Congress brass tells Karnataka Ministers to toe party line in public

Congress central leaders have taken strong exception to a section of Karnataka party leaders, including office-bearers and Ministers, making public statements that have embarrassed the government and given the Opposition BJP and Janata Dal (Secular) material to attack it.

General secretary (organisation) K.C. Venugopal and general secretary in-charge of Karnataka Randeep Singh Surjewala met more than a dozen Ministers on Wednesday and asked them to speak responsibly and in keeping with the party's ideology. The Ministers were told to be careful about what they say in public, with the party keen to avoid distractions with roughly a year-and-a-half left for the elections.

Over the past month, Higher Education Minister Basavaraj Rayareddi was caught in a controversy over his remarks, while KPCC president B.K. Hariprasad made critical comments about the government. It was also rumoured that Mr. Hariprasad was unhappy at not being invited to the recent 100-day celebrations of D.K. Shivakumar in office.

Meanwhile, the D.K. Shivakumar-led government has named official spokespersons to present its position daily. After the Cabinet decided to nominate eight Ministers as official spokespersons, the Deputy Chief Minister said any other voice or view would not be treated as official.

Several party leaders and Ministers have been critical of colleagues airing their views publicly and embarrassing the party. The larger thinking, sources indicated, is that divergent views should be raised in internal party forums rather than in public. The central leaders stressed that efforts should be made to bring the party back to power in Karnataka in 2028, and warned that the party could take a call if the Ministers continued with their conduct.

Separately, the central leaders are learnt to have discussed appointing a woman as a District Congress Committee president after the party drew criticism for an all-male team in the list of 35 DCC presidents announced recently. A woman could be appointed in one of the DCCs, and the Cabinet expansion to fill the remaining two berths, including one for a woman, was also discussed.