Surjewala meets Muniyappa amid speculations of him leaving Congress

Bengaluru: Amid recent speculations about him quitting the party, Congress national General Secretary in-charge of Karnataka Randeep Singh Surjewala on Sunday met veteran party leader K H Muniyappa and held talks.

There were speculations about the former Union Minister joining the BJP following his meeting with Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and Health Minister K Sudhakar on August 26.

However, Muniyappa, who is upset with the State Congress leaders for their decision to admit a couple of local leaders in Kolar into the party without his knowledge, had immediately clarified that there is no question of him leaving the party and that his meeting with CM was regarding the development of Adi Jambava mutt.

Both AICC General Secretary and Muniyappa maintained that today’s meeting was personal in nature as they share a cordial bond from the time of Surjewala’s father.

“I had come here to meet him (Muniyappa) , as also to discuss the Bharat Jodo Yatra of Rahul Gandhi and the campaign related to it in Karnataka, as also to see that the downtrodden sections which he has championed for the last three decades of his life- their issues are addressed by the Congress party in a most effective manner,” Surjewala told reporters after the meeting.

Noting that it was a personal visit, Muniyappa said they also discussed organising the party and bringing it back to power in the state.

“I have already aired my concerns to the high command- Sonia and Rahul Gandhi- also to Surjewala earlier and will wait for their decision…..I’m in the Congress party and will remain in it. There will be certain ups and downs in a large party and one can do nothing about it,” he said responding to a question.

Muniyappa, a veteran leader, who has been a member of Lok Sabha seven times, had recently expressed displeasure over State Congress president D K Shivakumar and Leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah keeping him away while deciding on admitting local leaders M C Sudhakar and Kothanur Manjunath into the party.

He is also said to be upset at few of his own partymen for causing his defeat in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, and particularly angry at former Speaker K R Ramesh Kumar, who is Srinivaspura MLA in Kolar district, for the way in which Congress affairs have been managed in the district, which has for long been a Congress stronghold.

Muniyappa had openly hit out at Ramesh Kumar on several instances.