Karnataka

Pandemonium at Congress meet

SOMWARPET: Pandemonium prevailed at the Congress meeting here on Friday when a section of supporters of former Somwarpet MLA B.A. Jivijaya demanded that former president of the Kodagu Zilla Panchayat K.P. Chandrakala be sent out of the meeting hall for her alleged anti-party activities.

Trouble began when former president of the KPCC B. Janardhana Poojary was about to address the gathering. The supporters of Mr. Jivijaya raised slogans against Ms. Chandrakala, who they accused of betraying Mr. Jivijaya in the recent election to the Assembly from the Madikeri constituency (Somwarpet taluk is part of the Madikeri constituency). Ms. Chandrakala and her supporters did not back Mr. Jivijaya, they alleged.

The Congress leaders, including Mr. Deshpande, Mallikarjuna Kharge, Mr. Poojary and Mr. Rajasekaran, remained mute to the demand of Mr. Jivijaya’s supporters for the ouster of Ms. Chandrakala from the party. Mr. Poojary announced that Ms. Chandrakala should leave the hall. The Congress was important and not the individuals, he said.

At this juncture, Ms. Chandrakala was summoned by Mr. Deshpande and Mr. Shiva Kumar, who asked her to leave the venue. She was suspended from the party for her alleged anti-party activities recently. But Ms. Chandrakala claimed that her suspension had been revoked. She left the hall as per the directions of the party leaders.

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