AICC Secretary Faces ‘DK’ Slogans; Mithun Rai Served Notice
Mangaluru: During the recent visit of AICC Secretary K.C. Venugopal to Mangaluru, Congress leader Mithun Rai and his supporters raised the slogan “DK, DK.” Subsequently, the Congress high command issued a show-cause notice to Mithun Rai seeking an explanation.
On December 3, K.C. Venugopal arrived in Mangaluru to attend the centenary programme of the Gandhi–Guru dialogue. At Mangaluru Airport, Mithun Rai personally welcomed Venugopal with a shawl. However, at the same time, some of Rai’s supporters raised slogans in support of D.K. Shivakumar (“DK”). Outside the airport, activists gathered around Venugopal’s vehicle and continued shouting slogans.
This reportedly caused significant embarrassment to a senior national leader of the party. At a time when the question of leadership change is under intense discussion, the sloganeering demanding that D.K. Shivakumar be made Chief Minister was viewed as an indirect attempt to pressure the central leadership. Considering this an act of indiscipline, AICC Secretary Roji John has issued a notice to KPCC functionary Mithun Rai, instructing him to give a proper explanation regarding the incident.
It is stated that although Venugopal, who hails from Kerala, left for Kasaragod by road after completing his programme in Mangaluru, the demonstration in support of D.K. Shivakumar during his visit has been treated as a violation of party discipline. Mithun Rai is considered an influential leader in Mangaluru Congress circles and is known to be aligned with the D.K. Shivakumar camp.
After the incident, Mithun Rai told the media that Siddaramaiah is a great leader, but if power is shared and D.K. Shivakumar becomes Chief Minister, they would be happy. He even expressed hope that D.K. Shivakumar would become CM soon. Meanwhile, a separate group led by MLC Ivan D’Souza also reportedly raised slogans at the airport in support of Siddaramaiah continuing as full-term Chief Minister.