Dismissing as a “lie” Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s claim that he had not joined the Congress with the support of State unit leaders, former Minister A.H. Vishwanath said consent of the State unit chief and office-bearers was necessary for anyone to join the party.
Addressing a press conference here on Sunday, Mr. Vishwanath, who claims to be among the Congress leaders responsible for bringing Mr. Siddaramaiah into the party fold, said the Chief Minister was not aware of the formalities for joining the Congress.
Admission into the Congress takes place only after the party’s State unit chief and office-bearers give their consent, he said. “The process even begins only after the president’s consent. This happened even in Siddaramaiah’s case,” he said.
What the CM said
At a recent press conference, Mr. Siddaramaiah had rejected claims that State Congress leaders had brought him into the party. He had said he joined the party after senior leader Ahmed Patel introduced him to Sonia Gandhi, the Congress’ national president, in 2006.
Calling Mr. Siddaramaiah a liar, Mr. Vishwanath said the Chief Minister had heaped insult upon the State Congress leaders with his statements.
Referring to Mr. Siddaramaiah’s announcement that he would contest the Assembly elections from Chamundeshwari constituency in Mysuru, Mr. Vishwanath said the CM has abandoned the constituency that re-elected him to the Assembly after he quit the JD(S) and joined the Congress during the bypolls in 2006. “His decision to shift to Varuna is another example of his ungratefulness,” Mr. Vishwanath said.
