Congress leader from Ramanagaram and MLC C.M. Lingappa on Tuesday slammed Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president G. Parameshwara for extending the party’s support to the Janata Dal (Secular) candidate in the Assembly byelections in Ramanagaram constituency. He said such a move would ruin the Congress’ growth in the State.
“We are ashamed to say that he is our State Congress president. After becoming the Deputy Chief Minister, he has forgotten Congress leaders and workers. All these attempts will lead to the selling out of the party and its workers,” Mr. Lingappa said.
In the recently concluded Assembly elections, the JD(S)’s H.D. Kumaraswamy won from both Ramanagaram and Channapatna constituencies, and he chose to vacate the Ramanagaram seat. The Election Commission is soon expected to announce bypolls to Ramanagaram segment.
Addressing mediapersons, Mr. Lingappa, former MLA, said the KPCC chief did not even have the courtesy to discuss the issue with the District Congress Committee office-bearers. “Mr. Parameshwara, who has become the Deputy CM, has no ambition of becoming CM in the Congress government,” he alleged.
A few days ago, Mr. Lingappa, a close associate of senior Congress leader D.K. Shivakumar and his brother, made a sensational allegation against BJP national president Amit Shah. He said that when Mr. Shivakumar had taken the lead in keeping Gujarat Congress MLAs together at a resort in Bidadi in August 2017, Mr. Shah had called and asked him to send four Congress MLAs to the BJP camp. Later, income tax officials raided the resort.
In Jayanagar
Meanwhile, JD(S) candidate from Jayanagar Kale Gowda has decided to retire from the contest in support of the coalition partner Congress. The JD(S) has decided to support Congress candidate Sowmya Reddy in the election, to be held on June 11.
Earlier in the day, former Minister Ramalinga Reddy called on JD(S) supremo H.D. Deve Gowda and sought the party’s support for Ms. Reddy, who is his daughter.
