BELAGAVI: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday dismissed reports misinterpreting his son Yathindra Siddaramaiah’s remarks on leadership, asserting that the MLC’s comments were made on “ideological lines,” not as a leadership claim.
Speaking to reporters at Kittur, where he attended the 201st Kittur Utsav, the Chief Minister said, "Yathindra’s statement has been twisted. He only meant that I am currently organizing the Ahinda movement, and in the future, Satish Jarkiholi might take it forward. He never said Satish should be the leader. Such decisions are made by the party high command, not by us."
Siddaramaiah, who visited the historic town for the second time as Chief Minister, said he intends to attend the festival again next year. When asked if a drone show similar to Mysuru Dasara would be held at Kittur next year, he replied, “I will leave it to Minister Babasaheb Patil to decide the nature of next year’s events.”
Separate Secretariat for Kittur Karnataka Under Consideration
The Chief Minister said the government would examine the possibility of establishing a separate secretariat for Kittur Karnataka, similar to the one set up for Kalyana Karnataka under Article 371(J). “We created a dedicated ministry for Kalyana Karnataka because of 371(J). The demand for a similar body for Kittur Karnataka will be reviewed,” he assured.
He recalled that Article 371(J) was introduced when Manmohan Singh was Prime Minister, describing it as the result of tireless efforts by Mallikarjun Kharge and Dharam Singh.
Delhi Visit and Cabinet Reshuffle
On his upcoming Delhi visit, Siddaramaiah said he would attend the launch of Kapil Sibal’s new book. “Whenever I visit Delhi, I meet senior leaders and brief them about the governance in our state,” he said.
Regarding the long-awaited cabinet reshuffle, he clarified: “We had said the reshuffle would happen after two and a half years. The high command had advised us about four to five months ago to go ahead. The time has now come, and I will discuss it with them.”
The Chief Minister also confirmed that the winter session of the Karnataka Legislature will be held in Belagavi, adding that a final decision would be taken in the next Cabinet meeting.
On the High Court’s stay in the internal reservation issue, Siddaramaiah clarified that the Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) has been permitted to conduct interviews but not to publish the results until further orders. “The court has instructed that before announcing results, the government’s stand must be heard,” he said.
