MYSURU: Amid talks of a potential change of guard in the corridors of power for sometime now, Energy Minister KJ George here on Wednesday dismissed any such speculation and said Chief Minister Siddaramaiah enjoys the support of the masses, and will continue in office for 5-10 more years.
“Siddaramaiah has the support of MLAs and the party high command. You (media) have created this speculation that the power transfer will happen around November. It is June now, and I wish to speak to you in November again on the subject,” he said.
George said that the high command knows when to decide on various issues and that the Congress government will complete its five-year term in office. He told reporters not to drag him further into the issue and said he was only reacting to their queries.
Asked about BJP’s allegations of irregularities in implementing the smart meter project, he said the charges are baseless. “They had made similar allegations on the construction of the steel bridge, and people are still suffering because the project was not implemented,” he said.
While some have approached the courts on the smart meter project, the government is fully prepared to present its side in the court, he said. He recalled previous allegations by BJP, including charges linked to the DK Ravi case, which were later cleared by the CBI. “There was no evidence against me. I don’t know why BJP keeps targeting me,” he added.
George said he is from the Youth Congress background and has handled too many portfolios in the government. He made it clear that he is not a soft leader.