Congress should have found compromise formula for Kolar: Minister KH Muniyappa
Bengaluru, Mar 31: Senior Congress leader K H Muniyappa on Sunday said the party should have found a compromise formula and chosen a local to contest from the Kolar seat in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.
Muniyappa, who is seemingly upset after his son-in-law was denied a ticket from Kolar, claimed that the two factions led by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM and state Congress President D K Shivakumar were unable to resolve their differences and hence selected a "third person" to contest from the seat.
"The high command had given the ticket.. they had decided in favour of Chikka Peddanna (his son-in-law), but as there were some differences among us (Kolar unit), they had left the decision to the Chief Minister and the state president (of Congress).
"They were unable to resolve the issue and have selected a third person as the candidate," Muniyappa, the state Food and Civil Supplies Minister said.
Speaking to reporters here, he claimed that such differences were there in several constituencies and efforts were made by the leadership to resolve them, but could not be done in Kolar.
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"I tried to convince them to give (Chikka Peddanna) an opportunity and that I will ensure victory, but they couldn't. K C Venugopal and Randeep Singh Surjewala (AICC General Secretaries) had contacted me...but, no one could resolve the differences.
"There is no use of me blaming anyone now, the election is round the corner," he said.
The Congress yesterday announced a 'neutral' candidate, K V Gowtham, for the segment sending out a message to the two factions of the Kolar Congress--one led by Muniyappa, and another by former Speaker Ramesh Kumar-- vying for supremacy in the district.
Gowtham, who is from SC (Left) community, is the Bengaluru Central District Congress Committee president and son of former mayor K C Vijayakumar.
Muniyappa denied being upset about his son-in-law not getting the ticket, but said that the leadership could have ensured some "compromise formula".
"They should have identified a local person as a candidate and told both sides to obey the party decision," he added.
Five Congress legislators including a minister threatened to resign four days ago if the ticket for the Kolar Lok Sabha seat was given to Muniyappa's son-in-law Chikka Peddanna, as they wanted someone from the SC (Right) sect to be fielded.
Peddanna belongs to SC (Left).
Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar had on Thursday conducted a meeting with the lawmakers who had threatened to resign.
Muniyappa has represented Kolar Lok Sabha seat seven times. He had returned to state politics after losing the 2019 Lok Sabha polls from Kolar against BJP's S Muniswamy. He is currently an MLA from the Devanahalli assembly segment.
Meanwhile, Shivakumar today said that the dissidence in the Kolar unit of the party has been resolved and all leaders in the district including Muniyappa, Ramesh Kumar and other legislators have resolved to ensure the party's victory.
"You will see that they will together ensure Congress' victory," he added.
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Guv invites Hemant Soren to form govt in Jharkhand, oath on Nov 28
Ranchi, Nov 24: JMM leader Hemant Soren on Sunday met Jharkhand Governor Santosh Kumar Gangwar and staked claim to form the government, soon after leaders of the INDIA bloc in the state unanimously elected him as the legislature party leader.
He resigned as the chief minister, before staking claim to form the government. He will officiate as the acting chief minister till oath is administered to him on November 28.
"I met the governor. We staked claim to form the government, and handed over support letter of alliance partners to him. He invited us to form the government. The swearing in ceremony will be held on November 28," Soren told reporters after meeting Gangwar.
Soren, who drove to the Raj Bhavan in his car, said the governor asked him to officiate as the acting chief minister in the interim.
Soren will be sworn in as the 14th chief minister of Jharkhand, which was carved out of Bihar on November 15, 2000. He will be sworn in as the chief minister for the fourth term.
Earlier, leaders and MLAs of the alliance, during a meeting at Hemant Soren's residence here, unanimously elected him as the coalition's leader.
Congress's Jharkhand in-charge and party general secretary Ghulam Ahmad Mir and senior party leader Rajesh Thakur also attended the meeting, besides legislators of the coalition parties.
In a stunning comeback, Hemant Soren's JMM-led alliance on Saturday stormed to power in Jharkhand for a second consecutive term, winning 56 seats in the 81-member assembly, despite an all-out blitz by the BJP-led NDA which managed only 24 seats.
The majority mark in the state assembly is 41 seats.
Soren retained the Barhait seat by defeating BJP's Gamliyel Hembrom by a margin of 39,791 votes.
Soren had to resign as the CM in January before being arrested by the ED in a money laundering case.
He is out on bail after he was released from jail on June 28 after nearly five months, as the high court granted him bail in a money laundering case linked to an alleged land scam.
He had resigned as the CM shortly before his arrest on January 31 by the ED.
Hemant Soren, the son of JMM supremo Shibu Soren, began his political career in 2009 as a Rajya Sabha member, but his tenure in the upper House of Parliament was short-lived.
He resigned in 2010 to become the deputy chief minister in the BJP-led Arjun Munda government. However, the alliance collapsed in 2012, leading to President's Rule in the state. Despite this setback, Soren's resolve to lead Jharkhand never faltered.
In 2013, Soren became the state's youngest chief minister at the age of 38, forming the government with the support of Congress and RJD.
However, his first term was short-lived, as the BJP took power in 2014, and Soren became leader of the opposition.
A pivotal moment in his career came in 2016 when the BJP-led government attempted to amend laws protecting tribal land, such as the Chotanagpur Tenancy Act and the Santhal Pargana Tenancy Act.
Soren led a massive movement to protect tribal rights, which not only earned him widespread support but also set the stage for his return to power.
In 2019, Soren, with the backing of his allies Congress and RJD, reclaimed the chief minister's office. His JMM party won 30 seats.
This time, the party won 34 seats, its highest ever tally in the 81-member Jharkhand Assembly, signaling the growing popularity of his leadership.
