Mysuru: Amid a leadership dispute in Karnataka and a group of ministers and MLAs reportedly visiting Delhi to demand a change in leadership, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday said he will remain the Chief Minister and present the state budget for the remainder of the government’s term.
Speaking to reporters at the Mandakalli Airport in Mysore, Siddaramaiah made this statement while responding to questions on the leadership issue in the Congress-led state government. When asked whether he would present the state budget for this year and the remainder of the term, the Chief Minister replied, “Why are you (the media) asking this question? Yes, I will remain the Chief Minister and present the budget as well.” Responding to a question about meeting Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Siddaramaiah said, “Kharge is coming to Bengaluru today, and I will meet him tomorrow (Saturday).”
Regarding the leadership dispute in Karnataka, he said, “Has the Congress high command commented on this? Whatever they decide, we will accept it. Everyone will have to accept the high command’s decision—MLAs, ministers, me, everyone.” “The high command will decide everything. Whenever the media reports something, I will let them know.” When reporters asked when the Congress high command would announce its decision, Siddaramaiah curtly said, “Ask the high command directly.”
The Chief Minister reiterated, “The high command will decide. Whether it’s a leadership change or a cabinet reshuffle, who decides? The high command. Has anyone spoken to the high command about this? Until they do, nothing can be done. Some people spoke before, and they have gone to Delhi now.” He stressed that whatever decision the Congress high command takes, he, Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, and everyone else will have to accept it.
When D.K. Suresh, former MP and younger brother of Deputy CM Shivakumar, said he stood by his promise, Siddaramaiah said, “I will not go back on my word. I have implemented all the guarantee schemes.” When asked if Suresh’s comments hinted at a power-sharing arrangement, Siddaramaiah replied that the party high command would decide on such matters. Regarding the visit of Congress MLAs and ministers to Delhi, the Chief Minister asked, “Is there a rule that they should not go to Delhi?”
He further said, “I don’t know whether Minister N. Cheluvarayaswamy has gone to Delhi or not, but the Deputy CM has already made a statement on this. What more can I say? I spoke to Minister Cheluvarayaswamy; he told me that he is in Delhi. Even today, during a video conference, he told me that he came to meet the Union Agriculture Minister.”
Meanwhile, a senior leader and the Chief Minister’s financial advisor said in Bengaluru that the change in leadership is not a minor matter. “To appoint a new Chief Minister, the Congress Legislative Party (CLP) will have to take a decision, and the party’s senior leaders will guide the process. All MLAs will have to be called for a CLP meeting.” Siddaramaiah said, “Without such a process, claims of a change of Chief Minister are meaningless. This discussion is unnecessary and pointless.”
On Thursday afternoon, MLAs from Shivakumar’s faction flew to Delhi in two separate aircraft. Led by Agriculture Minister N. Cheluvarayaswamy, the group included MLAs K. Ranganath, S. R. Srinivas, Ganiga Ravi, Kadaluru Uday, Iqbal Hussain, T. D. Rajegowda, Shivanna, Mahendra Tammannavar, Sugar Minister Shivanand Patil, MLCs S. Ravi, and Dinesh Gooligouda. Ministers Cheluvarayaswamy and Shivanand Patil have stated that they have arrived in Delhi on departmental work and are not meeting with the national Congress leadership on any political matters related to the state.
With the government completing two and a half years in office on Friday, political turmoil is growing within the Karnataka Congress. A faction loyal to Deputy Chief Minister Shivakumar has arrived in Delhi and has begun pressuring the party leadership for a leadership change, sources confirmed on Thursday. Party leaders said that this pressure from Deputy CM Shivakumar’s faction in Delhi is coming because there has been no clear message from the Congress high command on the long-stalled power-sharing formula.
This development comes after Deputy CM Shivakumar expressed his desire to step down as state party president at an event, and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah stated that there is no leadership change in the state and there is no need to discuss it. Sources close to the deputy chief minister’s faction said the MLAs who arrived in Delhi want to pressure the Congress high command to clarify the power-sharing arrangement. They also plan to insist on an earlier promise to transfer power after two and a half years. They will also demand talks with the party’s national leadership.
