The Congress party had staged a protest rally to then Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommais residence on the Race Course road to press for dismissal and arrest of Rural Development & Panchayat Raj Minister KS Eshwarappa over the suicide of civil contractor Santhosh Patil after he allegedly came under pressure to pay a hefty bribe over unpaid bills. The High Grounds Police in Bengaluru had booked cases against the four Congress leaders for holding protests in a non-designated area and blocking the traffic.
Kharge, speaking to the media at Kalaburagi, sounded unhappy that such a discussion was taking place ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. His comments came in response to queries on sections of senior ministers holding a dinner meeting to pursue the demand, last week, and following it up by airing the same before AICC general secretary RS Surjewala in Bengaluru on Monday. The AICC president dismissed the talk as mere speculation, and asked the media to pose the queries to chief minister Siddaramaiah and Dy CM and KPCC president DK Shivakumar.
Congress leaders like IT minister Priyank Kharge have been trying to put out the flames, saying they would take the job if the party high command said so. The deputy CM also gave a statement refuting rumours of a rift within the party. “When we speak to the media, we will stick to the stand [AICC general secretary] RS Surjewala advised and inform them final decisions are with the party high command,” he said in the meeting on Saturday.
AICC General Secretary RS Surjewala has cautioned party leaders in Karnataka against publicly speaking out against the party s decisions, warning them of "strict disciplinary action." He emphasized that party members should express their complaints, suggestions, and opinions within the party forum rather than in public.
The Congress had alleged that the EVMs used in the elections were previously used in South Africa and had not been re-validated or re-verified. However, the ECI said that this was not true.