Karnataka   

‘Consolidation of secular forces has begun’

— Photo: V. Sreenivasa Murthy

adding strength: AICC general secretary Prithviraj Chavan (second from right) welcoming S.B. Sidnal (second from left), B. Gopal (third from left) and Taradevi Siddhartha into the party on Sunday. Party leaders M. Mallikarjun Kharge and Siddaramaiah are with them.

Bangalore: AICC general secretary in charge of Karnataka, Prithviraj Chavan, on Sunday said that realignment and consolidation of secular forces had commenced with the entry of important leaders to the Congress.

He was addressing presspersons at a function where the former Union Minister D.K. Taradevi Siddhartha, S.B. Sidnal, former MP, and the former Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) B. Gopal were admitted to the Congress.

He said that the exit of leaders from the Congress earlier had benefited the Bharatiya Janata Party, resulting in 20 months of “misrule” in the State.

Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president M. Mallikarjun Kharge announced that Congress president Sonia Gandhi had decided to admit the former Union Minister C.M. Ibrahim into the party.

He said that another former Minister K. Jayaprakash Hegde was also joining the Congress at a public meeting at Kundapur.

Mr. Chavan hoped that the entry of well-known leaders would greatly help the Congress to regain power and implement programmes for the poor and downtrodden sections and make Karnataka a progressive State.

Campaign Committee chairman Siddaramaiah and KPCC vice-president H. Hanumanthappa were present.

Asked why she was rejoining the Congress Ms. Taradevi said that she was forced to leave the Congress.

Ms. Siddhartha said that she was not serious about contesting the Assembly elections.

Mr. Gopal, who was president of the State unit of the BSP, alleged that some hidden hand was behind his expulsion from that party, and the Congress was the only option for him as it was secular.

Mr. Gopal said that the Congress had assured him ticket to contest from Anekal constituency.

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