Zero tolerance for corruption: Rahul Gandhi tells Karnataka leaders

Congress top leadership on Wednesday warned their Karnataka Ministers that there will be zero tolerance towards corruption and asked them not to give any scope for nepotism, amid a section of party MLAs expressing displeasure over the style of working of some ministers and allegations of graft in the transfer of officials within two months of taking over power.

The meeting chaired by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and attended by top leader Rahul Gandhi, General Secretary (Organisation) KC Venugopal and General Secretary in-charge Randeep Surjewala reviewed the working of the government and preparations for the Lok Sabha elections next year with senior Karnataka ministers and leaders.

Also Read: Karnataka Congress rejig ahead of Lok Sabha polls?

In the presence of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, sources said Rahul unequivocally told the ministers that the party will not tolerate corruption in the government and would not allow them to squander the mandate the party got in the elections in May this year.

Sources said Rahul also asked the leaders to think about what they could do for Congress' core voters, which includes Dalits, minorities and OBCs. He is learned to have told the meeting that the BJP's vote bank is intact and it is for the Congress to step up its act so that it wins the maximum number of Sabha seats in the state.

Venugopal asked the Ministers to ensure they should meet party workers at least once in a week. He emphasised that ministers should not ignore party workers and advised them to listen to the grievances of party workers on a regular basis.

Rahul also asked the Chief Minister and others to hold frequent meetings with MLAs and address the issues raised by them.

The central leadership took note of a recent letter by a group of MLAs to the Chief Minister raising allegations of graft. In the recently held Congress Legislative Party at Bengaluru, several MLAs complained against the ministers working style and corruption in allocating projects in constituencies.

Before the meeting with ministers, Kharge and others also held a meeting with senior leaders, including state unit working presidents, vice presidents, general secretaries, and senior ministers and discussed the preparation for next year's Lok Sabha elections. The central leaders sought individual opinions about the preparation of polls.

Rahul advised them to start preparing for next year's Lok Sabha polls and popularise five guarantee schemes, sources said.

Also Read: Karnataka Congress govt engaging in hate politics: Kateel

Emerging from the meeting, Surjewala told reporters that the leaders discussed how to make a strategy to win at least 20 seats in the next year's Lok Sabha polls.

Top leaders advised us to make district-wise teams and prepare a road map for winning the polls. They also advised state leaders to involve workers to popularise five guarantee schemes run-up to Lok Sabha polls, he said.

In each Lok Sabha constituency, one team would be made comprising one senior minister and senior leaders for making a strategy to win.

Siddaramaiah said they have explained how successfully they implemented the guarantee scheme. "We have sufficient funds to implement it," he said.

Refuting Prime Minister Narendra Modi's charges that Karnataka became bankrupt due to the implementation of freebies, Siddaramaiah said," it is not true. We have implemented 79 assurances given in the party manifesto."

To a question on whether MLAs’ unhappiness against some of the ministers' functioning style came up, Siddaramaiah said, "Only poll preparation was today's main agenda. No other issue was discussed."

Congress state unit working president Saleem Ahmed told reporters that the leaders discussed how to make a strategy to win at least 20 seats in the next year's Lok Sabha polls.

To a question on whether MLAs' unhappiness against some of ministers' functioning style came up, Salim said," No such issue came for discussion."