose to convey his community's grouse, sources said.

Rathod is said to have minced no words while underlining that the Congress would be seen as having neglected the Lambanis. He said 90 per cent of Lambanis supported Congress in the Assembly polls last year after the previous BJP government recommended internal reservation among Scheduled Castes. "For the first time, no Lambani has got the Lok Sabha ticket in the state," Rathod is said to have complained.

The demand for a Lambani to be appointed as a working president of the Congress was also not honoured, Rathod said, according to sources.

Sensing trouble, Shivakumar tried to make Rathod sit down by telling him that this was not the right platform for a discussion on the topic. Rathod apparently retorted that he was speaking within four walls of the party.

Former minister P T Parameshwar Naik joined Rathod and said that no Lambani has been given any position in the party. Even Manohar Ainapur tried to speak up.

Angered by this, Siddaramaiah is said to have rebuffed them. He said the likes of Bheema Naik (KMF chairperson) and Rudrappa Lamani (Deputy Speaker) have been given positions.

The Lambani community has presence in Gulbarga, Bidar, Bagalkot, Raichur, Chitradurga, Davangere, Tumkur, Ballari, Koppal and other regions.