Bengaluru, May 25 (DHNS): Embarrassed by its leaders and workers for openly airing their grievances of late, the state Congress on Wednesday threatened to take strict action against such leaders.

AICC general secretary K C Venugopal and KPCC president G Parameshwara said the party will not hesitate to take disciplinary action if any leader causes damage to the party by expressing their grievances in public.

Problems, if any, should be brought to the notice of the KPCC president. All issues should be discussed within the party forum, Parameshwara told reporters.

He said notices will be issued to a section of party workers in Koppal who recently shouted slogans against Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in the presence of the AICC secretary. The Koppal workers, who claimed to be party loyalists, shouted “Siddaramaiah hatao, Congress bachao” in the district, causing embarrassment to the party.

Interestingly, within hours of the warning, the Congress workers belonging to two factions from Hassan district on Wednesday indulged in a heated argument at the KPCC office, where Venugopal, Parameshwara and Siddaramaiah were holding meetings. One of the factions had arrived in Bengaluru to meet Venugopal and complain against district in-charge Minister A Manju. They said Manju was neglecting Lingayats, SCs, STs and minorities in the district.

Differences among the party leaders at district levels have started surfacing ever since the AICC general secretary and the chief minister began a four-day exercise to interact with them. Whether it is the feud between Jarkiholi brothers in Belagavi or Santosh Lad and Anil Lad in Ballari or the tussle between the party ‘loyalists’ and the ‘migrants’ in Koppal, the party is now faced with a plethora of problems.

This apart, Venugopal, Siddaramaiah and Parameshwara met the party legislators and the leaders from all the district of Mysuru division. However, rebel leaders such as A H Vishwanath from Mysuru and B Janardhana Poojary from Dakshina Kannada districts kept off the meeting. The two leaders have been critical of Siddaramaiah’s style of functioning.

Venugopal is scheduled to meet the legislators and workers from the Bengaluru division, including Bengaluru city, on Friday.