The Congress on Monday ruled out replacing its Karnataka unit President G Parameshwara and asserted that next year assembly elections in the state would be fought under his leadership.
The clarification came in the wake of demand by a section of Lingayat leaders including the state unit Treasurer Shamanur Shivashankarappa for a change in KPCC president. “The position and situation is not changed. There is no change in Parameshwara leadership. This has been clarified in the past and I am clarifying it even now. We will fight the coming election under Parameshwara’s leadership,” AICC General Secretary Madhusudan Mistry told reporters here.
Shivashankarappa yesterday urged the Congress High Command to appoint a Lingayat leader as KPCC chief and also declared that he was one of the aspirants for the post. Appointing a Lingayat would help Congress get the votes of the community and also the party’s return to power in the state, he had said.
“Those who know the situation very well, have been issuing such statements and they are doing disservice to the party,” Mistri warned. Parameshwara said the BJP government,which was “immersed” in corruption, would be rejected by people in the elections.
In another development, former Union Minister S M Krishna termed as “speculation” reports that he would be leading Congress in the assembly elections. Speaking to reporters after releasing the calendar brought out by the Photo Journalists Association here, he said he would work as an ordinary Congress worker.