Karnataka - Hassan   

Discontentment brewing in Hassan District Congress

Staff Correspondent

Many leaders set to join Janata Dal (Secular)

HASSAN: With only four days left for the zilla and taluk panchayat elections, the Congress in the district is in a fix, as many leaders are planning to quit the party and join the Janata Dal (Secular).

Many taluk-level leaders have rebelled against party leadership, as they are unhappy with the selection of candidates for the elections.

M.G. Krishne Gowda, former president of District Youth Congress and leader from Mosalehosalli, recently joined the Janata Dal (S), as the Congress denied him nomination from Mosalehosalli constituency.

The former zilla panchayat member Muniswamy has decided to quit the Congress, as the former MP G. Puttaswamy Gowda opposed his nomination to contest from Niduvani constituency. T.P. Chandrashekar, leader of District Seva Dal Cell, has announced his plans to quit the party. Similar is the situation in Sakleshpur taluk. Disappointed with the selection of candidates, senior party leader H.B. Yajaman has decided to submit his resignation.

Frustrated with the treatment meted out to him by the former zilla panchayat member D.C. Sannaswamy, the district unit president of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Cell, Adagur Venkatesh, has decided to quit the party and is planning to join Janata Dal (S).

Speaking to presspersons in Hassan on Wednesday, Mr. Venkatesh alleged that Mr. Sannaswamy verbally abused him in front of the public and assaulted him.

Though the former complained against latter to the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC), the leaders have not initiated action against Mr. Sannaswamy.

The apathy of the KPCC in failing to act has disappointed him, and he has thus decided to join the Janata Dal (S) in the presence of former Prime Minister and party President H.D. Deve Gowda on December 16. Members of 10 SC and ST Block will also follow him, he added.

Mr. Muniswamy alleged that despite working for party for 18 years and serving as a member of first zilla panchayat body, Mr. Puttaswamy Gowda conspired against him and he has been denied nomination.

Rebel leaders allege that despite repeated requests to the KPCC, no attempts have been made to appoint a "permanent" president for the District Congress Committee.

The ad hoc president, Kumaraswamy, is a follower of Mr. Puttaswamy Gowda, they charged.

The role played by the senior Congress leader Harnahalli Ramaswamy in getting his followers nominated has created disgruntlement among the party leaders in Arsikere taluk.

Differences

The former MLA Prabhukumar joining the Congress has also created a rift between him and the former Congress MLA G.V. Siddappa.

The differences among Block Congress president B.K. Chandrakala, the former MLA D. Mallesh, and the former MP Rudresh Gowda in Belur taluk is also posing problems for the party leaders in the district.

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