Mangaluru: Earlier, in April, a letter written by the President of Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC), D. K. Shivakumar went out to rebel Congress candidates who decided to contest as independent candidates. The letter dated April 26 was sent out by Shivakumar to these rebels ordering them to withdraw from contesting as independents in the upcoming elections.
Although the initial few lines of the letter was not authoritative, the last few lines were indicative of a threat.
The second half of the letter written in Kannada under the letterhead of KPCC translates to, “We know that you have decided to run as independent candidates in the upcoming election. We advise you to reconsider your decision and pledge your support to the Congress party’s official candidates. We urge you to collaborate with our local workers and extend all possible assistance to help our candidates achieve victory. I’m also bringing to you notice that if you do not withdraw from contesting, we will have to take disciplinary measures against you.”
Now, another warning letter has been written to 24 rebel Congress leaders who stuck to their decision to contest as independent candidates. Several big names of the Congress party are included in the list of 24 rebels including a Former General Secretary of the KPCC.
A letter dated May 1 was written by Former Union Minister and President of the KPCC Disciplinary Committee, K. Rehman Khan.
According to the letter, the 24 Congress leaders who revolted have been removed from the party’s primary membership for a period of six years.
In addition to the expulsion of these 24 Former Congress leaders, the Disciplinary Committee also issued a warning to all party workers and leaders to not associate themselves with the expelled leaders. The letter also warned workers and leaders that if they participate in election campaigns for the expelled leaders, disciplinary action will be taken against them.
It appears that the Congress has now felt the need for a draconian approach to keep competition at bay. The rebellion among Congress ticket aspirants has caused frustration within the Congress as their former leaders are now standing against present candidates.
Furthermore, it implies that the Congress party’s votes could be split by the 24 independent candidates in the upcoming Assembly elections, which is a significant concern for the party in the crucial upcoming elections.