Hassan: Home Minister, Dr G Parameshwar made it clear on Friday that the Congress party had no role to play in the infighting in the state unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Speaking to reporters at Halli Mysuru hobli in Hassan district, where he inaugurated a police building, he claimed the Congress would gain nothing from the troubles of the saffron party and was in no way responsible for the rebels rising up against its state leadership. “It is an internal matter of the BJP and the Congress has nothing to do with it,” he added firmly.

Dr Parameshwar, who is also president of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC), exuded confidence that the party would come to power in the state based on its performance.

“We are strong enough to come to power on our own steam and will contest the 2018 Assembly polls under the leadership of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah,” he declared.

Asked about the possibility of former minister, A H Vishwanath quitting the party, he hoped he would not leave. “I have appealed to Mr Vishwanath not to quit the party, but he has not yet responded,” he said.

Moving on to other issues, Dr Parameshwar was sceptical about a survey by the Centre for Media Studies, a Delhi based NGO, which ranked Karnataka at the very top among states when it came to paying bribes for public services. Wondering what parameters the NGO had adopted in doing the survey, he said he could react to it only once he had all the details.

Ruling out introducing a single window policy for recruitment of police in the state , the minister said a police officer of ADGP rank had been given the responsibility. Also present was Hassan district in-charge minister A. Manju.