Party high command to decide on demand for three Deputy CMs in Karnataka: D K Shivakumar
Bengaluru: With Karnataka Cooperation Minister K N Rajanna batting for having three deputy chief ministers in the state, state Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar said only the party high command can take a call on it.
Rajanna, who has been insisting on having three deputy chief ministers in Karnataka instead of just one, reiterated on Saturday that his demand is not something which has been fed to him by someone else.
''I said this keeping in mind that making three DCMs will help in the Lok Sabha elections. It's not so that it (creation of three DCMs) will happen soon after my statement. I have only made a request to the party high command and brought it to their notice. They are the ones who take the final decision,'' Rajanna told reporters.
Pointing out that there are more than one deputy chief ministers in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan where the BJP came to power in the recent Assembly elections, Rajanna said it will be appropriate if there are three DCMs in Karnataka too.
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Reacting to Rajanna's 'suggestion,'' the lone DCM of the state Shivakumar said, ''Only the high command can answer such questions. I cannot answer it. That is not the issue to be discussed. Everyone has to work together to win the parliamentary election. That’s it.” Karnataka Home Minister Dr G Parameshwara too said it was only Rajanna’s personal view and not of the party.
''People express their personal views. Having three DCMs in the state could be good from Rajanna's point of view but we don't know what the High Command thinks,'' the Home Minister said.
Rajanna got a supporter in Social Welfare Minister H C Mahadevappa, who found nothing wrong in the demand.
''Rajanna is a senior leader. From political view point, he must have found merits in having multiple DCMs. It is left to the party high command whether to take his views into consideration,'' Mahadevappa said.
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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.
