MYSURU: Amid the wrangling between KPCC president DK Shivakumar and Leader of Opposition Siddaramaiah, the former, for the first time, expressed his desire to become chief minister if Congress attains the magic figure in the 2023 Assembly polls. “I am not a sanyasi. I wear khadi, not kavi (saffron robes),” Shivakumar told the media here on Tuesday.
At a recent event organised by the Vokkaliga community, he referred to his political guru and former chief minister SM Krishna, who was backed by the community, and said the time has come for another chief minister from the community. He said party presidents are the obvious choice for the coveted post, but added in the same breath that it is the party high command that decides the chief ministerial candidate.
“The chief minister will be decided only after Congress comes to power, but I have asked my community to rally behind me. Becoming chief minister is secondary,” he said, and added he wants the support of all communities as he believes in secularism.“I want my party to form a government. I am not worried about the chief minister’s post,” he said.
‘State govt most corrupt’
Stating that he wants Karnataka to be the land of Kuvempu, Kanakadasa, Basavanna and Shishunala Sharif, he slammed the BJP-ruled state government for disturbing peace by dividing the society on the basis of caste and religion.“BJP has even auctioned the post of chief minister. There has been no probe even after contractors accused ministers of demanding 40 per cent commission and submitted a complaint to the Prime Minister. The state government is the most corrupt in the country,” he said.
Asserting that the Siddaramaiah government fulfilled 164 out of 169 promises, he said BJP failed to fulfil 40 per cent of its promises and alleged they are busy collecting 40 per cent commission.“After we lost, people have realised the good administration of the Congress government and have decided to vote for us. If we come to power, we will probe incidents of corruption by the BJP government, and take such cases to their logical end,” he said.
On Siddaramotsava, which is the 75th birthday celebration of Siddaramaiah, he said it is a milestone to recall the leader’s service to the people.On August 15, over one lakh Congress workers will hold a rally from Sangolli Rayanna Circle to National College Grounds in Bengaluru, he added.