Rift in Mysore Cong wide open

Not all is well with the Congress party in Mysore city with Opposition Leader in the assembly and Varuna MLA Siddaramaiah and Narasimharaja MLA Tanveer Sait not seeing eye to eye on many issues.

The differences between the two came to fore during the district level meeting convened by KPCC president G Parameshwara on Saturday at Congress Bhavan in Bangalore, sources said.

The party enjoys a stronghold in Mysore district, having bagged eight of the 11 assembly seats. However, thanks to the squabbling among the local leaders of the city, especially within Narasimharaja constituency,  the party is now facing problems.

While Sait complained that despite him being a senior leader, he was being sidelined by his party men, a staunch supporter of Siddaramaiah and Mysore District Congress Committee president C Dasegowda is learnt to have retorted by stating that the former had not made any attempts to play an active role in the party activities within the district.

With ticket distribution being the next major exercise, the infighting among Sait, Dasegowda and ex-mayor Vasu, (a two time defeated candidate), would only intensify and put the party on a sticky wicket, added sources.

In the meeting, Sait is also said to have attacked Siddaramaiah for not giving the district MLAs an audience. The latter apparently reprimanded Sait by stating that the MLA was inaccessible and that it was time he started performing.

It is said that Sait is not confident of getting party ticket this time because State Youth Congress president Rizwan Arshad is keen on contesting from Narasimharaja. Sait is said to be in good terms with JD(S) state president H D Kumaraswamy.

DCC presidents, MLAs, MLCs, and former legislators of six districts of Mysore division expressed their contentions or grouses to the panel of party leaders which included Union Minister K H Muniyappa, AICC secretary Shantharam Naik and leader of opposition in Council, S R Patil.