Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)

Bengaluru, May 9: K C Venugopal, who has been newly appointed by Congress leadership as in-charge of party affairs in Karnataka, surprisingly received a large number of complaints from office bearers of Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) and district presidents of the party on Monday May 8 against chief minster (CM), Siddaramaiah, and KPCC president, Dr G Parameshwara.

Many of the complainants were aggrieved by the 'autocratic' style of functioning of the chief minister, as per information. People are unhappy with Parameshwara as he is not available to party activists for one-to-one discussions, having been busy as he has to discharge two responsibilities.

Some sources in the party said that immediate past state in-charge of Congress, Digvijaya Singh, never gave any recognition to lower level leaders of the party and activists. Therefore, as long as Digvijaya was in charge of the affairs, party activists did not get a chance to share their complaints, it is said. As Venugopal allowed everyone to hold discussions with him, people could openly pour out their feelings, it is gathered.

Venugopal told the party leaders to stop discussing about the next KPCC president and behave wisely to see that the Dalit vote bank does not go astray. This, some feel, is an indication that Parameshwara may be allowed to continue in his current post. There is also information that several people who met Venugopal said that if it was necessary to replace Parameshwara, Mallikarjun Kharge, also a Dalit, should be brought in his place. Some senior leaders also told him that if assertive people like D K Shivakumar cannot be given this post, it would be better to continue Parameshwara in the post as giving to the post to mild leaders would result in vesting the entire power with Siddaramaiah. As the high command is not in a mood to depute Kharge to the state, taking into account the current state of affairs, Parameshwara is likely to retain the post with him, it is being analyzed.

Venugopal, who will be in the city for two more days to pool opinions from party men, is scheduled to meet ministers, current and former MLAs, MPs, defeated assembly and Lok Sabha candidates, and chairpersons of corporations and boards on Tuesday.

Venugopal told the people who met him to strongly support the high command in the decisions it might take, towards making sure that BJP does not gain further foothold. "Let us work for the victory of the party in the next assembly election. People of Karnataka have always backed our party in times of crisis," he noted.

All India Congress Committee proposes to appoint four of its secretaries to four revenud divisions of the state. These secretaries will be stationed in the headquarters of the respective divisions. Party leaders and activists who want to share their views or make complaints can meet them. "The leaders and activists should never discuss intra-party issues openly. District level organizations should be in touch with these secretaries regularly," Venugopal is learnt to have advised the state leaders of the party.