A few days after the oath-taking ceremony in Karnataka, differences seem to be cropping up between the camps of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM D.K. Shivakumar whose brother D.K. Suresh reacted to Minister M.B. Patil’s claim that Mr Siddaramaiah will be at the helm for the entire five-year term of the government.
“I can give a fitting reply. But, tell Mr. Patil that I will not. Mr Siddaramaiah has become the CM. You (journalists) can meet AICC general secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala and collect additional information on M.B. Patil’s statement,” said Mr Suresh, who represents Bengaluru Rural in the Lok Sabha.
However, speaking to reporters at the State secretariat, Mr Shivakumar downplayed Mr Patil’s statement. “Let anyone speak anything they want. AICC general secretary is there, the Chief Minister is there and AICC president is there to look into these things,” he said, indicating that the power-sharing pact is known to the party high command.
On May 23, Mr Patil clarified that he has not said anything new. “I have reiterated what senior leaders announced in the press conference,” he said.
Speaking to reporters after meeting Shivaratri Desikendra swami at Suttur mutt, near Mysuru on May 22, Mr. Patil had ruled out the possibility of Mr. Siddaramaiah being replaced after the Lok Sabha elections in 2024, and said there is no power-sharing arrangement in Karnataka if the statements by the AICC leadership are taken into account.
MLAs speak up in support of Siddaramaiah
A couple of MLAs of the Congress party too reacted to Mr Patil’s statement.
Six-time MLA Dinesh Gundu Rao, who is seen as a loyalist of Mr Siddaramaiah, said, “Why a discussion at all? Power-sharing issue was not discussed at all. Just a few days ago, Mr Siddaramaiah was sworn-in as the CM.” Mr Rao has been seeking a ministerial berth stating that he was a minister for just 3 years in 24 years as an MLA.
Ashok Pattan, another loyalist of Mr. Siddaramaiah said he is unaware of a power-sharing pact. “The party high command would take a decision on continuation of Mr Siddaramaiah as the CM,” he said.
Mr Surjewala has reportedly told Mr Siddaramaiah and Mr Shivakumar to direct their loyalists to refrain from making statements in public on chief ministership and power-sharing pact.
The second phase of Cabinet expansion and assignment of portfolios is expected to trigger another round of war of words among Congress leaders in Karnataka.
Balancing the demands of 2 camps, castes, communities for Cabinet berths
A big challenge for the Congress seems to be the need to strike a balance between the two camps, and also ensure equal representation to various castes and communities that voted for the party. The 135 seats in the elections gave the Congress a clear majority in the 224-member Assembly.
