Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday publicly reprimanded party workers who disrupted the swearing-in ceremony of newly appointed Karnataka Congress chief BK Hariprasad by repeatedly raising slogans in support of Chief Minister DK Shivakumar.
Congress President, Kharge, shouts at Congress workers..calls them useless fellows for being cheerful.
It is these workers who put their effort on ground to make his son, and other dynasts to win.
Irrespective of party, basic respect to people on ground is a MUST. pic.twitter.com/SgAQkImkQk
— Karthik Reddy (@bykarthikreddy) June 21, 2026
Clearly displeased by the chants of “DK-DK”, Kharge halted the proceedings and lashed out at the workers, reminding them that the gathering was a Congress event meant to strengthen the organisation, not to glorify any one leader. A video from the venue showed Shivakumar himself trying to calm the crowd, gesturing for supporters to sit down.
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“Maintain silence and take your seats. It is not as though the whole country belongs to you. Such behaviour is unacceptable,” Kharge said angrily. Stressing that the programme was about unity, he asked whether others had gathered merely to “clean up the mess” if supporters kept shouting the names of individual leaders.
Highlighting his decades-long association with the party, Kharge underscored the importance of discipline and warned that those responsible for the disruption could face action. He said the footage from the event would be reviewed and disciplinary measures would follow if necessary.
The outburst comes as the Congress attempts to move past months of internal friction in Karnataka ahead of the 2028 Assembly elections. Rival camps led by Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar had repeatedly clashed after the party’s victory in the 2023 polls, with both leaders staking claim to the chief minister’s post.
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While Siddaramaiah was initially chosen to head the government, Shivakumar was made Deputy Chief Minister amid reports of a power-sharing arrangement under which he would take over midway through the term. Once the Siddaramaiah government completed two-and-a-half years, pressure from Shivakumar’s camp intensified, eventually prompting the Congress high command to back a leadership change.
Siddaramaiah stepped down on May 28, paving the way for Shivakumar to take oath as Karnataka Chief Minister a week later.
