K'taka Minister Rajanna pitches for three more Deputy Chief Ministers ahead of LS polls
Tumakuru (K'taka): (PTI) Cooperation Minister K N Rajanna on Saturday floated the idea of having three more Deputy Chief Ministers in Karnataka, and said he will discuss it with the Congress high command, keeping in mind the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
He pitched for deputy chief minister posts to be given to leaders from Veerashaiva-Lingayat, SC/ST and minority communities.
Currently, D K Shivakumar from the Vokkaliga community is the Deputy Chief Minister in the Siddaramaiah-led cabinet. He is also the state Congress President.
"Lok Sabha elections are at our doorstep, we are seeing that all the parties are making preparations for the polls. It is our intention that the Congress should win the maximum number of seats in Karnataka, we are also confident that we will win," Rajanna told reporters here.
"One post (DCM) should be given to a leader from the SC/ST community, second for a minority community leader and third for a Veerashaiva community leader as there is a feeling the community has gone away from the Congress and it has been proved from this Assembly poll results that the Veershaiva community votes has mostly come back to the party," he added.
Rajanna, pitching for three DCMs is notwithstanding the Congress' decision that Shivakumar will be "the only" Deputy CM amid stiff competition between him and Siddaramaiah for the Chief Minister's post after the Assembly election results in May this year.
It was said that him (Shivakumar) being the only DCM was one among the commitments which the Congress leadership made to Shivakumar, while convincing him to give up his claim for the CM post and to take up the role of deputy chief minister.
Noting that it is his personal opinion (appointing three more Deputy CMs) to get more support from SC/STs, minorities and the Veerashaiva community, the Minister said he felt it would be right to share it with the party high command.
"I have decided to write a letter to Congress high command in this regard and will do so in a couple of days. As the Congress Working Committee meeting is on in Hyderabad, they will all be busy, and I too will be busy with general body meetings of Cooperatives in September, so I will be meeting all our high command leaders in the first week of next month and will try to convince them on this," he added.
Asked who should be given the deputy CM posts, Rajanna, from the ST community, said according to him, it was for the high command to decide.
"I don't want (DCM post), but the high command should give it to leaders from these communities. The high command decision is our decision," he said.
Noting that several people in the party shared a similar opinion (about having more DCMs), Rajanna said they have told him personally his proposal was good for the party's interests.
Asked whether Shivakumar and his brother- D K Suresh, an MP, were upset with him for pitching for more DCMs, he said, "why will they be upset, I haven't spoken against them. Shivakumar is a DCM and party state unit President. He is ably organising the party as he is a good organisation man. I don't think there is a need for him to get upset."
Shivakumar had chosen not to respond to Rajanna's statement to a news channel on Friday calling for three deputy CMs, while Suresh told reporters, "You should ask Rajanna about it...he is the one running the government."
A section within the Congress is said to be of the opinion that Rajanna's statement was part of a plan by Siddaramaiah's camp to keep Shivakumar in check, amid talks he might seek the CM post after two-and-half years of this government's tenure and to counter his influence both in the government and party.
However, there have been other different voices within the party regarding the chief minister and deputy CM posts.
Recently, senior Congress leader and MLC B K Hariprasad had said either G Parameshwara (now Home Minister), a Dalit leader and the longest serving KPCC president should have been made the CM or at least should have been considered for the DCM post, which he had occupied in the past. He had also said Satish Jarkiholi (Public Works Minister) from the ST community should have been made the DCM.
Soon after Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar were announced as the CM and DCM respectively in May, Parameshwara had warned the party of "trouble" if a Dalit is not made the DCM.
Reacting to Rajanna's statement, IT/BT Minister Priyank Kharge said, "anyone can place their opinion before the Congress central leadership...but I don't feel there is any such proposal (on more DCMs) before the high command."
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'Mother's wish': Ex-Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh ties knot with party colleague at 60
Kolkata, Apr 18 (PTI): Former West Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh tied the knot with party colleague Rinku Majumdar in an intimate ceremony on Friday.
Dressed in traditional Bengali wedding attire with a 'topor' on his head, Ghosh, along with his wife, appeared before the press following the rituals and sought people's blessings.
"I thank everyone for their good wishes. I also thank Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who has wished me. My personal life will have no bearing on my political career," he told reporters waiting outside his residence in New Town near Kolkata.
Ghosh, 60, said that he decided to get married to fulfil his mother's wish.
While he has been a bachelor till now, this is Majumdar's second marriage, and she has a son from the earlier one.
Ghosh, known for his one-liners and quirky takes, has been a member of the RSS since his youth, and has served it in various roles across the country before becoming the state BJP president in 2015.
As the state president, he is credited with establishing the BJP as the main opposition party in West Bengal, replacing the Left.
The couple met in 2021 during morning walks at the Eco Park, and the relationship grew over time, people close to them said.
It was during an IPL match at the Eden Gardens earlier this month that they decided to formalise the relationship, they said.
The marriage proposal had come from the bride's side.
"I am very happy and proud that he accepted my proposal, though he was not keen in the beginning," said 51-year-old Majumdar.
Senior BJP leaders, including the party's state president Sukanta Majumdar, visited Ghosh's residence throughout the day to wish him.
The chief minister also sent two flower bouquets and a letter to Ghosh in the afternoon, wishing him for his new innings.
However, Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari was conspicuous by his silence.
"I will not comment on it," he told a local news channel when asked about the wedding.
It was learnt that the wedding rituals were conducted as per Vedic traditions. Only close relatives of the couple were present.
Ghosh said that on Saturday, he will visit Kharagpur, which he had represented in the Lok Sabha from 2019 to 2024.
He is also likely to attend a political programme in Dumdum, party sources said.
Asked about his honeymoon plans, he said, "It will happen somewhere in the country."
Several TMC leaders also congratulated Ghosh on his wedding.
TMC leader Kunal Ghosh in a post on X said, "Since they regularly went for morning walks to Eco Park, since their acquaintance began there and eventually blossomed into a union, and since that beautiful Eco Park is the creation of Mamata Banerjee, the chief minister's role in this union is truly undeniable."
The BJP leader is expected to play a crucial role in the party's campaign for the assembly elections in the state next year.
