Cong General Secy Venugopal meets Karnataka CM, Deputy CM amid MUDA row

PTI, Oct 17, 2024, 9:04 AM IST

Congress general secretary (Organisation) K C Venugopal on Wednesday held discussions with Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, who is also the party’s state President, here.

The meeting gains significance as Siddaramaiah is facing demands for his resignation from opposition parties following charges in the MUDA site allotment case.

There have also been behind-the-scenes political activities within the ruling Congress in recent weeks, with a few Ministers in Cabinet holding closed door meetings, fueling speculation about leadership change.

It has also come at a time when the party prepares for the November 13 by-polls for three Assembly seats — Sandur, Shiggaon and Channapatna.

“Had a discussion today with AICC General Secretary (Organisation) and dear friend, @kcvenugopalmp, during his visit. Appreciative of the insights and continued support in shaping our collective efforts,” Siddaramaiah posted on ‘X’.

Shivakumar posted, “Had a purposeful meeting with AICC General Secretary Shri. @kcvenugopalmp alongside CM Shri. @siddaramaiah at the CM residence today, as we spoke at length about various regional and national issues.”

According to some reports, the Congress high command through Venugopal had recently asked Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar to end the “flutters” about the change in leadership, while expressing displeasure over statements being made by a few ministers and some of them holding separate meetings.

Earlier in the day, Shivakumar said Venugopal, who heads the Parliaments’ Public Accounts Committee (PAC), is visiting the city to attend a PAC related meeting. “We will meet him in the evening… he is our leader.”