Stating that the sudden replacement of Mysuru City Congress President T.S. Ravishankar with R. Murthy, a former KEA Chairman, was unfortunate, former MP and senior Congress leader A.H. Vishwanath has maintained that the change was effected at the insistence of Chief Minister Siddharamaiah.

Addressing a press meet at Pathrakarthara Bhavan here yesterday, Vishwanath said that the replacement was an insult to T.S. Ravishankar alleging that Primary Education Minister Tanveer Sait had influenced Siddharamaiah through PWD and Mysuru District in-Charge Minister Dr. H.C. Mahadevappa to drop Ravishankar.

He also pointed out that the Congress was strong not because of Siddharamaiah, Mahadevappa and Sait, but due to committed party workers.

Maintaining that Ravishankar was trying to foil the plans of a Minister who was allegedly conspiring to usurp a land allotted to the District Congress Committee near the City Railway Station and this may be the reason for his removal, Vishwanath said that Ravishankar had also attended a meeting convened by him to discuss the reply to be sent to the notice issued to him (Vishwanath) and this may be another reason for dropping him.

“The erstwhile CITB had allotted the land in question to the Congress party in 1964. The leaders then had got the Khata in the name of Devaraj Urs Social, Economic and Education Trust. Later, the illegal khata, was scrapped due to the efforts of Congress leaders. The land belongs to the Congress and Ministers such as Tanveer Sait have no right to speak about it,” he said.

Continuing, Vishwanath said that now, there are original documents to authenticate that the 11,000 square ft. of land belongs to the Congress and as such, the Chief Minister and the KPCC President should take steps to save the property of the party.

The former MP further said that he will meet AICC President Sonia Gandhi after Ugadi festival and explain to her the plight of the Congress party in Karnataka under the current leadership.

Accusing KPCC President Dr. G. Parameshwara and CM Siddharamaiah of damaging the party with their recent actions, Vishwanath urged the party leadership to take the 2018 Assembly poll seriously and ensure that the party retains power. Vishwanath also hit out at Central Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge, B.K. Hariprasad, Veerappa Moily and Oscar Fernandes for behaving as if they have no concern for Karnataka, thus damaging the prospects of the Congress here.

Congress leaders Shoukanth Ali Khan, Revanna, Narayan and Loknath Gowda were present during the press meet.