Leading Maratha leader quits Congress

Karwar: In a sort of mutiny and revolt the tall Maratha leader SL Ghotnekar decided to sever his ties with the Indian National Congress. He cited the alleged highhandedness of the 6 times MLA (incumbent) RV Deshpande.

In a curt and directed letter sent to the KPCC chief DK Shivakumar on Saturday, Ghotnekar stated that "He had been a staunch supporter of the INC ideology and worked for the party's progress for over 40 years and naturally I wanted to contest from Haliyal-Joida assembly constituency in 2023. Ever since I had expressed my aspiration to do so, Mr Deshpande had been trying to sideline me and also had begun spreading canards about me in the party and harassing me in many ways including influencing my political adversaries to file false cases against me. He had also tried to keep me away from the party meetings and decisions the party had taken about the party's development".

His decision to quit the Congress' primary membership has come as no surprise to party cadres and the state leadership. This issue was raised by Ghotnekar with both party chiefs in the state and also the opposition leader in the assembly S Siddaramiah on occasions more than once. But it is stated that the leadership had dismissed it as a storm in a teacup.

According to party cadres who support Ghotnekar, he is a leader of the majority Maratha community in the Haliyal-Joida Assembly segment of the Uttara Kannada parliamentary constituency.

Party sources in the INC loyal to Ghotnekar say that, this was the worst thing to happen to INC at the most opportune time.It is not that the Congress leadership did not expect this to happen, there were negotiations within the Congress party that if RV Deshpande made way to Ghotnekar to contest from Haliyal-Joida,

Deshpande's son Prashanth Deshpande would be fielded from Yellapur and INC would put all the resources behind Prashanth Deshpande to emerge victorious. But the INC cadres were unhappy with Prashanth Deshpande and his ways of treating the cadres and the second-line leaders, they had expressed an inability to work for him in Yellapur. This brought the issue to a dead end for both Ghotnekar and RV Deshpande say the second-line leaders in Uttara Kannada.

Circles close to Deshpande point out that the resignation of Ghotnekar will end in a fiasco for the Congress as it will pave the way for the BJP to win if Ghotnekar contests from JDS. Hectic parleys are happening behind the scenes with JDS.

The inner circles in Congress point out that this was a definite escalation that Shivakumar and Siddaramiah knew and it was more or less come to their notice during a party rally in Kumta the drama of putting down Ghotnekar by the RV Deshpande camp had unfolded in front of DK Shivakumar.