Rahul Gandhi tells Karnataka leaders to behave, avoid coalition troubles

New Delhi: Amidst sniping of coalition partners JD(S) by Congress leaders in Karnataka, Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Sunday told the state unit that such behaviour will not be tolerated.

This was conveyed by Gandhi to a delegation of party leaders who met him here according to working president of the Karnataka Congress unit, Dinesh Gundu Rao.

"The meeting with Rahul Gandhi is a bid to work in a more cohesive, strong and united manner. Some statements have been made against the coalition government by a few of our party members, which are not acceptable at all. Because of Lok Sabha election, we did not take any strict action but in the future, the party high command has said such things will be not tolerated and firm action will be taken. We need to have more discipline in Congress party," said Rao.

The delegation included former chief minister Siddaramaiah and Karnataka minister DK Shivakumar.

The state unit president also said that very soon a co-ordination committee meeting will be convened.

"We are expecting very good results on May 23, there will be a new government in Delhi. There has been misrule in the country because of five years of Narendra Modi government and people are going to send him out," Rao added.

Lately, there were statements from Siddaramaiah's supporters against chief minister H D Kumaraswamy with the statements suggesting that there could be trouble for him after the results are out.

Kumaraswamy himself took a dig at Siddaramaiah, a fromer JD(S) leader, saying Congress vertran Mallikarjun Kharge missed the bus for chief ministership in the party. Siddaramaiah hit back saying even Kumaraswamy's brother H D Revanna would be a better candidate for the top post.

Polling began on Sunday in 59 seats spread across seven states and one Union Territory in the seventh and last phase of Lok Sabha elections. The counting of votes will begin on May 23.