Delay in the appointment of the Leader of the Opposition in both the Houses of the Karnataka legislature appears to have left senior Congress legislators fuming at the party central leadership.
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With the State legislature scheduled to meet for three days from October 10 to pass the State budget, presented by the former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy before the government was voted out, delay in the appointment to the the posts would be considered as a setback to Congress legislators, particularly the former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.
During the session, being the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader, Mr. Siddaramaiah is expected to put the BJP government on the mat for its alleged failure to tackle flood situation and provide relief to the affected families. However, the absence of the Leader of the Opposition, a statutory status during the session, would leave the party and the CLP leader in an awkward position.
A top party leader said senior legislators were disappointed with the party central leadership for the delay in the appointment of the Leader of the Opposition in both the Legislative Assembly and the Legislative Council. Moreover, the central leadership has to nominate legislators for the posts of chief whip of the party in both the Houses.
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‘Unhappy with leaders’
Sources said the party central leadership was unhappy with the State Congress leaders over the manner in which legislators conducted themselves during the fall of the coalition government. It is believed that the former Congress president Rahul Gandhi and other central leaders were disappointed by how loyalists of Mr. Siddaramaiah deserted the party, ultimately leading to the collapse of the government.
Moreover, unlike Mr. Gandhi, interim Congress president Sonia Gandhi is believed to be not giving much significance to the views of party general secretary in charge of Karnataka K.C. Venugopal, and this is said to be another reason for the delay in the appointment of the Leader of the Opposition. It is also said that the party central leadership was busy in selecting candidates for Haryana and Maharashtra Assembly elections and this had caused the delay in the appointments.
Several senior legislators are vying for the posts of Leader of the Opposition. MLAs and former Ministers H.K. Patil and G. Parameshwara have been eyeing the post in the Assembly while former Ministers S.R. Patil and R.B. Thimmapur have been lobbying for the post in the Council, sources said.
It is not yet clear whether the party would follow the model adopted by it at the national level — appointing different legislators to the posts of the Leader of the Opposition and the Leader of Congress Legislature Party.
Till now, the party has appointed the CLP leader as the Leader of the Opposition in the State.
I am in the running: H.K. Patil
With Gadag MLA and former Minister H.K. Patil admitting that he is also vying for the post of the Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Assembly, a fresh round of lobbying has begun in the Congress.
Mr. Patil, who returned from New Delhi on Saturday, said he had gone to the national capital to meet senior leaders regarding his candidature. “Senior Congress leader Madhusudan Mistry will arrive in the city [early on Sunday] and hold discussions with KPCC leaders here and gather opinion. Following this, the high command will take a final call,” he said.
Stating that he is not a competitor to the former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who is also vying for the post, Mr. Patil said he has already worked as the Leader of the Opposition and has adequate experience. “If given a chance, I will perform to the best of my capability. That does not mean I am competing with others,” he said.