New Delhi: Senior Congress leader Rashid Alvi on Thursday expressed concern over the ongoing tussle over the Karnataka Chief Minister's post, and urged Mallikarjun Kharge to "resolve the issue as soon as possible."
Alvi likened the current internal rift in the party to the alleged sidelining of former Rajasthan Chief Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Vasundhara Raje, saying that while every party faces turmoil, the current tussle is concerning.
"Every political party goes through such turmoil. We know what happened with Vasundhara Raje in Rajasthan. We are concerned about Karnataka. The head of the Congress party is not Rahul Gandhi but Mallikarjun Kharge; he should resolve this issue as soon as possible," Alvi told ANI here.
Amid the power tussle in Karnataka, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge said a decision will be made after a discussion among the high command, CM Siddaramiah, and Deputy CM DK Shivakumar. The speculation stirred as the Karnataka government reached the halfway mark of its five-year term on November 20.
Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, Kharge stated that it will be a collective decision.
"I will call everyone and have a discussion. Rahul Gandhi will also remain present in that discussion. Other members will also remain present. CM and Dy CM will also remain present. The decision will be made after a discussion with all of these. There is a team. I am not alone. The entire high command team will discuss and make a decision," he told reporters.
Earlier today, Deputy CM DK Shivakumar shared a social media post amid speculation of a power tussle between him and CM Siddaramaiah, reiterating, "Keeping one's word is the greatest strength in the world."
Earlier on Wednesday, senior Congress MLA and former minister KN Rajanna said the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) should decide the chief minister, and hence "dissolve the assembly and face elections".
"Let's dissolve (the Assembly) and face the elections. Then let's work together under the leadership of DK Shivakumar and come up with a majority. Then let him serve as the CM for 5 years. Wasn't it the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) that elected Siddaramaiah? Now the decision should be made by the CLP," the Congress MLA told reporters.
While CM Siddaramaiah has termed it an "unnecessary debate" and DK Shivakumar reiterated his loyalty to the Congress and dismissed speculation over his resignation as Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) President, Deputy CM has also sought a meeting with senior party leader Sonia Gandhi on November 29 to discuss the ongoing issues.
(Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by FPJ's editorial team and auto-generated from an agency feed.)
