Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge rebuked party workers for disrupting BK Hariprasad's swearing-in ceremony with chants supporting chief minister DK Shivakumar.New Delhi:

Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday criticised party workers who interrupted proceedings at the swearing-in ceremony of BK Hariprasad, the party's new state unit president. Visibly irked by 'DK-DK' chants - slogans in support of Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar - the veteran leader rebuked the workers, calling them "useless fellows" and reminding them the event was meant to be a party programme and not one centred around any individual leader.

"Keep quiet! Sit down. It's as if the whole country has come into your hands. Useless fellows!" he said. A video of the showdown also showed Shivakumar trying to pacify the crowd; the chief minister stood up gestured to them to sit quietly.

"This is a Congress party meeting. It is not a meeting meant for any one individual. It is a function where everyone has come together to strengthen and unite the party. If one person keeps shouting one name and another person shouts another, then have the rest of the people come here just to sweep up the garbage?" Kharge shouted.

Underlining his long career in politics, he told the workers the party is the foundation of their identity and warned them that their disruptive behaviour would not go unpunished. "Remember... discipline is always necessary for the party. Whoever is shouting here, there will be footage. I will take disciplinary action after reviewing the footage," he said.

The Congress is looking to put a turbulent period in its Karnataka affairs behind it ahead of the May 2028 election. It was forced into changing its chief minister - swapping Siddaramaiah for Shivakumar - in June after pressure from the latter's camp.

The two leaders had clashed repeatedly since the party's surprise win in the 2023 election. Each wanted to be chief minister but the Congress chose Siddaramaiah. Shivakumar was offered the position of Deputy Chief Minister and asked to wait for his turn. Reports then suggested a 'rotational formula' that would see DKS become chief minister after two-and-a-half years.

In November last year, as soon as the Siddaramaiah government completed its two-and-a-half-year mark, the DKS camp began exerting pressure on Delhi. Eventually, and with one eye on the next election, the High Command gave in.

On May 28 Siddaramaiah resigned and, a week later, DKS was sworn in.