Fact finding team to review Congress' performance in LS polls, says Dy CM DK Shivakumar
Bengaluru, Jul 1: Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Monday said a fact-finding committee would be formed to analyse the party’s performance in the recently concluded Parliamentary elections.
The ruling Congress won nine seats while the BJP and its ally JD(S) got 19 seats in the Lok Sabha elections in Karnataka.
Though the Congress succeeded in increasing its tally from just one in 2019 LS election to nine this time, it was behind its target of winning 15.
Speaking to reporters after a meeting with party office bearers in KPCC office, Shivakumar said, “Our performance in the Parliamentary elections has not been up to our expectations except in Kalyana Karnataka region. We expected more than 15 seats, but it hasn’t happened.”
The committee will ascertain what went wrong, analyse the party’s performance in each assembly constituency and submit a report, Shivakumar, who is also the Congress state president, said.
ALSO READ: Shivakumar asks Cong leaders to refrain from comments on leadership issue in public
The Deputy CM pointed out that the party won nine seats against the media prediction of two.
“But we are not satisfied with the result. We could have won four to five more seats."
Shivakumr said he and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will hold four meetings to review party’s performance.
The report will be submitted to a team of the All India Congress Committee (AICC) when it visits Karnataka to review the election results.
On the assembly by-polls following the resignation of three MLAs after they won the Lok Sabha elections, Shivakumar said three teams have been formed to oversee preparations for the by-elections.
“One of the teams has already submitted a report on Shiggaon constituency. The Sandur constituency report will be submitted by July 3. Minister Chaluvarayaswamy will submit a report on the Channapatna constituency,” he said.
Former Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai was Shiggaon MLA in Haveri district, JDS leader H D Kumaraswamy was Channapatna MLA in Ramanagara district and Congress leader E Tukaram represented the Sandur assembly seat in Ballari.
Their resignations after their victory in the Lok Sabha election have necessitated the assembly bypolls.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Priyank Kharge backs AICC chief’s ‘snake’ remark, hits out at Assam CM
_vb_29.jpeg)
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge on Wednesday defended his father and AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge’s "poisonous snake" remark against the BJP and RSS.
He also hit out at Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, calling him "frustrated" and accusing him of "caste privilege" over his remarks on Mallikarjun Kharge.
"What has he (Mallikarjun Kharge) said? He said one must act if one encounters a poisonous snake. If you find a poisonous snake, will you feed it milk and nurture it, or will you drive it away?" Kharge asked in response to a question.
Speaking to reporters, he said, "Who is sowing the seeds of communal poison in our society? Why? Should we save and nurture such ideologies and principles? No. That is what he (Mallikarjun Kharge) has said. We have been saying this for a long time, not just now."
Terming the RSS ideology and principles detrimental to the country’s and society’s progress, the minister said their perspective does not accommodate the Constitution, minorities, backward classes, Adivasis, Dalits, or even women. "They believe in Manusmriti; we follow the Constitution," he said.
Questioning what one would do upon encountering a poisonous snake, Kharge said, "Will you call a conservationist? They would take it and release it in the forest. If you don’t find a conservationist, what will you do? What do people in villages do? If an ideology is not good for the progress of the country, it should not be adopted."
At an election rally in Assam’s Sribhumi district on Monday, citing the Quran, Mallikarjun Kharge said that if a poisonous snake passes in front of someone offering namaz, the person should stop the prayer and kill the snake.
"I would say that breaking the namaz does not matter. The RSS and the BJP are that poisonous snake. If you don’t kill this snake, you will not survive," he said.
Calling Sarma "frustrated" over his remarks against the AICC chief, Priyank said Mallikarjun Kharge has been in politics for about 50 years, and that neither the BJP nor the Prime Minister has answers to the questions he raises in Parliament and outside.
"The sense of caste privilege instilled in Sarma after his RSS training was not there when he was in the Congress. Sarma belongs to the Brahmin community. He has that privilege and believes whatever he says is acceptable, whether it is against Dalits or Dalit leaders," he claimed, adding that this reflects RSS ideology and its adherence to ‘Chaturvarna’ (the four-fold varna system) thinking.
He further said Sarma comes from an "enlightened and awakened community" and believes he can speak against those from other communities.
He asked, "What does Prime Minister Modi have to say about this? Will he defend it? Will he accept comments made by his chief minister against the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha?"
Sarma triggered a row on Tuesday when he hit out at Mallikarjun Kharge, saying he was "speaking like a madman" due to old age, after the latter called for central agencies to probe allegations against the Assam CM.
Reacting to the RSS filing a police complaint against Mallikarjun Kharge over his "poisonous snake" remarks, Priyank Kharge questioned how the organisation could do so if it is not registered.
"How can the RSS file a complaint? On what letterhead has it been filed? Individuals can file complaints, but I don’t know how the RSS can do so, as it has itself said it is unregistered. On one hand, they say they are unregistered; on the other, they claim their organisation has been insulted. Does this organisation exist or not?" he said.
He alleged that while the RSS has a structure and incurs expenditure, it does not pay income tax.
"What kind of patriotism is this? Is tax evasion patriotism? Then everyone will start doing it," he claimed.
_vb_72.jpeg)
_vb_86.jpeg)
_vb_85.jpeg)