Bangalore: Food and Civil Supplies Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao’s plainspeaking on Congress’ leadership issue has not gone down well with the State party unit. Now, the party has issued a gag order for its leaders and workers asking them not to comment anything on the party or its leadership.

On Tuesday, Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee President G Parameshwara, in a statement to the media, said that no leader or worker of the Congress should either speak to the media or at public functions on leaders, president, vice presidents or members of the working committee. This direction is more applicable to those who issue political statements, he said. Dinesh had tweeted on Sunday - “@INCIndia will learn from its losses ... time to strengthen committed grassroot leaders and weed out effete leaders operating out from Delhi.”

Parameshwara said that no minister or leader should issue any public statement against any leader. Comments, if any, should be made in the working committee meeting or conveyed directly to him.

“All of us are in responsible position. We have managed many responsible positions. Therefore, no such statements should be made. It is the responsibility of all of us to build the party when it is facing debacle,” Parameshwara said, adding that he was making the request to Vishwanath (former MP) and Dinesh Gundu Rao through the media.

Parameshwara said that the appointments to boards and corporations would be made after Deepavali. Digvijay Singh, in-charge of party affairs Karnataka, has directed that former and sitting legislators besides those who lost in the previous elections should not be considered for the appointments. This particular issue would be discussed with the high command, he added. Replying to a question, he said the KPCC website would be relaunched and a private agency was redesigning it.

M?S?Anand Kumar, a Youth Congress leader, has stated in a press release that Rao should also remember that the Congress had lost all the three Lok Sabha seats in Bangalore. “Despite Rao holding a powerful post and having good experience, the Congress could not perform well in Bangalore city. The minister should have owned up the responsibility for the results”, he said.