Focus on government, Congress President Kharge tells ministers demanding 3 DCM posts
Kalaburagi, Jan 9: Amid demands by some ministers that three deputy chief ministers should be appointed in Karnataka, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday said such demands should not arise when elections are around the corner.
Denying that he has received any such demand yet, Kharge said the party leaders should focus on addressing people's woes.
When asked about the demand for three deputy chief ministers in the state, Kharge said, "Ask Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar."
Stating that the matter should first come to him for consideration, the Congress president said it has not yet been brought to him.
In a rebuke of the leaders raising the demand, Kharge said, "Such speculations should not be brought during elections. We should focus on the functioning of the government, people's problems and the implementation of the guarantees."
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He said Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar have been working towards achieving these goals.
"Till we achieve our goals, we should not talk about such things," Kharge added.
Recently Karnataka Cooperation Minister K N Rajanna raised the demand for appointing three deputy chief ministers in the state saying it would help the Congress win maximum seats in the Lok Sabha elections.
He even cited the example of Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan where there is more than one deputy chief minister.
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Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
