Karnataka CM Siddharamiah, PCC Chief trash reports of differences

NEW DELHI: After a meeting with Rahul Gandhi, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddharamiah and PCC Chief G Parmeshwar today dismissed reports of any differences and said they have a perfect coordination.

"We are working in perfect coordination. Reports of differences are only in the media," they told reporters after a meeting with the Congress Vice President.

The two Karnataka leaders said the issue of preparations for the Lok Sabha elections was discussed.

It was not the review of performance of the government, but preparations for polls, they said indicating that the state unit has been asked to finalise the probable list of candidates early.

AICC General Secretary Digvijay Singh, who is in charge of party affairs in Karnataka, was present at the meeting as also party General Secretary Janardan Dwivedi and Ahmed Patel, Political Secretary to the Congress chief.

Today's meeting was the first after the AICC constituted the much-awaited coordination committee in the state. Congress came to power in Karnataka earlier this year in a landslide victory ousting BJP from power.

A section of Congress had seen the move as one aimed at clipping the wings of Siddaramaiah, while the Chief Minister's camp sought to downplay it noting that such panels exist in party-ruled governments elsewhere.

Gandhi also reviewed the performance of the party in Tamil Nadu along with the state PCC Chief B S Gyandesikan and CLP leader S Gopinath amid expectations that the key southern state will soon see reconstitution of the PCC ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.

The Congress Vice President also met leaders from Puducherry.