Congress strongman calls meet, raises eyebrows

Bengaluru: Just after weathering a storm triggered by Gokak MLA and former minister Ramesh Jarkiholi, the ruling Congress is bracing for more turmoil with Yeshwanthpur MLA and Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) chairman S.T. Somashekhar calling for a meet of 'like-minded' MLAs on April 30 to seek their suggestions to find a solution to the present political situation in the state.

Somashekhar who is considered pretty influential in the  state capital, wrote the letter on a day when Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy met AICC General Secretary K.C. Venugopal here to discuss political developments amid dissidence.

The scheduled meeting called by Somashekhar has irked some Congressmen, with party MLC G Raghu Achar slamming him and asking him to discuss any issues he may have with the party leadership. However, an MLA close to Somashekar, said they would discuss some issues faced by MLAs under the coalition government and also long-pending developmental work. Somashekar had raised eyebrows in January  saying that Congress Legislature Party leader Siddaramaiah should again be made chief minister and that developmental work had come to a grinding halt under the Kumaraswamy government. His comments had irked Kumaraswamy, who had even threatened to step down. Reacting to a question about the meeting called by Somashekar, KPCC chief Dinesh Gundurao said he was not aware of it adding that the meeting might have been called with good intentions.