BENGALURU: The Karnataka Cabinet that met on Thursday expressed its solidarity with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who is facing heat from the Opposition BJP that is demanding his resignation over the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) imbroglio.
Speaking to reporters after the Cabinet meeting, Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister HK Patil said that the Cabinet expressed its solidarity with and support to Siddaramaiah.
This comes at a time when a few of Siddaramaiah’s own ministers have held closed-door meetings, fueling speculation of a leadership change in the state.
In a first Cabinet meeting held after Siddaramaiah’s wife Parvathy handed over the 14 alternative sites to MUDA, the support from the Cabinet has come a shot in the arm for the CM. According to informed sources, Siddaramaiah, during the Cabinet meeting, asserted that he will not quit.
As soon as the MUDA case surfaced, the topic of change of guard in the state occupied headlines, and it gained momentum after the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) filed an ECIR against Siddaramaiah.
Speculation was rife after PWD Minister Satish Jarkiholi started holding separate meetings with his Cabinet colleagues, including two Dalit leaders—Home Minister Dr G Parameshwara and Social Welfare Minister Dr HC Mahadevappa.
Satish also met AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge in New Delhi and held deliberations. Satish also met two ministers in Mysuru. The Congress high command was forced to intervene with AICC general secretary KC Venugopal dialling DyCM and state Congress chief DK Shivakumar. They, along with Siddaramaiah, held discussions over the phone on Wednesday.
On Thursday, one of the ministers raised the issue in the Cabinet meeting. The ministers, including Satish, Dr Parameshwara, and Mahadevappa, explained that their meetings were apolitical. The media has misinterpreted the meetings, they claimed.
“They (ministers) said that Siddaramaiah should continue as CM. Siddaramaiah, who gave a patient hearing, said that he will not resign as CM,” a minister told TNIE.