Siddaramaiah will remain as CM, says senior Minister Satish Jarkiholi
Mysuru, Oct 8: Senior Minister Satish Jarkiholi on Tuesday said Siddaramaiah will remain as Chief Minister of Karnataka, and the Congress high command has not discussed with him and other party leaders about the possibility of Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar replacing him at some point in time.
Speaking to reporters here, Jarkiholi, who is at the forefront of behind-the-scenes political activities within the Congress amid demands for Siddaramaiah's resignation by the opposition following charges against him in the MUDA case, however, said the party's central leadership can respond to questions whether he will hold the post for a full term of five years.
"I can only say that he will be there. Siddaramaiah will be there as Chief Minister," the Public Works Minister, an ST leader with considerable standing in northern Karnataka, said. "Whether he will be there as CM for three years or five years doesn't come at my level. I can only say Siddaramaiah will be there as CM and we are with him."
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On the possibility of Shivakumar, who is also State Congress chief, taking over as CM in the event of a change of guard, he said: "High command has not discussed with us about D K Shivakumar (being made CM)...you ask him. I can only say Siddaramaiah will continue as CM."
There was stiff competition between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar, a powerful leader from the politically influential Vokkaliga community, for the Chief Minister's post after the declaration of Assembly election results in May last year, and the Congress had managed to convince the latter and made him the Deputy Chief Minister.
There were some reports at the time that a compromise had been reached based on a "rotational chief minister formula," according to which Shivakumar will become CM after two-and-half years but they have not been officially confirmed by the party.
Amid demand by opposition parties for Siddaramaiah to quit, Jarkiholi on Sunday met Home Minister G Parameshwara, a senior leader from the SC community, in Tumakuru, after last week's meeting with Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge in Delhi, leading to intense speculations in political circles over leadership change.
There was also a closed-door meeting earlier between Jarkiholi, Parameshwara and Social Welfare Minister Dr H C Mahadevappa, who is also from SC community.
Amid calls for a Dalit/ST CM within a section of the party that has surfaced time and again, Parameshwara, Jarkiholi and Mahadevappa are seen as front-runners for the CM's post if the situation arises.
Jarkiholi, however, ruled out any change in CM, stating that there is no such situation in the state. When the CM post is not vacant, how can he be in the race for the post?
"We have a CM and he will continue. Myself, other ministers, our party and high command have said it several times, so any discussion on it is irrelevant," he said. "We have confidence in the CM's leadership."
On meetings between him and Jarkiholi, and Mahadevappa becoming a point of discussion in political circles, Parameshwara said: "It is good if there are discussions. Like 'Chai pe Charcha', we had a discussion over coffee."
"Just because two of us meet over a coffee and because of that if one is made a CM, many such discussions would take place and a lot of coffee will get consumed," he told reporters in a lighter vein in Bengaluru. "...nothing will happen if we discuss, high command is there. Also such a situation (for CM change) has not arisen, let's discuss and place a demand when the situation arises."
"The CM has said it several times that there is no need for him to resign and he won't, and we too have also said the same thing," Parameshwara said. "There is no need for the CM to resign, it has been repeatedly told."
Meanwhile, taking a dig at "developments" within the Congress, Leader of opposition in the Assembly R Ahoka said there is a "running race" in the ruling party for the CM post. He said "breakfast and dinner meetings" are on among ministers to replace the CM.
"...don't know how long the government will continue. There are rumours within the Congress that the CM may resign in 10-15 days, so leaders are counting MLAs in their support (for CM post)," the BJP leader said.
Siddaramaiah is facing the Lokayukta and ED probes into alleged irregularities in allotment of 14 sites to his wife Parvathi B M by the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA).
Siddaramaiah's wife, brother-in-law Mallikarjuna Swamy, Devaraju -- from whom Mallikarjuna Swamy purchased land and gifted it to Parvathi -- and others are named as other accused in the case by Lokayukta.
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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.
