BENGALURU: Former union minister KH Muniyappa minces no words when he hits out at the party’s state leadership for their failure to take everyone into confidence. Veteran Congress leader from Kolar has come out in the open to ask Siddaramaiah and Dinesh Gundu Rao to mend their working style to save the party from yet another defeat. In an interview with The New Sunday Express, Muniyappa, who had won LS polls seven-times on the trot and lost 2019 LS polls due to internal sabotage, questions Siddaramaiah’s support to those who worked against the Congress in the LS polls.
Excerpts.
Your views on the current situation in the Congress party?
The party is going through a difficult phase and we have to work together to build it. We can win bypolls if we all work together. CLP leader Siddaramaiah and state unit president Dinesh Gundu Rao have the responsibility to take everyone into confidence. That is not happening now. We don’t know why Kharge and Parameshwara did not attend the party (Election Committee) meeting.
What are your concerns?
There is no effort to introspect reasons for our defeat in 2019 LS polls. Our leader Rahul Gandhi took moral responsibility and stepped down from the party president’s post despite a unanimous resolution by Congress Working Committee, PCC and CLP leaders’ request to continue. It was a big decision and that is called responsibility. What about those leaders, under whose leadership the party lost elections in the state in 2018? What is their responsibility? However, high command directed us to work together and we will. Also, we need to look into reasons why 15 MLAs deserted the party. Many of them were close to Siddaramaiah. They were capable of winning elections on their own. Why no effort was made to retain them? Why didn’t Siddaramaiah take up their issues with Kumaraswamy?
Senior leaders in the party are not taken into confidence?
As the situation was deteriorating, I had asked KPCC president to call all senior leaders for a discussion on steps needed to be taken to save the party. MLAs who left the party are powerful leaders and we cannot take it lightly. These two people (Siddaramaiah and Dinesh) have to function properly. If they fail to do so, party will take a hit in yet another election and they will be responsible for it. Even now, it is not too late. There are no differences within the party. Let them call all senior leaders for a discussion. The party is more important than individual.
You accused some Congress leaders of working against you in the LS polls, but no action was taken.
The MLAs who worked against me in the elections had told Siddaramaiah that they will do so even if they are expelled. He should have warned them or asked them to resign. He did nothing to protect me. I will continue to ask these questions. They took action against Roshan Biag for speaking against the party leaders, but no action was taken against Ramesh Kumar and other MLAs who worked against me.
What was K C Venugopal’s response when you asked these questions?
Venugopal said disciplinary committee is looking into it. My question is why should it go to that level when those who expelled MLAs from the party and took action against Roshan Baig are here? In Kolar, it is not the BJP, but these Congress leaders who defeated me. Siddaramaiah got angry when I questioned him in the meeting.
Are you demanding change of CLP leader and KPCC president?
Since bypolls are declared, it will be difficult for the high command to make any changes now. It is up to the high command to take a decision.
Are you happy with the process to select candidates for bypolls?
Senior leaders, including MPs and ex-MPs, were not consulted. There should be unity, which we have not seen in the party. Bypolls will be held for two assembly segments in Chikkaballapur, but I was not consulted. Many block Congress presidents too were expelled without consulting senior leaders. How can they take such unilateral decisions?
You mean state leaders have failed to ensure consensus and unity?
I don’t say they have failed, but I ask them to correct themselves.