Mysuru, Oct 29 Ahinda organisations launched a letter campaign on Wednesday, urging that Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah be allowed to continue in office for a full term.
The campaign began in Siddaramaiah's native district of Mysuru, with letters being sent to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha.
Ahinda stands for "Alpasankhyataru, Hindulida, Dalitaru", a Kannada acronym coined by Siddaramaiah.
It refers to minorities, backward classes, and Dalits -- the three major social groups the Chief Minister has long sought to politically unite under his leadership.
Hundreds of Siddaramaiah supporters associated with Ahinda gathered at the Ramaswamy Circle in Mysuru, carrying posters of the Chief Minister and raising slogans in his favour.
They also displayed postcards addressed to Rahul Gandhi, demanding that Siddaramaiah be allowed to continue as Chief Minister for the full five-year term.
The postcards, written in English, read: "Dear Sir, we would like to bring to your notice that our present CM Siddaramaiah, should continue in office in Karnataka for a full term of five years. The administration has shown remarkable progress and stability under his leadership, and we wish to see this continue for the betterment of society and social justice. Please intervene, clear the confusion, and declare the CM post (sahebru) for Karnataka."
Siddaramaiah's supporters claimed that the Congress's victory of 135 seats in the Assembly elections was made possible by Ahinda's backing.
They asserted that whenever the Congress faced a crisis, Ahinda groups had ensured the party's return to power through their votes.
They warned that if Siddaramaiah was asked to step down as the Chief Minister, the Congress would lose the 2028 Assembly elections as Ahinda communities constitute nearly 80 per cent of the state's population.
They also threatened state-wide protests if Siddaramaiah is replaced as the Chief Minister of Karnataka.
When asked about the letter campaign, Karnataka Home Minister G. Parameshwara declined to comment and asked the media to leave the matter to the Congress high command.
Reacting to the leadership tussle in the state, Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy said in Ramanagara that continued talks about a change in the Chief Minister's post would damage the party.
"The high command is aware of everything and will take appropriate decisions. I will not comment on leadership issues," he added.
Higher Education Minister M.C. Sudhakar said he is ready to resign if asked to do so.
"The Cabinet reshuffle exercise will not affect governance in the state," he remarked.
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