Win polls first, CM candidate later: Surjewala tells Karnataka Congress factions

Cracking the whip, the AICC on Monday warned Karnataka unit leaders against projecting chief ministerial faces of a future Congress government and work unitedly to earn the trust of the people of the state.

“I have noted with concern that certain individuals in the Congress Party have recently become prone to issuing statements about leadership in the State or leadership post Congress Government formation,” AICC General Secretary in-charge of Karnataka Randeep Singh Surjewala said in a statement here.

The statement came after a section of the Congress leaders such as B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan and Raghavendra Hitnal projected Siddaramaiah as the next chief minister, while another group of leaders chanted the mantra of “collective leadership”.

“I take this opportunity to forewarn them to avoid such comments completely. Central Congress leadership & MLAs will decide the issue at an appropriate time,” Surjewala said.

Also Read | D K Shivakumar asks Congress leaders to stop projecting Karnataka CM faces

He said the sole objective of Congress leaders should be the progress of the state and welfare of the people and the BJP government “crumbles under its own weight”.

“All Congress leaders will continue to fight the battle unitedly in people’s interest. Like ‘Arjuna’ in Mahabharata, this should be our only goal,” Surjewala said.

He said the people of state were again looking towards the Congress Party as the only credible alternative with a proven track record of governance and public welfare schemes reaching across the spectrum.

“The responsibility of Congress Party is, thus, even more to put the State back as the driver of India’s agriculture, economy and as a hub of technology and innovation. The entire Congress leadership in the State will leave no stone unturned in putting Karnataka as a frontline State in these areas and as an example to be emulated by the rest of the country,” Surjewala said.