Hassan rally: Siddaramaiah fan bash renamed to make it Congress-centric event

Bengaluru: The D K Shivakumar-led Congress has renamed the December 5 convention at Hassan as 'Jana Kalyana Samavesha' and it is unlikely to be a Siddaramaiah-centric event as was originally planned by the chief minister's fans.

"It's a Congress programme, under my leadership. We want to communicate what we are doing, the development we have achieved, the lies spread by BJP and JD(S) which have not worked," Shivakumar, the deputy chief minister and Karnataka Congress president, told reporters.

Asked about Siddaramaiah's loyalists being upset with the event becoming a Congress programme, Shivakumar denied any disgruntlement. "No one is a D K Shivakumar supporter or a Siddaramaiah supporter. Everyone is a Congress supporter," he said.

"Congress is a big party with a big history. If I want to participate as the president of the party, it should be under our banner. If the chief minister has to participate, it should be under Congress' banner. I have made it very clear. The event will happen under our leadership. I'm presiding over it," Shivakumar added.

Initially, a body of organisations representing ‘oppressed communities’ wanted to hold a ‘Siddaramaiah Swabhimaani Janandolana Samavesha’ at Hassan, the native of JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda. The event aimed to mobilise support for Siddaramaiah and galvanise his Ahinda (minorities, backward classes and Dalits) support base.

"Who said this was an Ahinda convention? This is a party event being organised by its leaders to thank workers and voters. We will have such events across the state," Women & Child Development Minister Laxmi Hebbalkar said. "The CM is for the entire state. He's the Congress CM," she added.