KALABURGI: There is no proposal before the AIIC for the immediate Cabinet Reshuffle of Congress Party Government of Karnataka or immediate change of KPCC President, said AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge who is also leader of opposition in the Rajya Sabha here on Wednesday.
Speaking with press persons at his residence here, Kharge said that we would inform you whenever we decide for the cabinet reshuffle or to change the KPCC President.
To another question, Kharge clarified that the matter of cabinet reshuffle in Karnataka or change of KPCC President’s post did not figure when chief minister Siddaramaiah and deputy chief minister D. K. Shivakumar met him and former AICC President Rahul Gandhi at New Delhi on Tuesday.
He discussed the stampede at Chinnaswamy Stadium and about caste survey during the meeting.
Kharge said that the incident of stampede at Chinnaswamy Stadium has worried everybody including Congress Party.
"It should not have happened. I myself and Rahul Gandhi have told the chief minister and deputy chief minister to take all necessary steps in future to prevent such incidents," he said.
He added that the CM and Deputy CM have briefed about the incident and the steps taken aftermath including suspension of police officers, ordering magisterial inquiry and judicial inquiry and payment of compensation to the aggrieved.
When scribes stressed to get more information on this, Kharge said that the meeting was an indoor event and it would not be fair to share everything with the press.
Reacting to BJP's demand for the resignation of chief minister Siddaramaiah and deputy chief minister D. K. Shivakumar, citing moral responsibility for the stampede, Kharge questioned whether UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath had resigned when the stampede took place during Kumbh Mela at Prayagraj.
They expressed anger at me when I raised questions on the stampede at Kumbh Mela, Kharge remembered.
On the caste census, Mallikarjun Kharge said that the last caste survey was done 10 years back. Many leaders of different communities have represented before him as well as to the Karnataka government to conduct resurvey.
He said the party has advised the CM and DCM to conduct resurvey without rejecting the survey report given by Kantaraj Commission. Resurvey would be done to include those castes and sub-castes which were genuine to be included in the OBC but were not included in the previous survey; he people conducting the survey would visit house to house and the new inputs would be included in the previous survey report, the AICC President said.
On ED raid on Congress MLA
Replying to a question on the ED raid on the house of Kudligi MLA Dr. N. T. Sirnivas, Kharge said that ED has been against Congress Party leaders for many years.
He said, the main intention of NDA is to divide Congress Party by conducting raids on Congress Party leaders. But it is not possible as the Congress Party is united and would face such threats. During the election time, ED has raided many leaders of different political parties and we don't know where the money seized during the raid by ED has gone, AICC President said.