BENGALURU: With senior Congress leaders staking claim to be chief minister, in the event of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah being asked to step down, loyal Congress leaders are squirming in discomfort. Many senior leaders have written to former AICC president Rahul Gandhi, urging him to rein in these ambitious leaders.
It may be recalled that CM’s adviser and MLA Basavaraj Rayareddy, a Lingayat, and Administrative Reforms Commission chairman and MLA RV Deshpande, a Brahmin, have spoken openly of their desire to be chief minister. Ministers MB Patil and Shivanand Patil, both Lingayats, publicly disagreed about each other’s seniority, trying to indicate who would stand a better chance and is better equipped to be CM. In addition, there has been much speculation in the media about the position of DCM DK Shivakumar, a Vokkaliga, Dr G Parameshwara, a Dalit, and Satish Jarkiholi, an ST.
The leaders former MPs VS Ugrappa, L Hanumanthaiah and BN Chandrappa, former ministers BL Shankar, HM Revanna, Rani Satish, former Legislative Council chairman VR Sudarshan, MLC Prakash Rathod, KPCC general secretary CS Dwarakanath and other Congressmen figure in this list.
Copies of the letter were sent to AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge, AICC general secretary KC Venugopal and general secretary Randeep Surjewala, urging them to intervene immediately.
In their letter to Rahul Gandhi, they said, “All of a sudden they have taken up the issue of MUDA against CM Siddaramaiah... The sanction order of the governor has been challenged before the HC. The court has ordered not to precipitate the issue during the pendency of the matter before court... In this background, BJP and JDS leaders have been demanding Siddaramaiah’s resignation.”
In this scenario, more than six leaders have issued statements claiming the post of CM. “Due to this, many of our leaders and workers are getting demoralised. People are slowly losing faith in our party because of infighting and reckless statements by our leaders. We request you to warn them not to issue such statements,’’ they appealed to Rahul.
SIDDARAMAIAH WILL REMAIN CM, SAYS RV DESHPANDE
Belagavi: Congress MLA and Chairman of Administrative Reforms Commission RV Deshpande has said that Siddaramaiah will continue to be the CM for the complete term of the government. Denying that he had said that he wanted to be the CM, Deshpande said, “Our government is one year old. We have four more years. I am an advocate... I don’t see CM Siddaramaiah or his wife’s direct involvement in the alleged MUDA scam. The Congress high command has nowhere discussed changing the CM. It is being discussed only in the media,” he said. Reacting to Minister MB Patil’s statement that Deshpande is a senior leader and is eligible to become CM, the MLA said, “It is wrong to discuss the issue of change of guard in the state when Siddaramaiah is performing well. Who said that the CM would be changed?” he said.