BENGALURU: Differences within Karnataka Congress over ‘Siddaramotsava’ came to the fore on Wednesday with party leaders holding two simultaneous meetings at different venues in Bengaluru. While Congress Legislature Party leader Siddaramaiah and several party leaders were at the Palace Grounds attending the preparatory meeting of ‘Siddaramotsava’, KPCC chief DK Shivakumar was busy holding a meeting with other leaders at the party office to discuss the party’s Freedom March. Only a few leaders, like Eshwar Khandre and KJ George, managed to attend both the meetings.
Siddaramaiah’s supporters have planned a public meeting in Davanagere on August 3 to celebrate his 75th birthday. While Shivakumar maintained that he does not want any celebrations in his name and instead wants a Congress celebration, his brother and Bengaluru Rural MP DK Suresh expressed concerns over ‘Siddaramotsava’. At the Palace Grounds meeting, he said, “It (Siddaramotsava) should not send a wrong message to workers. We are in an election year.
We must ensure that the event does not damage the party.” Congress worker GC Raju wrote a letter to the Siddaramotsava committee urging them to celebrate Shivakumarotsava-23 as the KPCC chief turned 60 recently. He exhorted the committee to organise the event as lakhs of party workers wanted it to happen. But Shivakumar had said he preferred to celebrate his birthday with his family at Kedarnath.When media persons asked him if he was attending the
Siddaramotsava committee meeting, Shivakumar replied in the negative. “I have been invited (for the event in Davanagere) and I will attend it along with Rahul Gandhi as the guest. For me, the party is above all and I want our party to come back to power in 2023,” he added.Meanwhile, after the Palace Grounds meeting, Siddaramaiah met gram panchayat members from Kolar Assembly constituency at his residence.