MYSURU: With the debate on the next chief minister taking the centre stage in Congress, the opposition party will split vertically, said Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister KS Eshwarappa, here on Sunday.
Congress Legislature Party leader Siddaramaiah and KPCC president DK Shivakumar will fall apart in their race for the chief minister’s post before the Assembly polls, he said. Disputing Shivakumar’s claim that 20 MLAs from the Old Mysuru region are in touch with him, he said Siddaramaiah and Shiva Kumar have extreme ambitions. “Before dreaming of chief minister’s post, Siddaramaiah should aim at winning the election first,” the RDPR Minister added.
Eshwarappa asked why Siddaramaiah did not table the caste census report while he was the chief minister and why the Congress did not withdraw support to the coalition government when then chief minister HD Kumaraswamy did not accept the census report.
He alleged that JDS senior leader HD Kumaraswamy wants a fractured mandate in the Assembly polls which will allow the regional party to have substantial say in the formation of the government.