The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Siddaramaiah, Shivakumar supporters unhappy

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Thursday, May 29, 2008
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Siddaramaiah, Shivakumar supporters unhappy

Special Correspondent

30 MLAs had prepared a memorandum urging Sonia Gandhi to name the CLP leader

AICC observers tabled a resolution about the decision
There was trouble when some people burst crackers

— Photo: V. Sreenivasa Murthy

CONFABULATIONS: Congress leaders Digvijay Singh (left), Prithviraj Chavan, M. Mallikarjun Kharge and K. Rahman Khan at the Congress Legislature Party meeting in Bangalore on Wednesday.

BANGALORE: The resentment among Congress workers owing allegiance to the former Deputy Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and the former Minister D.K. Shivakumar, who were elected from the Varuna and Kanakapura Assembly constituencies, over the election of Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president M. Mallikarjun Kharge as the Leader of the Congress Legislature Party came to the fore on Wednesday.

The simmering discontent could be sensed when the two general secretaries of the All India Congress Committee Prithviraj Chavan and Digvijay Singh announced in the morning that the CLP leader would be decided by taking the opinion of the newly elected MLAs through a ballot.

While, one group, which had allegiance to Mr. Kharge supported the move, some others led by Mr. Siddaramiah, who had staked claim to the post, were upset by the announcement.

Nearly 30 MLAs led by Mr. Siddaramiah and the Union Minister of State for Surface Transport, K.H. Muniyappa, prepared a memorandum to the party observers demanding that the meeting should pass a resolution urging party president Sonia Gandhi to announce the name of the CLP leader. The observers went ahead with eliciting opinion from the MLAs and tabled a resolution declaring Mr. Kharge as the CLP leader.

The resolution was proposed by Mr. Siddaramaiah and seconded by Mr. Shivakumar and the same was announced at a press conference, which was however not attended by the former.

Unruly scenes

Jubilant over the election of Mr. Kharge, his supporters came out bursting crackers, which was opposed by the other group, ensuing a clash between them.

Meanwhile, the angry mob protested against a television channel when its photographers wanted to shoot the clashes and tried to grab the camera.

But the police intervened and dispersed the unruly mob.

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