Cracking the whip on factionalism in Karnataka Congress, AICC General Secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala said there was nothing wrong in having individual aspirations, but those will have to yield to party discipline.
Surjewala’s remarks come amid differences between Karnataka Congress chief D K Shivakumar and former chief minister Siddaramaiah, who had blamed a section within the party for his defeat from Chamundeshwari seat in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
“I have unequivocally stated that we will accept no difference of opinion which tramples upon the interest of the party. Individual aspirations are good to have, but they have to yield to larger public good and discipline and unification of the party and we shall enforce it,” Surjewala told DH.
However, he asserted that there was no disagreement between the state unit chief and the CLP leader or between other leaders of the party.
“There is only one faction, that is the Congress faction,” Surjewala said adding that the party would fight the upcoming Lok Sabha bypolls to Belagavi seat unitedly.
“Our senior leaders, including M B Patil and others have held deliberations on the best candidate for the seat. Very soon all state leaders will meet and arrive at a consensus,” he said.
Surjewala hit out at the BJP government in the state, accusing it of showing complete disregard to the mandate of the people.
“Rampant corruption, the anti-farmer land reform law and the corruption involving the family of the chief minister is writ large. BJP is a House divided into thousand parts in Karnataka…. The Yeddiurappa government will crumble under its own weight,”(sic) he said.
The Congress leader rejected suggestions that the party was shrinking in Karnataka.
“Victory and losses are part of any party’s evolution,” Surjewala said when asked about the Congress’ defeat in the recent assembly bypolls in the state.
(Published 21 December 2020, 16:09 IST)
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