BENGALURU: While all legislators have come out in support of Siddaramaiah continuing as chief minister despite the high court upholding the approval given by the governor to conduct an investigation against him in the MUDA case, senior leader K B Koliwad has raised the first voice of dissent. “Siddaramaiah should resign from his post to avoid embarrassment to the party,” he suggested on Thursday.
The Congress leadership, however, was unfazed by Koliwad’s statement, as he is not a legislator. Leaders, including Deputy CM D K Shivakumar, reiterated that Siddaramaiah will continue as CM.
“There is no question of me resigning. Did Prime Minister Narendra Modi, when he was the Gujarat CM, resign in the Godhra riots case? Has Union Minister H D Kumaraswamy, who is out on bail, resigned? I too will not resign,” Siddaramaiah hit back at BJP leaders demanding his resignation.
Seventy-nine-year-old Koliwad, speaking to a private TV channel, lauded Siddaramaiah as a good leader, but suggested that he should resign in the interests of the party.
“Let Siddaramaiah resign in the party’s interest, no matter how untainted he is. Let him become CM again after coming out clean after the investigation. The 136 MLAs of the party are with CM Siddaramaiah,” he said. “Assembly elections are going on in different states and the BJP is trying to embarrass the Congress. Siddaramaiah is causing embarrassment to the party.”
Responding to Koliwad’s statement, Shivakumar said, “I am the president of the Congress in the state. I am saying that there is no reason for the chief minister to resign. This is all part of a BJP-JDS conspiracy.”
Senior Congress leader R V Deshpande said Siddaramaiah will remain the CM for five years as the cabinet, high command and legislators are on his side.
Cooperation Minister K N Rajanna, a staunch loyalist of Siddaramaiah, hit out at Koliwad, saying that the latter is “old enough to lose his memory”.
Leader of Opposition R Ashoka said there is a possibility of revolt in the Congress as many leaders have already thrown their hat in the ring to become the CM and have been visiting their Delhi bosses.
BJP leader Basanagouda Patil Yatnal, pointing fingers at his bete noire Shivakumar, said it was the DCM who hatched a plot to remove Siddaramaiah.