BENGALURU: Congress leaders, including ministers, continued to issue statements on the change in the chief minister’s post, despite the party high command issuing a warning.
Home Minister Dr G Parameshwara on Friday said that no one, except the top party leaders, know what transpired at the meeting that decided the chief minister soon after the Assembly elections. “We all do not know what was the decision taken (over power sharing) at the time of forming the government as only the chief minister and AICC president (Mallikarjun Kharge) know,” remarked Parameshwara, at whose residence Siddaramaiah held a dinner meeting with ministers Satish Jarkiholi and Dr HC Mahadevappa in tow.
Sources said the leaders may have revealed what transpired at the meeting to their close circles and that may have led to supporters taking a chance and issuing statements to back their leaders.
Cooperation Minister KN Rajanna in Tumakuru on Friday said if Siddaramaiah feels that he is done with holding the chief minister’s post, Parameshwara will become chief minister. “Whatever I said in the past is not false. If Siddaramaiah wants to quit, Parameshwara will become CM,” he told reporters.
Earlier sharing the dais with Parameshwara at the inauguration of newly built residential quarters for police personnel, Rajanna said Parameshwara seems to have luck on his side and he will back the former deputy chief minister to the top post, but only if Siddaramaiah takes the decision. “Till Siddaramaiah decides, we, including Parameshwara, will be on his side. When he says it’s enough, I wish Parameshwara becomes the CM,” he added.
Political analysts saw it as taking up Siddramaiah’s cause to continue as CM for a longer tenure. But, they pointed out, Rajanna also spoke about a smooth transfer of power and compared it with the mess that was created when BJP top leader BS Yediyurappa was denied the post during an alliance with JDS.
Seeming to quell the controversy, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar’s brother and Bengaluru Rural MP DK Suresh on Friday said, “People have given a mandate to Congress to rule for five years. The goal of CM and DCM is to work towards giving a solid government. The CM’s post is not vacant. We will discuss it only when the post falls vacant. Some people have their opinions, but whatever the decision the high command takes is final. Now, our leader is Siddaramaiah and there is no doubt about it.”