With the demand for three more Deputy Chief Ministers resurfacing, Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar on Saturday said a decision on this issue can be made only by the party high command.
Reacting to Cooperation Minister K.N. Rajanna’s demand for having three more Deputy Chief Ministers in the State instead of the existing one, Mr. Shivakumar said: “Only the high command can answer such questions. I cannot answer it. That is not the issue to be discussed. Our focus is on the Lok Sabha election and everyone has to work together to win election. That is it.”
Meanwhile, Mr. Rajanna reiterated on Saturday that his demand is not on the basis of someone telling him to do so. “I feel having three more Deputy Chief Ministers will help in the Lok Sabha elections. I have only made a request to the party high command and brought it to their notice. They are the ones who will take the final decision,” he told reporters. He pointed out that there are multiple Deputy Chief Ministers in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Rajasthan where the BJP came to power in the recent Assembly elections.
‘Personal view’
However, Home Minister G. Parameshwara said the demand was only Mr. Rajanna’s personal view. “Having three more Deputy Chief Ministers in the State before the Lok Sabha election could be good from Mr. Rajanna’s point of view, but we do not know what the high command thinks,” the Home Minister said.
Social Welfare Minister H.C. Mahadevappa said there is nothing wrong in Mr. Rajanna’s demand. “There should be equal representation for all communities. Mr. Rajanna is a senior leader. His demand is from a political point of view. It is left to the party high command,” Mr. Mahadevappa said.
The demand resurfaced a day after Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Mr. Shivakumar returned from Delhi after discussions over Lok Sabha poll preparation. Congress sources said that the demand made publicly by Mr. Rajanna on Friday came after a dinner meeting with some of his Cabinet colleagues, including Public Works Minister Satish Jarkiholi and Mr. Parameshwara on Thursday night.
