AHINDA groups urge Rahul Gandhi to declare Siddaramaiah as CM for 5 years
Mysuru (PTI): AHINDA organisations here have appealed to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to declare that Siddaramaiah will serve as the chief minister for a full five-year term.
Representatives of various AHINDA organisations have launched a campaign here on Wednesday, posting letters to Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, urging him and AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge to intervene immediately to end the speculation over the leadership change.
AHINDA (Kannada acronym for minorities, backward classes, and Dalits) is a grouping that remains a support base for Siddaramaiah.
The move comes against the backdrop of speculations about chief minister change in the state, when the Congress government reaches the halfway mark of its five-year term in November.
"The Congress party won 135 seats in the 2023 assembly elections under the leadership of Siddaramaiah, the unrivaled leader and the strong voice of the oppressed communities, and the identity of the AHINDA communities, which led to the formation of the Congress party government in Karnataka again," AHINDA organisations said in a letter addressed to Rahul Gandhi.
The "huge victory" was due to the leadership of the Siddaramaiah and the AHINDA communities voting for the Congress party under his leadership, it said.
"The Congress party's base in Karnataka is very strong, and the main reason for this is the administration of Siddaramaiah, his pro-people guarantee scheme, his love and concern for the AHINDA communities, his ideology of social justice, his contributions to the welfare of exploited communities, and his belief in the principle of equality for all," it added.
The AHINDA groups pointed out that Siddaramaiah was elected as the leader of the legislature party in 2023 for five years by the Congress MLAs. But, the opposition parties such as the BJP, are creating confusion among the public through misleading statements that the chief ministers will be changed. Some Congress party leaders have also echoed this.
"This opposition may hinder the progress of the Congress party. The propaganda that Siddaramaiah will be removed from the post of chief minister is impossible for the AHINDA communities to tolerate. Therefore, we hereby request you and AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge to immediately intervene and declare that Siddaramaiah will continue as the Chief Minister of Karnataka for a period of five years, and clear all the confusion," they said, seeking time for a delegation of AHINDA leaders to meet Gandhi.
There has been speculation within state's political circles, especially within the ruling Congress, for some time now about the chief minister change later this year, citing alleged power-sharing agreement involving incumbent Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM D K Shivakumar.
Amid speculations, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday said he would continue in office for the full five year term, subject to the Congress high command's decision.
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BJP using women's quota bill as front to pass Delimitation Bill that will break India: Mamata
Cooch Behar (WB) (PTI): Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday alleged the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre was using the proposed amendment to the women's quota law in Parliament as a front for the Delimitation Bill that would "break the country into pieces".
The TMC will fight this Central government's move at every step, she asserted at her party's poll rally here.
The Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill to tweak the women's quota law, along with the Delimitation Bill and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, to implement the proposed amended women's quota law, in the Union territories of Delhi, Puducherry and Jammu and Kashmir, were introduced in the Lok Sabha on Thursday.
According to the Constitution amendment bill, Lok Sabha seats will be increased to a maximum of 850 from the current 543 to "operationalise" the women's reservation law before the 2029 parliamentary polls, following a delimitation exercise based on the 2011 Census.
Seats will also be increased in state and Union territory assemblies to accommodate 33 per cent reservation for women.
Opposing the Centre's move, Banerjee alleged that "the BJP brought the Delimitation Bill while keeping the women's reservation bill at the front".
"The BJP is trying to increase the number of seats in the Lok Sabha to nearly 850 through the Delimitation Bill. It will break the country into pieces," the TMC supremo said.
She also alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was not speaking the truth about the development of north Bengal at a BJP rally last week.
"The prime minister said nothing was done for the development of north Bengal. But we spent Rs 1.72 lakh crore on the development of the region," Banerjee said and asked Modi to cross-check data before making such remarks.
