Over 20 Cong MLAs leave for Australia on agri ‘study tour’

MOre than 20 us congress legislators from mysore ar scheduled to allow for commonwealth of australia late on Tuesday night, a group trip that has drawn political attention amid ongoing speculation about leadership changes within the party’s state unit.The legislators, including some members of the Legislative Council, are expected to return to Bengaluru on March 1. Several in the group are considered close to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. The visit has been described by some participants as a study tour focused on agriculture, though at least one legislator said he would be paying for his travel personally.Hampanagouda Badarli, a legislator from Sindhanur, said the trip was not linked to political directives. “The MLA’s foreign trip has nothing to do with politics. This is our personal trip. Neither the Chief Minister nor the Deputy Chief Minister has told us to go on a trip, nor has he ever stopped us from going. We, like-minded people, are going to Australia and New Zealand,” he said.Another lawmaker, Raghavendra Hitnal from Koppal, defended the travel plans, saying, “There’s nothing wrong with traveling with your own money. Is it true that MLAs shouldn’t travel abroad even with their own money? I’m not going on a foreign trip right now. But what’s wrong with going? We won’t just go there. We’ll go to study the development and projects there.”The visit has prompted debate within political circles, with some legislators reportedly reconsidering participation because of visa delays and concerns about criticism from the party leadership.Senior party figures sought to downplay the controversy. State home minister G. Parameshwara said the decision to travel abroad was a personal one. “If some MLAs are going abroad, it is their individual decision. No one is forcing them or stopping them. They are free to travel wherever they wish. It is not true that they were prevented from going,” he said, adding that the matter had come up during a Congress Legislature Party meeting where members also discussed constituency issues and preparations for the state budget to be presented on March 6.Priyank Kharge, the minister for rural development and information technology, also dismissed suggestions that the trip was unusual or connected to internal party matters. “I don’t know who has asked them not to go on the trip. There is no connection between them and the preparation of the state budget,” he said. He questioned whether permission was required for private travel, asking, “Is there any rule that says a foreign trip should not be undertaken? Is it illegal? Is it unconstitutional? Or is permission from the high command required? No. Do they require the government’s permission? It is not required. They have undertaken a private trip as friends. Why should there be any objection?”Reports had suggested that Deputy Chief Minister D. K. Shivakumar had attempted to discourage the trip, but he denied any involvement, saying he learned of the plans only through media coverage.The visit was coordinated by legislator C. Puttaranga Shetty and Animal Husbandry and Sericulture Minister K. Venkatesh, according to party leader