A political slugfest over alleged support extended by Mandya Congress leaders to BJP-backed Independent candidate Sumalatha continued on Friday, with the Legal Cell and Human Rights Department of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) demanding expulsion of five leaders for alleged violation of the party discipline.
In a letter to KPCC president Dinesh Gundu Rao, department’s chairman C.M. Dhananjay sought the party leadership to expel former MLAs N. Cheluvarayaswamy, P.M. Narendra Swamy, Ramesh Bandisidde Gowda, and K.B. Chandrashekar, and G. Ravi, Congress candidate who got defeated in Mandya in the previous election, from the party for “deliberately disobeying” the party discipline, party leadership, and coalition dharma. They “secretly” opposed Janata Dal (Secular) candidate for Mandya seat K. Nikhil, whom the Congress had supported, and backed Ms. Sumalatha, the letter claimed.
The party’s unwillingness to initiate stringent action against its Mandya leaders has left a section of Congress and JD(S) leaders unhappy.