Congress National President Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday stated that the decision to change the Chief Minister lies with the party high command. This comes amid Congress MP Randeep Surjewala’s visit to Karnataka and speculation of internal strife within the state Congress unit, following remarks by Minister KN Rajanna. Speculation about an internal rift in the party deepened after Karnataka Cooperation Minister KN Rajanna sparked controversy by claiming the rise of multiple power centres within the party’s state unit. In his recent remarks, hinting at potential political changes, the minister also appeared to take a veiled swipe at Siddaramaiah’s leadership, stating that many feel the Siddaramaiah of today is not the same as the one between 2013 and 2018.

What Did Kharge Say?

Reacting to the growing speculations, Kharge firmly stated that the party high command handles all these matters and no one really knows what is going on there. He asserted that they have the right to take further action and cautioned against creating problems unnecessarily.

“It is in the hands of the party high command. No one can say what is going on in the high command. It is left to the high command, and they have the right to take further action, but no one should create problems unnecessarily,” Kharge said.

Kharge also reacted on Surjewala’s visit to the state amid speculations of political shift, stating that he will gather information about what has happened. However, Kharge didn’t clarify exactly what information will Surjewala be gathering.

“Surjewala has come to the state. He will ask what’s going on and gather information about what has happened. Based on that, we’ll see what needs to be done next,” added Kharge.

Notably, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah earlier addressed Surjewala’s visit, stating that he had come to strengthen the organisation.
“He is coming to the state to strengthen the organisation. He will do his job”, Karnataka CM said.
“Our government will last for five years like a rock. We will come together,” CM Siddaramiah added.

While Siddaramiah stated that Surjewala’s visit will strengthen the party, Karnataka Home Minister G. Parameshwara mentioned that he was unaware of the reason behind his visit.

“I don’t know for what purpose Surjewala has been called. He might speak about party organisation. Zilla Panchayat and Taluk Panchayat elections are coming up, so he might discuss that. Sometimes the high command intervenes, that’s their job. It’s natural for the high command to speak when minor differences arise”, G Parameshwara added.