Congress workers are living in fear in south Karnataka, say former MLAs

A group of former Congress legislators on Tuesday alleged that party workers and leaders in the JD(S)-dominated southern districts of Karnataka were “living in fear” because of the “political oppression” of JD(S) Ministers. They said this would damage the Congress’ prospects in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

Nearly 20 former legislators and defeated Congress candidates, including N. Cheluvaraya Swamy, H.C. Mahadevappa, C.S. Putte Gowda, P.M. Narendra Swamy, A. Manju, H.C. Balakrishna, B. Manje Gowda, and former IAS officer Siddaiah, held a meeting at a hotel here and demanded that former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president Dinesh Gundu Rao intervene immediately to end this “climate of oppression”.

One of the leaders told

The Hindu that Congress leaders were having a tough time in Ramanagaram, Mysuru, Tumakuru, Mandya, and Hassan districts. The JD(S) had won the majority of seats in these districts in the 2018 Assembly elections.

The leaders also accused Public Works Minister H.D. Revanna of interfering with the functioning of all departments and preventing the execution of development works in Congress-dominated constituencies. The Congress will be facing a bleak prospect in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections if senior party leaders fail to act now, they said.