50 Congress leaders, ministers from Karnataka to meet party brass in Delhi: D K Shivakumar

Bengaluru: Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Tuesday said about 50 state Congress leaders and ministers will be meeting the party leadership in New Delhi on August 2 to strategise on a plan of action for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge, party leader Rahul Gandhi, General Secretaries K C Venugopal and Randeep Singh Surjewala among others are likely to participate in the meeting in the national capital. Ahead of leaving for Delhi, Shivakumar, who is the Karnataka Congress president, said he will also be meeting few Union ministers to discuss issues and projects related to the state.

The meeting with the Congress top brass is seen as significant amid brewing discontent within the ruling party with as many as 30 legislators reportedly having written to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and the party leadership expressing concern over non-implementation of development works in their constituencies and functioning of certain ministers.

"There is a meeting in Delhi tomorrow, today I will be meeting some central Ministers there. There is party work and also government work. So, I'm going to Delhi," Shivakumar told reporters here.

Stating that the party meeting with state ministers and leaders in Delhi is keeping in mind the Lok Sabha polls, he said it is to discuss and plan a strategy on what all needs to be done in the interest of the Congress, ahead of elections.

Shivakumar further said the intention is that the district in-charge ministers should take the responsibility of elections and start touring from now itself. They should also reach out to people and keep tabs on the implementation of the flagship poll guarantee schemes, he said, adding a strategy will be planned for it in the meeting.

"Not only ministers and some legislators, about 8-10 non-MLA senior leaders have been called for the meeting. Also, MPs have been invited. Totally about 50 people, and they will meet the party leadership in three divisions," he added.

Several ruling party legislators are said to be miffed and have complained that they had not been able to get work done in their constituencies, and have not been granted powers to decide on transfers (of government servants) as requested. They are said to have expressed unhappiness regarding some ministers, alleging that they were not cooperating with them.

Following this, the Chief Minister had last week held a Congress Legislature Party meeting, where some legislators expressed their displeasure regarding behaviour and conduct of certain ministers.

There are also reports about talks regarding the need for a coordination committee, for better connect between government and the party, which has not been confirmed by the state Congress.

However, Siddaramaiah, Shivakumar and several ministers of the state government have maintained that there is no disgruntlement in the ruling party.