Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s assertion that he would continue in the post for the full five-year term has sparked off a series of reactions from his Cabinet colleagues and many said the party’s high command will decide the tenure of the Chief Minister.
Though KPCC president and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, who is nursing an ambition to occupy the coveted post, declined to react to Mr. Siddaramaiah’s comment, his brother and Bengaluru Rural MP D.K. Suresh said: “The Chief Minister’s post is not vacant and the people of the State have blessed the party for five years”. The aim of both Mr. Siddaramaiah and Mr. Shivakumar is to provide a stable government for five years, he said.
He, further, said, “The party high command will take a call on the tenure of Mr. Siddaramaiah.”
Many voices
Despite the Central leaders warning that “appropriate action” would be taken against Mnisters who make public remarks on the tenure of the Chief Minister a couple of days ago, Home Minister G. Parameshwara, Cooperation Minister K.N. Rajanna, Housing Minister Zameer Ahmed Khan, Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister Priyank Kharge, Agriculture Minister N. Cheluvarayaswamy, Excise Minister R.B. Thimmapur, and several others reacted to the Chief Minister’s statement. They held that the party high command will take a decision on a change of the leadership.
Mr. Parameshwara, a Dalit leader from Tumakuru, said: “A decision on the government formation was taken in Delhi. Only the Chief Minister and the Deputy Chief Minister know the real facts.” Further, the Home Minister said: “AICC general secretaries held talks with Mr. Siddaramaiah and Mr. Shivakumar and they might know the truth. I cannot give judgment.”
Chief Minister’s loyalist Mr. Rajanna, who earlier floated a proposal on creation of four Deputy Chief Ministers, said it was the task of the party high command to decide the tenure of the Chief Minister. However, he also said at a function in Tumakuru that Mr. Parameshwara has been waiting for the Chief Minister’s post for long and the opportunity should be provided to him. Mr. Parameshwara responded to it by saying: “I am grateful to Mr. Rajanna. I too desire such a luck.” Mr. Parameshwara, who served as the Deputy Chief Minister in the JD(S)-Congress coalition government, held the KPCC president’s post for the longest period of more than eight years.
Reacting to Mr. Rajanna’s statement that Mr. Parameshwara was one of the contenders for the top job, Mr. Thimmapur said it was the “personal view of Mr. Rajanna” and the party has nothing to do with it.
‘Personal opinion’
Mr. Priyank also termed Mr. Siddaramaiah’s comment as his personal opinion. He said individuals were free to air their personal opinion but it is not something cast in stone and the decision of the high command was final.
Mr. Zameer Ahmed, loyalist of Mr. Siddaramaiah, favoured the continuation of the incumbent Chief Minister for the full-term. “I am not the AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, or Sonia Gandhi to decide the Chief Minister’s post,” he said, adding he would take the top job if the high command asked him to.
Speaking to reporters in Kodagu, Mr. Cheluvarayaswamy said: “My task is to discharge the department’s responsibilities and the decision to change the leadership is left to the high command.”
AICC general secretaries Randeep Singh Surjewala and K.C. Venugopal on Wednesday held talks with Mr. Siddaramaiah and Mr. Shivakumar and warned that action to be taken against Ministers and leaders who made public statements on the change of leadership and the government.
