Satish Jarkiholi and Parameshwara send a political message by saying Congress came to power due to team effort

In what is being seen as a bid to undermine Deputy Chief Minister and KPCC president D.K Shivakumar, two of his Cabinet colleagues, Satish Jarkiholi and G. Parameshwara on Sunday said that the Congress came to power owing to a team effort.

While the two claimed it was team effort, it comes in response to claims emanating from Mr. Shivakumar’s camp that it was his effort that propelled the party to power.

“If the Congress has come to power, it is owing to team effort. There are around 1.25 crore party workers in the State. All the power belongs to them. It is owing to their hard work that the Congress has come to power in the State. We have to realise that everyone who contributed to the victory has a right to claim power,” he said.

Mr. Jarkiholi said: “All of us need to realise our limitations. We should never claim that only a few people were responsible for the party’s victory. It is wrong to give credit to one person or a few persons for such achievements. In the 1950s and the 1960s, Tenzing Norgay was a member of a team that climbed Mount Everest. The team had around 14-15 people. But only Tenzing got the credit in the media. That should not happen”.

Responding to Mr. Shivakumar’s statement that he was ready to pass the baton, Mr. Jarkiholi said: “There has to be a change in Congress leadership in the State. But it may take some time. Mr. Shivakumar is right about a change in leadership in the KPCC. Every party has its rules and regulations. There will be a change in the party State president but it may take some time. It may happen now or a year later.”

Meanwhile, Dr. Parameshwara, who was KPCC president for about eight years, said: “I was the KPCC president in 2013. I never claimed I brought the party to form the government alone. Everyone had worked for the party and people voted for us.”

He also said that there is a convention in the party to provide an opportunity to the KPCC president. “However, I lost. I do not know what would have happened if I had won.”