Koujalgi to brief Sonia

By Our Special Correspondent

BANGALORE, APRIL 6. The KPCC President, Mr. V.S. Koujalgi, left for Delhi today to explain to the AICC President, Ms. Sonia Gandhi, about the complaint against him before the Lokayukta.

According to party sources, the Chief Minister, Mr. S.M. Krishna, suggested to Mr. Koujalgi to meet Ms. Sonia Gandhi as the BJP, in particular, was using it to hit back at the Congress.

There was much speculation in party circles that Ms. Sonia Gandhi would ask Mr. Koujalgi to step down to blunt the BJP assault.

Though Mr. Koujalgi has supporters and critics within the party, there is no gainsaying that the allegation has caused great embarrassment to the organisation. Though for public consumption, Mr. Koujalgi has blamed the BJP for resurrecting the allegation against him, there are also those who attribute it to the deep divisions in the party organisation in Belgaum District.

There are also party members who raise the question as to how the KPCC could conduct rallies in the State on the tehelka issue under the leadership of Mr. Koujalgi who was at the receiving end of a similar charge. According to them, his position has become untenable.

There was even the view in the party expressed at the time of the Congress plenary session held here last month that Ms. Sonia Gandhi could not mount an attack on the BJP and the Prime Minister, Mr. A.B. Vajpayee, with the former prime minister, Mr. P.V. Narasimha Rao, sitting beside her on the dais.

Though Mr. Koujalgi formally took over as the PCC President over three months ago, the AICC has kept him under probation. It is yet to constitute the executive committee and name the office- bearers. The organisational elections were held in November last year. The AICC President, who was authorised to make the nominations, is taking her own time. Mr. Koujalgi had to wait before he was nominated President.

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