Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge scolded party workers for chanting slogans during a swearing-in ceremony in Bengaluru on June 21, 2024 [1].
The incident highlights internal tensions regarding leadership focus within the party, as the president sought to prevent the event from becoming a personal rally for a specific leader.
Kharge was attending the swearing-in of B.K. Hariprasad as the KPCC president. During the proceedings, workers began chanting "DK-DK" in support of Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar [1]. The slogans disrupted the official party program, prompting a response from the party leader.
"Keep quiet, useless fellows," Kharge said [2].
Kharge emphasized that the gathering was intended to be an institutional event rather than a celebration of an individual. He said, "This is a party programme, not a personal rally for any leader" [2].
The confrontation occurred in Karnataka, where the party is balancing the influence of various regional leaders against the centralized authority of the national leadership. The disruption forced a pause in the ceremony as Kharge addressed the workers directly to restore order [1].
Party officials had organized the event to focus on the transition of the KPCC presidency. The interruption by supporters of the chief minister shifted the atmosphere from a formal induction to a public rebuke of party discipline [1].
“"Keep quiet, useless fellows"”
This public rebuke signals a push by the national Congress leadership to enforce discipline and prioritize party institutionalism over the cult of personality surrounding regional power players. By silencing the supporters of Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, Kharge is asserting that the party's formal structures and appointments take precedence over individual political popularity.
