Disloyal people leaving Congress is helping it, would do well in Karnataka: Rajeev Gowda

'Disloyal people leaving the Congress, help in strengthening it, as what is left (after they are gone) is the true Congress' - Party's Rajya Sabha MP Rajeev Gowda says Congress would defeat all those who left it in the upcoming by-polls, to be held on December 5.

New Delhi: Stressing that the party gets "strengthened" when disloyal people leave it, the Congress on Monday said what is left in Karnataka after some of its MLAs switching sides is the "'true Congress".

Interacting with the ETV Bharat here, Congress Rajya Sabha MP and its national spokesperson Rajeev Gowda said party's Karnataka MLAs joining the rival BJP after being disqualified under the anti-defection law is actually good for the party.

"Congress party has always been strengthened when people, who do not have loyalty or adherence to the principles of the party or who are vulnerable to the inducement from the other side, leave it. It's better for us as the party becomes cleaner," he said while commenting on BJP giving tickets to the disqualified MLAs to contest by-elections in Karnataka.

The Congress leader said that it was good for the party as what is now left is "the true Congress party which gives moral strength to us to fight these elections".

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He also expressed confidence to win the by-polls to be held on December 5.

The by-elections that were necessitated due to the disqualification of the 14 Congress and 3 Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) rebel legislators after they resigned from their respective assembly seats in July in protest against the former coalition government's functioning, will be held in Athani, Kagwad, Gokak, Yellapura, Hirekerur, Ranibennur, Vijaynagara, Chickballapura, KR Pura, Yeshwanthpura, Mahalakshmi Layout, Shivajinagara, Hosakote, KR Pete and Hunsur.

"The Congress party will not only defeat them but we will also win the upcoming corporation elections which are due within a year," he added.

On November 14, 16 of the 17 disqualified MLAs of Karnataka joined the BJP in presence of Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa.

Meanwhile, the former ruling allies - Congress and JD(S) - are contesting the bye-polls separately as decided after the collapse of their 14-month coalition government on July 23 following the defeat of its chief minister HD Kumaraswamy's trust vote on the floor of the assembly in the absence of rebels for voting in favour of the confidence motion.