The Hindu : Karnataka News : Kharge’s hands have been strengthened: Parameshwar

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Mar 24, 2008
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Karnataka

Karnataka

Kharge’s hands have been strengthened: Parameshwar

Staff Correspondent

‘Krishna’s return has provided a fillip to the Congress’

TUMKUR: Congress Working Committee (CWC) member G. Parameshwar here on Sunday claimed that the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president M. Mallikarjun Kharge’s hands had been strengthened after the party high command appointed Mr. Kharge as Election Committee chairman, S.M. Krishna Coordination Committee chairman and Siddaramaiah Publicity Committee chairman.

Addressing presspersons, Dr. Parameshwar said: “The return of Mr. Krishna to active politics (in the State) has provided a fillip to the Congress to consolidate its poll strategy.”

“The morale of the party workers will get a further boost by the AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi’s five-day visit to the State,” Dr. Parameshwar said and added that “the party will receive an electrifying effect.”

“The appointments (of Mr. Krishna, Mr. Kharge and Mr. Siddaramaiah),” he said: “have been made not only on the basis of collective leadership, but also on the principle of “samana shreni” (equal status).” He took pains to explain that Mr. Kharge’s position had been strengthened by this action of the high command.

He said that Mr. Gandhi would arrive in Bangalore on March 25 and tour parts of Mysore and Chamarajanagar districts on that day, Dakshina Kannada and Dharwad on March 26, Gadag, Bagalkot and Bijapur on March 27 and Raichur on March 28.

He said Mr. Gandhi would address a Youth Congress rally in Bangalore. About 50,000 youth would leave for Bangalore from 10 taluk places in Tumkur district in over a thousand buses early on Saturday to participate in the rally, he added.

Dr. Parameshwar said he and other Congress leaders were happy that K.N. Rajanna, former MLA for Bellavi (in the district) had returned to the Congress.

“Mr. Rajanna will certainly help the party win all the 11 Assembly seats in the district.”

Mr. Rajanna said it was “a pleasant homecoming” for him and he was doubly happy that all Congress leaders had happily welcomed him back. He pledged to ensure that the Congress swept the Assembly polls in Tumkur and Chitradurga districts, where he has a very big following.

Mr. Rajanna said: “The Congress enabled backward class leaders like M. Veerappa Moily and N. Dharam Singh to make it to the top (Chief Ministers). The oppressed classes can gain political power only through the Congress,” he said.

Mr. Rajanna said the Congress was in the control of the panchayat bodies (including Tumkur Zilla Panchayat), cooperative bodies (Central Cooperative Bank), farmers’ bodies (APMC and milk union) and civic bodies (including the Tumkur City Municipal Council).

“It (the Congress) is in an advantageous position in the district. It will win all the seats (in the Assembly poll),” he said.

S. Shafi Ahmed, Tumkur District Congress Committee president, and T.B. Jayachandra, former Minister, were present.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Karnataka