Bengaluru: Could the Congress be in for more rebellion ? Barely two days after the Jarkiholi brothers decided to do a retreat, a few Congress legislators have formed what appears to be a new pressure group, much to the dismay of Chief Minister, H.D. Kumaraswamy. Chikkaballapur MLA, Dr Sudhakar, M.T.B. Nagaraj and five or six other legislators, who are upset at being sidelined, have come together to pursue their agenda . However , unlike the Jarkiholi group, they are not making their discontent public and have been quietly working to cobble up support from their fellow MLAs, according to sources.
The group has reportedly got the blessings of a senior Congress leader, who has told them it was not in his hands to get them the posts they are looking for and they were free to do whatever they wanted to pursue their goal. This has reportedly emboldened the MLAs to fight their own cause and they are now believed to be in regular touch with BJP leaders. Sources close to these MLAs claim that if they are not accommodated in the next round of Cabinet expansion they could take a call on quitting the Congress party. While their threat is being seen by some as a pressure tactic to get their way with the party seniors, this is not stopping the BJP from coaxing them to quit the legislature and join it immediately.
In return, they are reportedly being offered membership of the Upper House. But as these MLAs are from constituencies in south Karnataka where the BJP is weak, they are not exactly jumping at the offer, according to sources. Attempts to reach Dr Sudhakar failed.
