Emboldened by the presence of AICC general secretary, Rahul Gandhi at an interactive session with them, several Congress workers complained against the style of functioning of KPCC president Dr G. Parameshwar and sought the replacement of AICC in-charge for Karnataka, Madhusudan Mistry.
Drawing the attention of Mr Gandhi to the nomination of 20 non-Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) members who were made office bearers of the party, a few workers tried their best to convey to him that all was not well in the KPCC. A PCC member reportedly said that the high command’s decision to accommodate ‘outsiders’—a reference to new entrants— had demoralised committed party workers.
After the interactive session, Mr Gandhi came down from the dais to talk to a few party workers. It was then that a group of workers shouted, ‘Madhusudan Mistry Hathao, Karnataka Bachao.’ They complained that Mistry had never bothered to interact with ordinary workers and failed to grasp the political situation in the state.
Mr Gandhi was keen to know why the party had lost its fortress, Bellary, after his mother, Mrs Sonia Gandhi resigned the Lok Sabha seat, to which leaders from Bellary said the Congress had failed miserably in implementing the multi-crore Bellary package as promised by Mrs Gandhi. Hearing this, Mr Gandhi asked, “Why did you (leaders and workers) not fight for the implementation of the package?
Several block presidents from south Karnataka claimed that party leaders in Hassan and a few other districts were hand in glove with the Janata Dal (S) which had weakened the Congress base. "There is no problem with our workers. Top leaders are ‘fixing’ the match sitting in Bengaluru or Delhi which has resulted in the Congress losing the game," they complained.
Summing up his interaction, Mr Gandhi said party leaders should be held accountable for their actions. Union ministers from Karnataka, Mallikarjun Kharge, M. Veerappa Moily and K.H. Muniyappa AICC general secretaries, Madhusudan Mistry and B.K. Hariprasad were present.