K.C. Venugopal, the All-India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary in charge of Karnataka, has returned a high-end car given by the State government for his use. He will, instead, use the party’s car.
Mr. Venugopal is in the city to formulate an Assembly election strategy by consulting Ministers, legislators and district Congress committee presidents. He has instructed office-bearers of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) to provide him the party’s car during his stay.
Party sources said the AICC general secretary told the KPCC that he was coming to the city on party work, not government work.
On Tuesday, Mr. Venugopal and other members of the AICC held discussions with office-bearers of the district Congress units of Kalaburagi division. KPCC president G. Parameshwara, working president Dinesh Gundu Rao, and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah were present.
Feud in the family
Meanwhile, former Minister Satish Jarkiholi called on AICC vice-president Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi on Tuesday and spoke about the political developments in the State.
During a review meeting of Belagavi division on Monday, the two brothers — Mr. Satish Jarkiholi and Minister Ramesh Jarkiholi — are said to have expressed their differences in front of Mr. Venugopal and sought Mr. Gandhi’s intervention.
According to sources, Mr. Venugopal assigned Mr. Satish Jarkiholi to take control of party affairs in Belagavi while his brother, the district in-charge Minister, would be in charge of creating awareness about government schemes in the district.
Belagavi district has 18 Assembly seats. Mr. Siddaramaiah is said to have obliquely told Mr. Venugopal that the party had lost the Belagavi mayoral elections because of the brothers’ squabbles.
