BENGALURU: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday called on President Droupadi Murmu and Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi. It was the CM’s maiden visit after taking charge as chief minister.
Though they were termed “courtesy calls”, the meeting with Shah had something to do with the state’s development and administration, and Siddaramaiah had raised certain issues, including the procurement of rice for the ‘Anna Bhagya’ scheme.
He also got a positive response from Shah, sources said. But what transpired between Siddaramaiah and Shah during their one-on-one meeting was not known. CMO sources informed that he had conveyed to Shah that the recent policy of the Centre is against the Food Security Act, as it directly affects the ‘two meal a day’ scheme for the poor. “Therefore, it would be good if the attitude of not giving foodgrains to states can be changed,” he is quoted as telling Shah.
Amit Shah told the chief minister that he would discuss it with Union Food Minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday morning, the CMO clarified. The meeting came hours after Siddaramaiah accused the Centre of playing “dirty politics” over rice, as it has allegedly taken a decision to discontinue the sale of rice to states.
Siddaramaiah, who wrapped up his day-long visit with his cabinet colleagues, most of them his confidants, also put the issue of power sharing on the back burner. Reacting to former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy that the Congress government will not survive for five years, Siddaramaiah shot back that he was not heading an alliance government. Instead, the government has a full mandate of 135 MLAs.
According to political pundits, he had indirectly sent a message that the issue of power sharing does not arise. It may be noted here that D K Shivakumar and his supporters had been claiming the CM’s post and there were also murmurs about the high command striking a power sharing deal.
Siddaramaiah’s official visit had no pre-scheduled meeting with party high command leaders as the meeting of all ministers called by AICC president Mallikarjuna Kharge on Wednesday was put off, as senior leader Rahul Gandhi was abroad.