Stop hero worship, work for Cong victory, says KPCC chief Shivakumar

Bengaluru: A furious president of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) D.K. Shivakumar has asked the motormouths in his party to stop spreading canards and start working for the party's return to power in 2023. "We have just 10 months to get our act together, the last thing we want to have at this juncture is a misunderstanding between the leaders," Shivakumar told his party cadres.

It is now evident that the feud between former CM and veteran party leader Siddaramiah and Shivakumar has reached a point of no return. "If you really respect the party, stop worshipping the people in it and start worshipping the party itself. Think about how to get more people to join the party. Let all the leaders in Karnataka get their act together and put the Congress in power," Shivakumar sent a stern message to the party leaders like Siddaramiah and his followers like Zameer Ahmed Khan.

Zameer's statement on Thursday stating that the Muslim community was bigger than Vokkaligas in Karnataka sent shock waves in the Congress and had shaken Shivakumar, too, to some extent. "The job of CM is not open right now. Everyone needs to shut up. I'm telling everyone this", he emphasized.

"Ours is a high command-based party, no individual can claim his right to head the party or the government unless it is cleared by the high command," said

Shivakumar, defending his statement expressing his wish to become chief minister. He further added that "anyone who wins one of the 224 Assembly constituencies in the State, can stake claim to chief minister's post. Congress MLA Zameer Ahmed Khan has added fuel to the already raging feud between Siddaramiah and Shivakumar. His statement stating that Siddaramiah was the right candidate for the chief minister post after the next year's elections came at a time when the top leaders of the party were trying to douse the fire.

In a statement on Saturday, he stated, "Every politician worth his salt dreams of becoming Chief Minister at one time or the other during his career, I am not an exception. If all the voters step aside from their community basis and vote I too stand a chance to become CM." At the present condition, it is better that Siddaramiah became the Chief Minister as he is accepted by all communities. "It is not right to say that Vokkaligas are not allowed to become the Chief Minister, my community (Muslim) is bigger than that of Vokkaligas so going by that standard I will be the right candidate, but it is not decided on the basis of the community, but the individual capacity and the understanding of the political commitment of the individual that makes the right candidate for Chief Minister" he added.