Despite a semblance of unity on the surface among its leaders in Karnataka, the Congress is known to be suffering from deep divisions in the state on account of a power struggle between Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah.
A private conversation
between two Congress functionaries in Karnataka, which was picked up by microphones ahead of a press conference in Bengaluru on October 12, has thrown the spotlight on a simmering political feud between the two top leaders of the party in the state — KPCC chief D K Shivakumar and Leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah.
The private conversation between a Congress media co-ordinator M A Saleem and a former MP and party spokesperson V S Ugrappa dwelled on the shortcomings of Shivakumar as state party president and seemed to indicate greater confidence in the leadership of Siddaramaiah.
The conversation took place ahead of a Congress press conference, being held to question the ruling BJP in the state on its silence over the Income Tax raids on properties of an official working in the Karnataka Chief Minister’s Office, who is closely linked to former BJP CM B S Yediyurappa.
The press meet was incidentally addressed by second-rung Congress leaders since mainline leaders did not want to make a political issue of the IT raids on an official in the CMO, Congress sources said.
