Pro-Sonia camp in full swing

NEW DELHI, July 20: The pro-Sonia Gandhi group in the Congress won an important victory today when Sonia refused to oust Karnataka PCC ch...

NEW DELHI, July 20: The pro-Sonia Gandhi group in the Congress won an important victory today when Sonia refused to oust Karnataka PCC chief Dharam Singh and ordered his continuance in the post.

Singh, whose ouster was sought by party MP C K Jaffer Sharief, former Union minister Rajashekara Murthy, former MP Chandre Gowda and a host of others, was backed solidly by CPP secretary H Hanumanthappa, CWC members Arjun Singh, Oscar Fernandes and Rajesh Pilot and M L Fotedar 8212; this is the core of the Sonia group in the Congress high command and it swung the day for Singh.

The decision to keep Singh in place is being interpreted as a victory for the backward classes in Karnataka at a time when the Vokkaligas and Lingayats, the two dominant communities strove for Singh8217;s sacking. It will now be a test for Singh to show that the backward classes count in Karnataka in the face of stiff opposition from the other communities.

Apparently, even JD leader Deve Gowda lobbied with Sonia for replacing Singh with RajyaSabha MP S M Krishna. Gowda is believed to have advocated Krishna8217;s case on the grounds that the Vokkaliga community, to which both Gowda and Krishna belong, would back the Congress and JD against a rising BJP.

Gowda8217;s efforts too failed against determined Sonia loyalists in the CWC. The murky factional politics in the KPCC was on full display over the past few weeks with team after team campaigning in Delhi for Singh8217;s removal. It is understood that Leader of the Opposition Sharad Pawar too was not in favour of Singh but didn8217;t have much say as he was preoccupied with the Maharashtra affair.

It is believed that in the beginning, Rajashekara Murthy, who was a minister in the P V Narasimha Rao government, tied up with Arjun Singh to form an anti-Singh axis at the centre. This fell through after a while and Arjun Singh too joined the group in Singh8217;s favour.

Today8217;s decision is seen as another step in Sonia8217;s efforts to gain absolute control of the Congress and she is expected to clear the PCC executivein a few days.