Bengaluru: The newly- appointed AICC General Secretary and in-charge of Karnataka K.C. Venugopal and four AICC Secretaries Manickam Tagore, P.C. Vishnunadh, Madhu Goud Yaskhi and Dr. Sake Sailajanath arrived in Bengaluru this morning to hold consultations with the party leaders and workers, on the appointment of new Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) President.

Venugopal, who is visiting the State for the first time after his appointment, drove to the KPCC office on Queen’s road, where he will be holding a series of meetings with the party leaders during his three-day stay here.

Soon after reaching the KPCC office, he met KPCC President Dr. G. Parameshwara.

Speaking to press persons ahead of his meeting with party office-bearers, Venugopal dismissed the BJP’s claims of making the entire country free of Congress, as a mission impossible.

Admitting that the Congress was facing a hard time right now, he reminded that Karnataka had always come to the rescue of Congress, whenever it was facing difficult times.

Lashing out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for fooling the people by making false promises and tall claims, Venugopal alleged that the BJP’s game plan was to create communal tensions ahead of elections and ride on the people’s sentiments.

Claiming that the BJP Central leadership was planning to adopt the same strategy for winning the 2018 Karnataka Assembly elections, he asked the people to see through the BJP’s designs and elect the Congress once again to power in 2018 for overall development of the State.

Maintaining that there was no groupism of fractionalism in the State Congress, Venugopal expressed confidence that the Congress would win the 2018 Assembly polls.

Venugopal held a meeting with KPCC Office-bearers, District Party Presidents and Heads of the Party’s various frontal organisations, which is likely to go on till late in the evening.

He is scheduled to meet senior party leaders, MPs, MLCs and MLAs tomorrow (May 9).

He will be meeting Chief Minister Siddharamaiah, KPCC President and Home Minister Dr. G. Parameshwara and KPCC Working President Dinesh Gundu Rao on Wednesday (May 10), the last day of his visit.

He is also likely to hold KPCC Co-ordination Committee meeting on May 10.

Venugopal will elicit opinion of the party workers and leaders on the appointment of the new KPCC President, with the incumbent KPCC Chief Dr. Parameshwara completing more than 6 years.

He will subsequently submit a report in this regard to the Congress High Command, which will appoint the new President, according to sources.