Chikkabalapur, 05 Oct (H.S.): A meeting between Congress legislators from the Kolar-Chikkaballapur region and Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar has fuelled speculation about growing factional tensions within the ruling party, although participants maintained that the discussions centred on development.

Former minister and Chintamani MLA M.C. Sudhakar, KGF MLA Roopakala M. Shashidhar, Mulbagal MLA Kothanur Manjunath, Bangarpet MLA S.N. Narayanaswamy and Bagepalli MLA S.N. Subba Reddy visited the Chief Minister’s residence on Sunday.

The meeting followed a heated exchange between Roopakala and Narayanaswamy during the recent Assembly session. Narayanaswamy, associated with senior Congress leader K.R. Ramesh Kumar’s faction, had alleged that Roopakala threatened him.

Differences among legislators in Kolar had also figured prominently at a Congress Legislature Party meeting, bringing the regional rivalry to the attention of the Chief Minister and party leadership.

In neighbouring Chikkaballapur, tensions have intensified between MLA Pradeep Eshwar and Sudhakar’s supporters. Eshwar publicly expressed dissatisfaction with the government, saying Dalits continued to be denied entry into temples despite Congress being in power.

His remarks drew strong objections from Sudhakar’s camp. Local leaders and party workers subsequently urged the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee to deny Eshwar a ticket in the next Assembly election.

Sudhakar reportedly approached the Chief Minister to complain about Eshwar’s social media remarks. The latest meeting comes amid concerns voiced by senior Congress legislators over the government’s performance and widening differences within the party’s regional units.

Narayanaswamy, however, dismissed suggestions of factional politics and said the legislators had met Shivakumar to discuss development needs.

He said they also sought an investigation into allegations of financial irregularities involving crores of rupees at the Kolar-Chikkaballapur District Central Cooperative Bank during former president Govinda Gowda’s tenure.

The competing accounts of the meeting have kept attention on whether the leadership can address local grievances while containing disputes among legislators across the two districts.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman