Date:26/04/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/04/26/stories/2008042650490100.htm

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I am surprised, it is news to me: Kharge

Special Correspondent

KPCC chief says Sharief refused invitation for a high-level meeting

Kharge, Dharam Singh to take up the issue with Sonia Gandhi
The two are hopeful that Sharief will withdraw his resignation

GULBARGA: Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president M. Mallikarjun Kharge reacted cautiously to the decision of the former Railway Minister C.K. Jaffer Sharief to quit the Congress and join the Nationalist Congress Party.

Mr. Kharge, who arrived here by a helicopter to participate in a conference of party workers from Chitapur Assembly Constituency from where he is contesting, said: “I am surprised about the information… this is news to me… I have no information about the resignation of Mr. Sharief from the party or his decision to join the Nationalist Congress Party.”

The former Chief Minister N. Dharam Singh, who is here, said that Mr. Sharief was a stalwart of the party and he should not take any hasty decision that would harm the party.

Mr. Singh and Mr. Kharge said they would speak to Congress president Sonia Gandhi and persuade her to invite Mr. Sharief for a discussion to assuage his feelings and persuade him to withdraw the resignation letter.

Mr. Kharge said: “I had no inkling about the intention of Mr. Sharief to resign from the party. I talked to him over phone at 11 this morning and invited him to participate in the high-level meeting in which AICC general secretaries Digvijay Singh and Prithviraj Chavan, S.M. Krishna, Siddaramaiah, Veerappa Moily, Santosh Bagodia, H.K. Patil, M.V. Rajasekharan and others will discuss the problem of rebel candidates in the fray. Mr. Sharief said he was preoccupied and would not be attending the meeting.”

Mr. Kharge said the Karnataka elections were crucial for the party. He was confident that a senior statesman like Mr. Sharief would not take any hasty decision that would harm the party. “I have full confidence that Mr. Sharief will withdraw his resignation in the interest of the party,” he said.