Karnataka no to Shivakumar on taking KPCC charge on June 14

The Karnataka government on Tuesday denied permission to Congress troubleshooter D.K. Shivakumar to assume charge as his party's state unit President on June 14, as a ban on large public gatherings/congregations continues.

"By denying permission to it (event) again, the BJP government is indulging in vendetta politics," said Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) in a statement after the state government wrote to him on refusal of permission.

Shivakumar wrote to Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa on June 5 for permission to take charge as KPCC chief on June 14 with an assurance to comply with the extended lockdown guidelines like wearing of masks and maintaining social distancing.

"If permitted, I shall take charge in the presence of about 150 senior party leaders at our party office at a special programme, which will be telecast live across the state," Shivakumar had requested in his letter to the Chief Minister.

"On June 14, 'Prathijna Dina' (swearing-in day) was to be held at 7,800 locations across the state with over 10-lakh Congress 'karyakartas' (workers) attending it, with safety precautions for Covid and social distancing," said the party statement.

Citing the central government's May 30 guidelines during the extended lockdown from June 1-30, the state government said as there was a ban on public events on a large scale, the permission cannot be given to Shivakumar to assume charge of the party post in a public place.

A state official said the guidelines permit only 50 people at a public gatherings like marriage or other functions.

"Taking charge as the party's state unit President is one of the important events for any political party. Tradition has it that this is done in a big way with huge gathering. In view of the lockdown protocol due to the pandemic, the function will be held without large gathering at a given place and time," said the letter.

Though Congress interim President Sonia Gandhi appointed Shivakumar, 58, on March 11 as the KPCC President, he could not take charge as lockdown was enforced on March 25 and extended till June 30, with partial relaxation of curbs on some activities.

Shivakumar had cancelled the programme scheduled on May 31 and on June 7, as the central government on May 30 extended the lockdown till June 30.

At the proposed event, the party's local leaders and workers in all gram panchayats, municipality/corporation ward areas, block Congress and district Congress offices were to gather at designated places to participate in the programme digitally.

Shivakumar's appointment came three months after Dinesh Gundu Rao resigned on December 9 following the party's debacle in the Assembly by-elections on December 5, in which it won only 2 of the 15 seats, while the ruling BJP won 12 and one was won by an independent with the support of the Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S).

Shivakumar is a senior legislator from the Kanakapura segment, about 60km south of Bengaluru in the southern state.

Shivakumar's brother D.K. Suresh is the party's Lok Sabha member from the Bengaluru Rural constituency for the second time. He was the party's only candidate to have retained the seat, while 20 others lost in the May 2019 general elections.

( With inputs from IANS )