BENGALURU: With former CM Siddaramaiah’s son and Urban Development Minister Dr Yathindra being given prominence on the dais at the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting at a resort on Tuesday, speculation is rife whether he would be the party floor leader in the Legislative Council.
Yathindra, the lone Upper House member in the cabinet, got an opportunity to share the dais with father Siddaramaiah, also a CWC member, Chief Minister DK Shivakumar who chaired the meeting as CLP leader, KPCC president BK Hariprasad, AICC general secretary Karnataka in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala, ministers MB Patil, KJ George, UT Khader and KH Muniyappa, and senior MLA RV Deshpande.
His joining the league of seniors sends a signal that the party would continue to give him prominence and could even hand him the floor leader’s post. If MLCs Saleem Ahmed and Vasanth Kumar make it to the cabinet during expansion, Yathindra’s position is unlikely to be altered, an MLC said.
Though Shivakumar, Hariprasad and Surjewala insisted that Siddaramaiah address the CLP, the latter humbly dismissed the offer. While one MLA viewed it as showing statesmanship, another claimed that Siddaramaiah was still upset that some of his loyalists went against him ahead of the change in leadership.
Addressing legislators, Shivakumar asked the MLAs to be cautious about the electoral roll SIR.