Karnataka: After Reddy, Baig targets state Congress leaders

Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], June 4 (ANI):Endorsing former minister Ramalinga Reddy's view that senior leaders are being ignored in the party, Karnataka Congress leader Roshan Baig on Tuesday said that the party will get into trouble if the state leadership is not changed.
"I agree with the statement of Ramalinga Reddy. Congress should protect itself in the state. If it remains in their (the current leadership) hands then it will get into trouble," said Baig.
Calling former Chief Minister Siddharamaiah "the most arrogant leader" he had seen, Baig said, "Leaders such as Ramalinga Reddy were not called for campaigning in the elections. Everyone said that some other candidate should contest from Mysore and now the results are for everybody to see."
Taking on the Congress state unit chief, he said, "Gundu Rao is not capable of being state unit chief. The BJP got a lead of 25,000 votes in his constituency. I am completely disappointed by the state leadership."
Maintaining that he has not uttered a single word against the central leadership of the party Baig said, "We have respect for Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhiji. I spoke against the state leadership only but did not speak single word against the central leadership."
Earlier in the day, Reddy in an open letter posted on Twitter said that the party suffered a massive defeat in the Lok Sabha polls due to the lack of the party's elderly presence in the state government and the lack of organisational vision of some ministers.
In a major setback to the ruling Congress-JD(S) coalition government in Karnataka in the recently elections, the BJP won 25 parliamentary constituencies out of a total of 28. Congress was left with just one seat. (ANI)