Copyright thehindu
Amid speculation over the replacement of Chief Minister mid-term in the State, Ahinda organisations in Mysuru have launched a letter campaign urging the Congress leadership to declare Mr. Siddaramaiah as the Chief Minister for a full five-year term. Representatives of various Ahinda organisations launched the campaign by posting letters to Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, in Mysuru, on Wednesday urging the Congress leader and All India Congress Committee president Mallikarjun Kharge to immediately intervene and declare Mr. Siddaramaiah as Chief Minister for the full-term, thereby putting an end to the prevailing confusion over the leadership. The letter seeks to bring to Mr. Gandhi’s notice that the massive victory of the Congress party in Karnataka was possible on account of Mr. Siddaramaiah’s leadership and the support of the communities representing Ahinda, an acronym for Minorities, Backward Classes and Dalits, who had collectively voted for the party. These communities also wish to that Mr. Gandhi becomes the Prime Minister of the country, the letter said. Though Mr. Siddaramaiah was unanimously elected as the Leader of the Congress Legislature Party by the MLAs for a full five-year term, in recent years, the Opposition parties – BJP and JD (S) – have been spreading misinformation and indulging in politics over the Chief Minister’s post, thereby creating confusion in the minds of the public. Unfortunately, a few Congress leaders were also echoing these views, the letter lamented. While cautioning Mr. Gandhi that such internal discord could hinder the growth of the party, the letter sought to make it clear that removal of Mr. Siddaramaiah from the post of Chief Minister would not be tolerated by the Ahinda communities. The letter has sought time for a delegation of Ahinda leaders from Karnataka to meet him. The signatories to the letter include president of Karnataka State Backward Classes Awareness Forum and Ahinda leader K.S. Shivaramu, besides leaders of Kumbara community Association, Madivala Community, Uppara community, Dalit Mahasabha, Dalit Sangharsha Samithi, and other leaders including Rajashekar, F.M. Kaleem and others.
