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New Delhi: Tension gripped the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) office after a Youth Congress executive meeting reportedly descended into chaos over the removal of several office-bearers after a heated confrontation broke out between two groups of Youth Congress workers during the meeting, leading to a commotion and physical scuffle.

The confrontation reportedly broke out between supporters of Karnataka State Youth Congress President HS Manjunath and supporters of Youth Congress leader HR Deepika Reddy after four office-bearers were relieved of their responsibilities pending further review.

Following the commotion, Highgrounds police reached the KPCC office and began gathering information about the incident.

Police officials also reportedly questioned Deepika Reddy regarding the developments. Meanwhile, large numbers of Youth Congress workers assembled at the office premises as tensions continued to rise.

Four Youth Congress Leaders Relieved of Responsibilities

The controversy began after four state Youth Congress office-bearers — Deepika Reddy, Francisco Benito, Bindu Gowda and Suman Somashekhar — were reportedly removed from their organisational responsibilities over alleged performance-related concerns.

The move sparked sharp reactions from a section of Youth Congress workers, leading to unrest during the executive meeting.

According to sources, tensions inside the meeting hall quickly escalated into a confrontation between rival camps, with workers engaging in arguments and pushing each other amid the chaos.

Visuals from the venue showed workers raising slogans and engaging in heated exchanges outside the office.

Deepika Reddy Calls Move ‘Unconstitutional’

Reacting strongly to the action against her, HR Deepika Reddy publicly criticised the decision and accused the Youth Congress leadership of targeting her unfairly.

In a strongly worded statement, she described the move as “unconstitutional” and alleged that it was driven by political vendetta and personal insecurity.

Reddy also accused Karnataka State Youth Congress President HS Manjunath of attempting to sideline her despite her electoral performance within the organisation.

She further warned that she would not remain silent on the issue and threatened to launch a protest.

Highlighting her political standing within the Youth Congress, Deepika Reddy said she had secured nearly 2.95 lakh votes during the Youth Congress elections, emerging as the highest-voted woman candidate in the country and among the top performers in Karnataka.

She alleged that despite receiving strong support from grassroots workers, she had been subjected to internal bias and attempts to politically isolate her after the elections.

Deepika Reddy also accused the current state leadership of creating what she described as a hostile atmosphere for women leaders within the Karnataka Youth Congress.

According to her, women leaders who built independent political support were allegedly being targeted and sidelined within the organisation.