HUBBALLI/BELAGAVI: Amid several Congress leaders staking claim to the CM’s post, KPCC chief DK Shivakumar said in Hubballi on Friday that whoever has the blessings of party chief Sonia Gandhi will become the CM. Denying any differences among top party leaders for the post, he said it is a media creation.
Defending senior Congress leader Ramesh Kumar over his remark on Congressmen making enough to last three to four generations, he said, “The media is misinterpreting what he said. I stand by Ramesh Kumar and it is in the interest of the party. What he actually said refers to the wealth created by generations of Nehru-Gandhi families for the nation, even sacrificing their lives. The present state of the nation is due to their contribution.”
In Belagavi, former minister MB Patil said he too is in the race for CM’s post. “Why should I enter the race with the help of two leaders (Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah)? I can enter it directly,’’ he added. However, elected MLAs and the Congress brass will take the final decision on the CM’s post, if Congress gets the mandate. “If I wish to become a CM, it is not possible in Congress,’’ he said.
Reacting to party MLA B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan’s remark that the people of the state wanted Siddaramaiah to be the next chief minister, Shivakumar asked everyone to “keep their mouths shut and work to bring the party to power”.
“As a leader if you have concern for the party, stop worshipping individuals and bring people to the party,” he added. The Congress state chief, however, stressed that there is nothing wrong if 224 MLAs in Karnataka desire to become the chief minister.
Responding to Shivakumar’s statement, Khan said it was the KPCC chief (Shivakumar) who started the discussion in the party by seeking support for himself in a public forum. “Who started this argument? At an event of the Vokkaliga community, he asked people of his community to give him a chance. We started talking after his statement. Till then, no one had raised this issue,” Khan said in Belagavi.
On the upcoming 75th birthday celebrations of Siddaramaiah, he said, “Siddaramaiah who came from a rural background has risen to great heights as a leader.”Hitting out at the state government, he said a group of civil contractors had written to the PM about a 40 per cent commission demanded by ministers. “I want to know why ED, IT and CBI raids are not being conducted on ministers,’’he added.
KHARGE BATS FOR SIDDARAMAIAH
Mysuru: Contin When KPCC president D K Shivakumar is projecting himself as the front-runner for the chief minister’s post, the Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjuna Kharge on Saturday batted for Opposition leader in the Assembly Siddaramaiah for the top job. Releasing the book ‘Siddaramaiah Adalitha: Neethi Nirdhara’ a compilation of articles by 27 authors and published by Janamana Prathistana Bengaluru at Kalamandira, Kharge said Siddaramaiah has given various welfare programmes including the Anna Bhagya scheme which people still remember. “Only a leader who has a vision of welfare and development of the state can launch such programmes.”