Rift in Chickballapur and Kolar Congress units spills into the open
Internal fissures within the Congress in Chickballapur and Kolar districts have burst into public view over the past four days, as a flurry of social media posts by Chickballapur MLA Pradeep Eshwar alleging caste-based discrimination and reviving questions around a two-decade-old atrocity case set off a storm within the party. The row has widened to include separate complaints from Kolar legislators about interference in district cooperative institutions, prompting back-to-back meetings with Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar on Sunday.
Posts on temple-entry bans and 2000 Kambalapalli killings
The controversy began on October 1, when Mr. Eshwar posted on X alleging a ban on Dalits entering temples in Chintamani taluk, which was part of the undivided Kolar district at the time of the 2000 Kambalapalli killings. A day later, on October 2, he followed up with a post listing temples where Dalits were allegedly barred and urged members of the community in the taluk to bring such instances to his notice.
In subsequent posts, Mr. Eshwar referred to the killing of seven Dalits in Kambalapalli in 2000, a case that has long been a flashpoint in the region’s social and political discourse. Over the weekend, his remarks touched off speculation about intra-party fault lines as he alluded to the role of a “powerful” leader from Chintamani belonging to a “reputed family” in Bengaluru.
Allegations seen as targeting M.C. Sudhakar
Party sources indicated that the comments were aimed at former Minister and Chintamani Congress MLA M.C. Sudhakar, with whom Mr. Eshwar is learnt to share a strained relationship. In another post, Mr. Eshwar claimed that the Sri Rama temple at S. Raghuttahalli had remained shut for three years following a visit by Social Welfare Minister K.H. Muniyappa, a senior Dalit leader in the State.
On Sunday, Mr. Eshwar sharpened his attack while juxtaposing outcomes in two atrocity cases. “The court has awarded life imprisonment to 98 persons charged with injuring over 30 people after their houses were set on fire in Marukumbi village of Koppal district in 2014. However, it is strange that those facing charges of immolating seven persons in Kambalapalli have been acquitted,” he wrote.
Alleging manipulation of testimony, he added: “Family members and witnesses gave their statements in Telugu, and the direction of the case changed after the translator altered the statements. Who instigated the change? Who is that great leader from Chintamani? Who changed the translation? If it is investigated, everything will come out in the open.” In another post, he threatened to release documents relating to businesses allegedly owned by the unnamed leader in Hyderabad and Mumbai.
Leadership intervention after public sparring
The public nature of the allegations embarrassed the party and triggered a swift leadership intervention. On Sunday, Dr. Sudhakar met Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar and is learnt to have conveyed his displeasure over the repeated attacks by his party colleague from Chickballapur, who does not represent the Chintamani constituency.
Parallel discontent in Kolar over DCC Bank postings
Separately, a group of Congress legislators from Kolar district — H.Y. Nanjegowda, K.Y. Narayanswamy, S.N. Subbareddy and Kothanur Manjunath — also met the Chief Minister on Sunday to flag internal differences they say have been exacerbated by the alleged interference of KGF MLA Roopa Shashidhar, daughter of Social Welfare Minister K.H. Muniyappa.
The immediate flashpoint, according to party sources, is the posting of the managing director of the District Cooperative Central Bank (DCC Bank) and Ms. Roopa’s alleged interest in controlling the institution’s affairs, which has irked several local legislators.
Detailing one such incident, Mr. Narayanswamy said: “During a casual conversation with Mr. Subbareddy in the Assembly, she came and threatened me. We were not speaking about her.” He added that the group approached the Chief Minister after learning that a legislator was attempting to remove the DCC Bank’s managing director, and that they had tried to dissuade him from doing so.
What’s next
The day’s meetings suggest the party high command is moving to contain both the online sparring between leaders in Chickballapur and Chintamani and the institutional tussle in Kolar. While no official statements on resolutions were immediately available, the Chief Minister’s engagement with both sides indicates active efforts to defuse tensions that have now spilled into the public domain.
As the posts continue to reverberate across regional political circles, the Congress leadership faces the task of addressing the substantive allegations around caste discrimination and institutional control, even as it seeks to preserve party unity ahead of future political contests in the region.
