Mysuru: In a last-ditch attempt to convince Congress leader and former Minister A.H. Vishwanath not to leave the party, Chamarajanagar Member of Parliament R. Dhruvanarayan met him at his residence yesterday. The talks remained formal and sources said that Vishwanath remained non-committal on his continuation in Congress.

The MP, along with other party leaders like District Congress President Dr. Vijaya Kumar, MyLAC Chairman H.A. Venkatesh and Congress leader from Pandavapura H.N. Ravindra called on Vishwanath, who has already decided to leave Congress, at his residence in K.R. Nagar.

Vishwanath extended a warm welcome to the leaders who told him that as a senior Congress member it was not appropriate for him to leave Congress now at this juncture as he has struggled to build the party. They pleaded with Vishwanath not to desert the party and talks could be held to solve the issues if any.  Addressing Dhruvanarayana, Vishwanath reportedly joked, “Many Congress leaders have not come to meet me due to Chief Minister Siddharamaiah’s fear. You have taken the courage to meet me.”

Sources said that Vishwanath told the leaders that he has not yet taken a decision to leave Congress. “As I am at the fag-end of my political career, I need to tread a cautious path. I will consult my supporters and voters before taking a final decision,” he told them. Sources added that Vishwanath did not even utter (even by mistake) that he would remain in Congress.

It may be recalled here that Vishwanath is one among the bitter critics of CM Siddharamaiah after former CM Janardhana Poojari. Vishwanath has often criticised Siddharamaiah’s policies and even said that Congress had no future with Siddharamaiah at the helm. His latest grouse is that when he (Vishwanath) was admitted at a hospital in Coimbatore, the CM did not even call him to enquire about his health.

Party insiders said that CM Siddharamaiah had personally called Dhruvanarayan and had asked him to visit Vishwanath’s house to listen to him about the difference of opinion with the party and to assess his future moves.