Bengaluru, Feb 16 (IANS) Amid the intensifying power-sharing tensions within the Congress government in Karnataka, a group of like-minded party MLAs, mostly belonging to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s faction, is preparing to embark on a foreign tour, triggering fresh political debate, party sources said on Monday.

The development, which comes even after Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge advised the state leaders to avoid differences and move forward through consensus, has assumed significance amid the ongoing leadership tussle in Karnataka.

Sources said that around 27 Congress MLAs and members of the State Legislative Council had initially planned to join the tour to Australia and New Zealand.

The number was later reduced from 35 to about 20 state Congress MLAs, with six to seven MLCs also expected to participate.

Despite the uncertainty, the group is scheduled to depart from Bengaluru on February 17 evening and is expected to return on March 1, Congress sources said.

According to sources, the foreign tour is being planned to downplay statements on state leadership made by Deputy Chief Minister and State Congress President D.K. Shivakumar and his faction.

Shivakumar, after exiting Sonia Gandhi’s residence in New Delhi, said that time would answer everything.

Deputy Chief Minister Shivakumar’s supporters have been openly urging the Congress High Command to resolve the leadership issue in Karnataka.

Shivakumar’s loyalist and Karnataka Congress MLA Iqbal Hussain has urged Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to vacate the Chief Ministerial post in keeping with the principles of socialism.

He claimed that 80 to 90 Karnataka Congress MLAs are backing Shivakumar as the next Chief Minister.

Another Shivakumar loyalist and Karnataka Congress MLA, Ganiga Ravikumar, said Deputy CM Shivakumar knows when and how to act, indicating that he should become the Chief Minister.

Amid growing demands for a leadership change in Karnataka, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has begun pre-budget meetings much earlier than usual, immediately after the special Legislature session.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s son and Karnataka MLC, Yathindra Siddaramaiah, said that his father would complete his full term as Chief Minister and that the Congress High Command had rejected demands for his replacement.

Congress insiders say that as the strategy of early budget preparations did not succeed in silencing the Shivakumar faction, the Siddaramaiah faction has come up with the idea of Karnataka Congress MLAs undertaking a foreign trip to send a message to the Congress High Command that everything is normal under Siddaramaiah’s leadership and that the state MLAs are satisfied.

The development has drawn attention in political circles, particularly as many of those travelling, are identified with the Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s faction.

Sources within the Congress said the legislators plan to leave for Australia from Bengaluru at 8 p.m. on Tuesday.

Some Karnataka Congress MLAs have cancelled their travel plans due to visa issues, while a few others have opted out citing various reasons.

However, Shivakumar’s faction is said to have successfully reduced the number of state Congress MLAs participating in the foreign tour by conveying that those who travel abroad at this stage would be noted by the party high command.

In this backdrop, there are indications within Congress circles that apprehensions about attracting the displeasure of the party high command influenced some legislators’ decisions to withdraw from the foreign tour.

A few Karnataka Congress MLAs are expected to take a final call on their participation later on Monday.

–IANS

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