'We talk of uniting INDIA bloc but can't unite our own leaders': Veerappa Moily on K'taka crisis

Bengaluru/New Delhi, Nov 28 Amid escalating tensions in the Karnataka Congress over the chief ministerial issue, senior Congress leader and former Union Minister M. Veerappa Moily on Friday delivered a sharp rebuke to the party high command, cautioning that the leadership is weakening its own political position by failing to manage internal dissent even as it speaks of uniting the INDIA bloc nationally.

Speaking to IANS on the ongoing power tussle between Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar on Friday, Moily said the Congress high command must urgently summon both leaders to Delhi and impose strict discipline.

"Until they call these leaders and sort out this matter, the AICC President or the High Command should direct the leaders to keep quiet. Right now, it is practically a free-for-all. Each community is taking its own cudgels. Some communities are saying they will not vote for Congress unless they get their CM," he told IANS, warning that the drift is damaging the party's credibility at a critical moment.

Moily emphasised that the ruling NDA under Prime Minister Narendra Modi is politically dominant, and the Congress cannot afford a self-inflicted wound in Karnataka -- one of the few big states it governs.

"We have enough material to take on the government, and we talk of uniting the INDIA bloc. But we are not even able to unite our own Congress people," he remarked, calling the ongoing infighting "irresponsible and politically suicidal".

The veteran Congress leader also strongly criticised the caste-based mobilisation by supporters of both camps and the involvement of religious heads in the political tussle. His comments followed the overt support extended by Sri Sri Nanjavadutha Swamiji to D.K. Shivakumar's camp.

"What is going on is not in the best interest of the party. Canvassing through swamis must stop. Caste system is a great evil for the party. Congress is committed to secularism, and that concept is being demolished," he warned, urging the high command to intervene before the situation hardens.

Moily refrained from taking sides on whether Siddaramaiah should continue as Chief Minister, saying the leadership question can only be addressed once order and discipline are restored.

"The priority now is restoring control. Leadership can be decided later -- but only after discipline is re-established," he said.

With public statements from various leaders, caste groups, and religious figures adding fuel to the fire, Moily’s remarks are being seen within party circles as a blunt reminder that Karnataka -- a key showcase state for the Congress -- is on the verge of slipping into prolonged instability unless the high command asserts itself decisively.

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