M.R. Seetharam hits out State Congress leadership; to take decision next month

He has been miffed over not being given ticket to contest Council polls

Senior Congress leader and former Minister M.R. Seetharam, who was miffed over being denied the party ticket to contest the recent Legislative Council election, convened a convention of his supporters, including Balija community leaders, at the Palace Grounds here on Friday and criticised the functioning of the party in the State.

Without mentioning the name of KPCC president D.K. Shivakumar, Mr. Seetharam hit out at the party leadership and said “all is not well in the party”. Mr. Seetharam, a loyalist of the former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, said he would convene a major convention of his supporters next month and announce his decision. Mr. Seetharam belongs to the backward Balija community, which has major presence in Chickballapur, Kolar, and Tumakuru districts.

His family runs a group of educational institutions in Bengaluru. Mr. Seetharam, who won twice from the Malleshwaram Assembly constituency, was defeated in 2008. He did not contest the 2018 elections.

Bhadravati Congress MLA B.K. Sangamesh, the former MLC M.D. Lakshminarayana, and youth leader Raksha Ramaiah, Mr. Seetharam’s son, were among those who attended the convention.

Mr. Seetharam said the party appointed his son and former Karnataka Youth Congress president Raksha Ramaiah as national general secretary of the Indian Youth Congress. However, he had been denied the chance of completing the full term of the presidency of the State Youth Congress, he said.

Mohammed Haris Nalapad, son of Shantinagar Congress MLA N.A. Haris, took over as the Karnataka Youth Congress chief from Mr Raksha Ramaiah.

Mr. Sangamesh said the party high command should take steps to set right the injustice done to Mr. Seetharam, while Mr. Lakshminarayan said the party leaders had hatched a "conspiracy" to sideline the backward classes leader. Voters of backward classes would teach a lesson to the party in the coming elections if senior leaders are not treated properly, he warned.