Will stay in Congress says former Union Minister Muniyappa

Senior Congress leader and former Union Minister K H Muniyappa on Sunday said that he has conveyed his concerns to High Command and refuted concerns of his possible departure from the grand old party. His remarks come following a meeting with Randeep Singh Surjewala .

Bengaluru:"I am a part of the Congress party and I am going to stay," said Union minister K H Muniyappa on Sunday, refuting the speculations that he may leave the party soon. The statement came after Congress in-charge in Karnataka Randeep Singh Surjewala met him at his Sanjaya Nagar residence on Sunday purportedly to convince him to stay in the party. However, both the leaders have denied having discussed anything of the sort in the meeting.

Surjewala denied the meeting having any political undertones. "Muniyappa is like my elder brother. I just wanted to meet him. It is the only purpose of my visit. We just spoke casually. Nothing major was discussed," Surjewala said.

He also said that the AICC had not sent him there. "Muniyappa has no problem with the party or anyone. He is the kind of person who can resolve his issues efficiently and can very well handle the people who are troubling him," added Surjewala.

Muniyappa too, speaking on the same lines as Surjewala, said that Surjewala did not come to his house as AICC General Secretary but as a family member. "We had some discussions about party organization. This is not new, we share a cordial relationship. I have conveyed all my concerns to the High Command. I am in the Congress , and will continue to be so. There is no other issues. Everything is going on smoothly," the former Union Minister said.

The speculations over Muniyappa leaving the party were rife, especially after his meeting with Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar. Muniyappa said he met Bommai to discuss land and funds for the Adijambava Mutt in Kolar, adding that it has a history of 2,000 years.