MYSURU: Former MLA Yathindra Siddaramaiah’s statement that his father and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will continue in office for five years if Congress wins a maximum number of seats in the Lok Sabha elections has sparked a row with BJP leaders accusing the grand old party of betraying the Vokkaligas.
The statement has again brought the issue of the chief minister’s tenure to the centre stage and has given a stick to the BJP to whip the ruling party with. It has also worried a section of Congress leaders as Vokkaligas came out in support of the party in the Assembly elections with the hope that Shivakumar would become chief minister for his hard work and organising the party’s rank and file.
They feel the statement was unwarranted, causing an embarrassment to the chief minister and allowing BJP and JDS to exploit the power struggle within the government. Though there are rumours that there will be major developments in the government after the general elections, the party's top brass has denied any such power-sharing agreement.
Assembly Opposition Leader R Ashoka, Kodagu-Mysuru MP Pratap Simha and other BJP leaders termed Yathindra’s statement a betrayal to Vokkaligas, in an obvious bid to get the support of the substantial voter base ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.
Simha said Siddaramaiah, through his son Yathindra, is clarifying that he will continue as CM for five years. Simha said he sympathises with Shivakumar, who had appealed to Vokkaligas voters to support him in the election, saying that no leader from the community has become chief minister after SM Krishna. “Now the opportunity has come and he has a chance to become chief minister. But after the party won the elections, Siddaramaiah prevailed on the Congress central leadership to become CM with an agreement of each sharing the CM post for two-and-a-half years,” he added.