The Hindu : Khandre's expulsion won't affect Congress, says Kharge

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Dec 01, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Karnataka

Khandre's expulsion won't affect Congress, says Kharge

By Our Special Correspondent

GULBARGA Nov. 30. The Home Minister, Mallikarjun Kharge, today said that the expulsion of the senior Congress leader and former Minister, Bheemanna Khandre, from the party for anti-party activities would have no impact on the prospects of the Congress in Monday's elections to the Legislative Council from the local authorities constituencies or the elections to the Assembly and the Lok Sabha due next year.

Talking to The Hindu here, Mr. Kharge pointed out that it was not the first time that Mr. Khandre was being expelled from the party. He had been expelled from the party in 1989 for anti-party activities when Veerendra Patil was the Chief Minister and President of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC).

He did not agree with the suggestion that the action against Mr. Khandre, who is also the President of the Akhila Bharata Veerashaiva Mahasabha, would anger the Veerashaiva community, which accounts for a significant percentage of voters in the State. He said that the Congress party had not sidelined or harassed Mr. Khandre before his expulsion. The action against Mr. Khandre was based on his open defiance of party directives and for working against the interests of the party's official nominee in the elections to the Upper House from Bidar and Minister of State for Power, Basavaraj Patil Humnabad.

Mr. Kharge said the KPCC President, B. Janardhana Poojary, took the decision to expel them from the party to limit the damage.

Mr. Kharge pointed out that Mr. Khandre had to face defeat in elections in the past despite being considered as the leader of the Veerashaiva community. He could not ensure the victory of his son, Vijayakumar Khandre, in the last Assembly elections. The Congress party had lost all the six seats in Bidar district in the last Assembly elections despite Mr. Khandre's presence on the scene.

On the prospects of the party in the elections to the Council, Mr. Kharge said the party had a very good chance of winning more than 20 of the 23 seats it had contested. Even in Bidar, the situation was favourable to Mr. Humnabad, he added.

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