Sonia consults party leaders on Karnataka

Congress President Sonia Gandhi today held consultations with senior party leaders on the prevailing situation in Karnataka against the backdrop of Governor H R Bhardwaj recommending imposition of President's Rule in the BJP-ruled state.

Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday held consultations with senior party leaders on the prevailing situation in Karnataka against the backdrop of Governor H R Bhardwaj recommending imposition of President's Rule in the BJP-ruled state.

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Health Minister and AICC General Secretary in charge of Karnataka Ghulam Nabi Azad and Law Minister M Veerappa Moily met Gandhi at her 10, Janpath residence this morning to discuss the situation. Before meeting Gandhi, Moily said here that the BJP's onslaught against the Governor was an effort to cover its own mistakes.

"It is a character crisis within the BJP...It is a highly motivated allegation. It is a desperate attempt on part of the BJP to cover their own mistakes," he told reporters.

With differing views emerging in Congress on imposition of President's rule in the state, Congress is weighing its pros and cons before arriving at a decision. The Congress Core Group met here last evening to discuss the situation.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Gandhi, Home Minister P Chidambaram and Political Secretary to the Congress President Ahmad Patel are understood to have deliberated on the options before the Centre in view of the fluid political situation in Karnataka.

Meanwhile, AICC General Secretary in-charge of Uttar Pradesh Digvijay Singh, party in-charge of Haryana Prithviraj Chavan, in-charge of Bihar Mukul Wasnik and senior leader Keshav Rao, who is in charge of West Bengal and Jharkhand also met Gandhi to discuss the political situation.