Chief minister Siddaramaiah on Monday rejected rumours of a rift within the Congress government and declared that his administration would complete its full five-year term.
“This government will be as solid as a ‘bande’ (rock) for five years,” Siddaramaiah told reporters, with deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar standing beside him in Mysuru. When asked if the two were on good terms, Siddaramaiah said, “We are on good terms,” and raised Shivakumar’s hand in a show of unity.
Hitting back at the rumours of tensions between them, the chief minister said, “We don’t listen to what others say.” Shivakumar nodded in agreement.
Targeting BJP leader B Sriramulu who suggested there will be power change in the state, he said, “BJP leaders are experts in lying. Sriramulu, who made this claim, has lost how many times? He lost both the Parliament and the assembly elections. How can someone who keeps losing predict the future?”
Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge, who was in Bengaluru on Monday, was asked about some Congress leaders hinting at a leadership change in the state by October. He responded firmly, underscoring that such decisions are for the party’s central leadership to make. “See, that is in the hands of the high command. Nobody can say here what is going on in the high command. This is left to the high command, and the high command has the power to take further action. But unnecessarily, one should not create a problem,” Kharge said.
The talks of a leadership change picked up after Congress MLA HA Iqbal Hussain claimed that Shivakumar could get an opportunity to become CM within two to three months. This came alongside cooperation minister KN Rajanna’s remark hinting at “revolutionary” political developments in the state after September.
{{/usCountry}}The talks of a leadership change picked up after Congress MLA HA Iqbal Hussain claimed that Shivakumar could get an opportunity to become CM within two to three months. This came alongside cooperation minister KN Rajanna’s remark hinting at “revolutionary” political developments in the state after September.
{{/usCountry}}Amid these developments, All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala, who is in charge of party affairs in Karnataka, has started holding one-on-one meetings with legislators in Bengaluru.
When asked about Surjewala’s visit, Siddaramaiah said, “He is the AICC in-charge general secretary. He will seek opinions from MLAs, hear their concerns, and discuss what needs to be done to strengthen the organisation. He will do his job.”
Meanwhile, leader of Opposition R Ashoka used Kharge’s remarks to attack the Congress leadership, calling the party president an “accidental” leader and questioning where actual decision-making power lies within the party.
“Looks like Congress has gifted us another ‘accidental’ leader. First, it was Dr Manmohan Singh, the PM who had the chair but not the command, who had the responsibility but no power. Now it’s Shri Mallikarjun Kharge, the accidental AICC president who proudly admits he doesn’t know what the ‘high command’ is thinking. Kharge ji, if you are not the high command, then who is? Rahul Gandhi? Sonia Gandhi? Priyanka Gandhi? Or is it an invisible committee of one surname?”
“In Congress, the president is there just for appearances, while decisions are taken behind closed doors at 10 Janpath. Kharge ji isn’t leading the Congress, he’s leading a masterclass in con-graceful surrender,” Ashoka said.