From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network
Bengaluru, May 26: After the shock defeat of the Congress and JD(S) coalition parties in the Lok Sabha polls where the two parties could win just a seat each out of the 28 seats from Karnataka with BJP grabbing 25, the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee will holding a special session for introspection of the party’s defeat and ensuring stability of the coalition government by holding a crucial meeting of the Congress legislators on Wednesday, May 29, in the city.
The soul-searching meeting will be held at the five-star Hotel Ashok in Bengaluru.
The meeting would provide an opportunity for the Congress to demonstrate unity among its legislators to counter an alleged bid by the BJP to topple the coalition government headed by Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy.
Former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will chair the Congress legislature party meeting and all MLCs and MLAs.
KPCC president Dinesh Gundu Rao told reporters that the CLP meet would seriously discuss various issues that caused the party’s defeat in the 2019 general elections.
All legislators would be given an opportunity to express their opinions freely during meeting, he said.
Dinesh Gundu Rao on Saturday took responsibility for the crushing defeat of his party in the 2019 Lok Sabha election, but stopped short of offering to resign as the State party president.
Rao said a combination of factors caused for the party’s and alliance defeat.
“We accept the peoples’ mandate. But being a president of the KPCC, I will take moral responsibility of the party’s defeat. Otherwise, my conscience will not accept it.”
“I will soon submit a report to Congress president Rahul Gandhi on the outcome of the Lok Sabha elections in Karnataka. Let him take the decision on my position in the party”, Rao told presspersons here.
He said the electorate voted differently in the by-elections in Chincholli and Kundagol and general elections in less than a month.
Despite many failures of the NDA Government during 2014-19, the electorate voted for the BJP.
The BJP leaders bypassed economic and employment issues and made security and Hindutva as main poll issues to woo the electorate, KPCC chief said.
The KPCC chief not only congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his party’s victory and admitted that the poll results were not accepted in wildest dreams.
Given the party’s defeat and open criticisms against the State Congress leaders, sources said a few legislators are likely to abstain from attending the meet.
Nearly a dozen of legislators such as Roshan Baig, B C Patil, Ramesh Jarkiholi, B Nagendra, Anand Singh, and few others reportedly have not been happy with the present Congress leadership and functioning of the coalition government.