Daijiworld Media Network-Bengaluru (RJP)
Bengaluru, May 26: After four days of continuous meetings with party leaders, AICC general secretary in- charge of Karnataka, K C Venugopal asked his party leaders to bury the hatchet to remain in power.
“People will stand by us if the party is united and if the workers are united. ‘Be united and retain power in Karnataka’ is our mantra,” Venugopal said while he spoke with the media on Thursday, May 25.
“There are some differences of opinion among the leaders in some places. We have discussed those issues and put in place a mechanism to resolve them,” he stated admitting that there are differences among party leaders in state level.
Venugopal, along with chief minister Siddaramaiah and KPCC president G Parameshwara had interacted with district-level leaders earlier.
“District-level co-ordination committees have been formed to find solutions to the problems. The committees will meet regularly and try to iron out all differences. All the leaders have been told that it is very important for the party to win the 2018 elections. Besides, directions have been issued to them on measures to be taken to strengthen the party in the next nine months,” he added.
Strict Action
Venugopal warned that the party will take strict action against those who air their grievances in public. “Indiscipline will not be tolerated in future. No leader should make any statement against the leadership or the party. Problems, if any, should be reported to us. We are here to find solutions,” he said.
He declined to comment when he was asked why the party is not taking action against leaders like A H Vishwanath and Janardhana Poojary who have been extremely critical of Siddaramaih’s style of functioning.
‘BJP staging drama’
Venugopal accused BJP of staging a drama to appease Dalits ahead of the 2018 Assembly elections. “People have been witnessing what is happening with Dalits across the country. Dalits were being targeted in all the BJP-ruled states in the past 3 years. But BJP leaders here are showing love towards Dalits,” he said referring to the state BJP leaders having breakfast at Dalits’ houses in various parts of the state.
He challenged BJP leaders to take part in a debate on the four-year performance of the party’s government in the state.
“The Siddaramaiah government has implemented a number of pro-poor programmes. It has shown concern for the poor and the downtrodden. The party has received good feedback from everywhere, and it is confident of retaining the power in the state.” he concluded.