Davanagere South bypoll: Cong Muslim leaders allege internal conspiracy to defeat party candidate
Bengaluru (PTI): A rift within the Karnataka Congress surfaced on Friday, a day after the bypolls to two Assembly constituencies in the state, as a group of Muslim leaders alleged a "conspiracy" by some of their own senior party leaders to defeat the official candidate in Davanagere South.
However, they asserted that despite efforts by some within to project that Congress "betrayed" Muslims, the party candidate Samarth Mallikarjun will win in Davanagere South, the constituency where the community has a significant presence.
Chief Whip in the Legislative Council Saleem Ahmed, MLAs Rizwan Arshad, Yasir Ahmed Khan Pathan, MLC Bilkis Bano, and other Congress leaders addressed a joint press conference regarding this at the party office here.
"It is a sad thing that some senior leaders of our own party have conspired to defeat the Congress, despite this minorities have voted for the Congress. KPCC President (D K Shivakumar), the Chief Minister (Siddaramaiah) and the AICC General Secretary (Randeep Singh Surjewala) are aware of this. People have voted for Congress, its ideology and its five guarantee schemes," Ahmed said.
Noting that Samath Mallikarjun was given a ticket after taking all minority leaders of the party into confidence and following their consent, he said, "But after that because of some misconceptions, conspiracies have been hatched. But still, I'm confident that Congress candidate Samarth will win".
According to party sources, these Muslim leaders have also complained to AICC and state party leadership regarding attempts for "internal sabotage" in Davanagere South.
Though the leaders did not indicate who they were accusing. Several party sources said their attack was directed at Housing Minister B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan, among a few others.
Khan, who had openly demanded the Davanagere South ticket for a Muslim candidate, had initially stayed away from campaigning in the segment, citing his Kerala poll responsibilities. However, he addressed a press meet along with Samarth's father and Minister SS Mallikarjun at the request of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.
MLA Arshad said that there was a massive social media campaign against the Congress party, by the BJP, SDPI and Independents, alleging "betrayal" of the minorities by the Congress. Some within the party, too, tried to project the same.
"We indeed demanded a ticket for the minority, and the party considered it. However, since we, as minority leaders, had to provide a unanimous candidate, we only put forward Abdul Jabbar's name because he is the MLC from the region, and he also pressured us. I think we first failed there, as ground-level party workers did not accept it and some other leaders believed he wasn't that popular," he said.
Arshad noted that the party finally named Samarth Mallikarjun as the candidate "after considering all factors and taking all Muslim leaders into confidence".
"However, some of us Muslim leaders who worked for the party's official candidate were projected as anti-Muslim on social media," he claimed.
Some leaders who accepted the party's decision to nominate Samarth as the party candidate during the meeting called to decide it later showed indirect signs of resistance, he said. "An attempt was made by others, including some within the Congress, to project that the Congress has betrayed the Muslims. This has caused us pain."
Bypolls for Davanagere South were held along with Bagalkot on Thursday. The election was necessitated following the death of sitting MLAs Shamanur Shivashankarappa and H Y Meti respectively.
Muslim disgruntlement appears to be a concern for the Congress in Davanagere South. With 14 of the 25 candidates in the fray belonging to the community, there are apprehensions within the party about a split in votes, which could benefit the BJP.
Given its significant presence in the constituency, the Muslim community strongly demanded the Congress ticket for Davanagere South. Some party factions had opposed giving the ticket to the Shamanur family.
Although the Congress was successful in persuading rebel candidate Sadiq Pailwan to withdraw from the contest, he remained in the fray as the move came after the deadline for withdrawal of nominations.
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BJP kept up its tradition of giving power to corrupt, says Raut on WB CM; saffron party hits back
Mumbai (PTI): With Suvendu Adhikari taking oath as West Bengal Chief Minister, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Saturday hit out at the BJP, alleging that the saffron party kept up its tradition of giving power to corrupt people.
The BJP, however, hit back at the Sena (UBT) MP, saying that while allegations against Adhikari have not been proven, Raut himself had been to jail in connection with a case.
Talking to reporters, Raut said that in a sting operation in 2020, five Trinamool Congress (TMC) MPs, including Adhikari, were seen accepting money.
"After that, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) raided Adhikari (who was then with the TMC), following which he joined the BJP and now he is the CM," Raut said.
The stain on Adhikari is yet to be washed, Raut said.
"The BJP has kept up its tradition of giving power to corrupt people. It has to be lauded for this consistency," Raut said.
Adhikari on Saturday took oath as West Bengal's first BJP chief minister, marking a dramatic saffron turn in the state's political history.
The BJP secured 207 seats in the 294-member assembly in the recently concluded elections, ending the Trinamool Congress' 15-year rule and scripting its most significant electoral breakthrough in eastern India.
Reacting to the Sena (UB) leader's allegations, BJP spokesperson Navnath Ban said that while charges against Adhikari have not been proven, Raut has already spent time in jail.
"Suvendu Adhikari has not been found guilty, but Sanjay Raut has been to jail," he said.
Raut was arrested by the ED in August 2022 in connection with a money laundering case linked to the Mumbai Patra Chawl redevelopment project. He spent over three months in jail before being granted bail by a special court.
Ban also accused the erstwhile Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government of indulging in corruption during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The BJP leader said cracks in the INDIA bloc were visible with the developments in Tamil Nadu involving the DMK and the Congress.
"Uddhav Thackeray should also be cautious as Congress will stab him as well in the back," he added.
In Tamil Nadu, after the Congress decided to ally with the Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) to form a government, the DMK has accused the grand old party of "backstabbing" the alliance at a crucial moment.
