Congress leader Rahul Gandhi with saints at Sri Murugarajendra Math in Chitradurga, Karnataka.
Bangalore:
A saint from a Lingayat madrassa in Karnataka today said that Rahul Gandhi will remain the prime minister until the seer intervened and added a warning to the blessings, sources said.
The Congress leader was meeting saints at Sri Murugarajendra Math in Chitradurga when one of them, Haveri Hosamutta Swamy, in his address said, “Rahul Gandhi will become the PM”, according to sources. At this, the president of the institution, Shri Shivamurthy Murugh Sharanaru interrupted and said, “Whoever visits our Math gets his blessings.”
Lingayats, about 17 per cent of Karnataka’s population, have traditionally been BJP voters. With Mr. Gandhi’s visit to an electoral state, the Congress is hoping to broaden its appeal and project unity within the party as well. The election is to be held by May next year.
Rahul Gandhi and Karnataka Congress chief DK Shivakumar at Sri Murugarajendra Math in Chitradurga.
After being in power from 2013 to 2018, the Congress briefly formed the government after the 2018 elections in partnership with the Janata Dal (Secular). That government – led by JDS leader HD Kumaraswamy – fell just a year after several coalition MLAs resigned, reducing it to a minority, after which the BJP ruled the state again.
BJP initially made BS Yediyurappa, from the Lingayat community, Chief Minister. Last year it had replaced him with Basavaraj Bommai, who belongs to the same community.
The Congress is grappling with a rift within itself. If the party comes to power, Legislature Party leader Siddaramaiah and state unit chief DK Shivakumar are the contenders for the chief minister’s post.
Rahul Gandhi demanded to address it At a meeting of the state unit’s political affairs committee on Tuesday night, where he urged the leaders to work together and not talk in public, according to news agency PTI.
“Leadership is not an issue. Personal opinion is also not acceptable. The new MLAs and high command of the party will decide on the leader after victory,” party general secretary KC Venugopal told reporters later.
“The committee will meet frequently and take collective decisions in the interest of the party. Rahul Gandhi appealed to the party leaders to be aggressive and united against the misrule of the BJP in Karnataka and at the Centre,” he said. Having said that it has been unanimously decided not to speak publicly about internal matters. “Inadvertently or unknowingly some statements are made here and there in front of the media. Don’t fall into that trap… Party leaders should not speak in different voices inside or outside,” he said.
This was the first meeting of the committee since its formation on 9 July. Besides Mr Gandhi and Mr Venugopal, besides Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar, the party’s campaign committee head MB Patil, Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council BK Hariprasad, were present. and senior leaders like HK Patil, Dinesh Gundu Rao, M Veerappa Moily and G Parameshwara.