Bijapur: Karnataka Chief Minister S M Krishna would lead the Congress Party in the Assembly elections scheduled for next year, Public Works Minister and senior party leader Dharam Singh said on October 12.

"We will fight the next election under the leadership of Krishna," he said while addressing a public meeting in the company of several ministers and in the presence of Krishna.

Singh likened Krishna to late Chief Minister Devaraj Urs, whom the people acclaimed as the backward class leader, and said Krishna had done a lot for the welfare of backward classes, minorities and Dailts. "We are a team under Krishna's leadership," he said.

Singh said the Opposition parties were already "scared" about the "popularity" of the Krishna government and claimed they were also aware that they "stand no chance" of winning in the next elections.

He attacked the state unit Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president H N Anant Kumar, accusing him of ignoring the state's interest when he was a minister in the Union Cabinet.

The BJP leaders including Anant Kumar and Jagadish Shettar failed to mount pressure on the Centre on its request for according special status to North Karnataka region by amending the Article 371 of the Constitution, he charged.

Singh and other ministers who spoke on the occasion said Krishna has "defeated his critics who had labelled him (Krishna) as a white collar Chief Minister, who had no concern for farmers".

PTI