BENGALURU — In a stern display of disciplinary oversight, Congress National President Mallikarjun Kharge fiercely rebuked a section of rowdy party workers during an official state event. The veteran leader lost his cool when hyper-factional supporters continuously disrupted the formal swearing-in ceremony of BK Hariprasad—the newly appointed state party unit president—with aggressive chants backing Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar.
The public outburst highlights the simmering undercurrents of factionalism within the state unit, coming just weeks after a high-stakes leadership transition in Karnataka’s top post.
“Useless Fellows”: Kharge Demands Absolute Decorum
The disruption began as party workers repeatedly drowned out the stage proceedings with loud “DK-DK” slogans. Visibly irked by the individual-centric sloganeering at a collective party platform, Kharge directly ordered the workers to sit down, delivering a sharp dressing-down.
“Keep quiet! Sit down. It’s as if the whole country has come into your hands. Useless fellows!” Kharge reprimanded them from the podium. “This is a Congress party meeting. It is not a meeting meant for any one individual… If one person keeps shouting one name and another person shouts another, then have the rest of the people come here just to sweep up the garbage?”
A video of the boardroom confrontation showed Chief Minister DK Shivakumar quickly rising from his seat to gesture frantically at his enthusiastic supporters, attempting to pacify the crowd and restore order alongside the party chief.
Warning of Video Footage and Strict Disciplinary Action
Underlining his decades of experience in organizational politics, Kharge warned the disruptive workers that loyalty to individual leaders cannot override party institutional discipline. He made it clear that the party high command is actively monitoring the situation to curb factional high-handedness.
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Evidence Collection: Kharge announced that the entire event’s video and media footage would be minutely scrutinized by the high command.
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Punitive Consequences: “Remember… discipline is always necessary for the party. Whoever is shouting here, there will be footage. I will take disciplinary action after reviewing the footage,” the Congress chief warned.
The Underlying Factional Faultlines in Karnataka
The boardroom friction comes on the heels of a massive structural shakeup in Karnataka’s governance layout. The Congress high command was forced into executing a chief ministerial swap, replacing veteran leader Siddaramaiah with DK Shivakumar following intense, sustained pressure from the latter’s camp.
| Timeline Element | Transition Phase Details |
| May 2023 | Congress wins the Assembly elections. Siddaramaiah is appointed CM; Shivakumar takes the Deputy CM post under an internal, contested 2.5-year rotational power-sharing formula. |
| November 2025 | The Siddaramaiah government crosses the 30-month mark. The Shivakumar camp begins aggressive internal lobbying with the high command in New Delhi. |
| May 2026 | Facing the threat of internal instability ahead of future polls, the high command accepts Siddaramaiah’s resignation. Shivakumar takes the oath as Chief Minister. |
With the next assembly elections scheduled for May 2028, the central leadership’s immediate priority is to suppress lingering pro-Siddaramaiah vs. pro-Shivakumar factionalism. Kharge’s public reprimand serves as a direct message that the party high command will prioritize organizational unity over individual power blocks as the new administration takes shape.
