No power-sharing pact or formula in Karnataka, no one should talk about it: Shivakumar
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivkumar on Saturday said that no one in the party should talk about any power-sharing "agreement or formula" involving him and CM Siddaramaiah, as he clarified that there was no such a thing.
He, however, said that they were working with some "political understanding".
This statement from Shivakumar, who is also the state Congress chief, came days after Siddaramaiah rejected his claim that they have a power-sharing pact.
"No one should talk about any oppanda (agreement). There is no formula (power-sharing formula) or anything. We are both working with some political understanding. I have never spoken about any formula, there is nothing. What I told the national channel is we have come to some understanding.
"The CM has been entrusted with some responsibility and I'm entrusted with some. I'm functioning accordingly," Shivakumar said.
Speaking to reporters here, he said, "There is no need or there is no situation for anyone to speak about any formula. I have already said that whatever CM has said is final, and it (matter) is now closed or finished."
Shivakumar had reportedly told a news channel recently that there was an agreement between them, before coming to power, to which Siddaramaiah on Wednesday said there was no such agreement, and that he would abide by the high command's decision.
Reacting to Siddaramaiah's comments, Shivakumar said whatever the chief minister says is final, there is no objection to it.
Rejecting the possibility of any power-sharing agreement involving CM and Deputy CM, before Congress formed a government, Home Minister G Parameshwara on Thursday said, ultimately, the high command will take a decision, and everyone will abide by it.
There was stiff competition between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar 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.
Shivakumar has made no secret of his ambition to become chief minister.
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BJP's main agenda is to keep minorities in fear, alleges Stalin
Chennai (PTI): DMK President M K Stalin has alleged that the BJP's main agenda is to keep the minorities in fear, and everyone is aware of what is happening in the states governed by the saffron party.
Stalin further alleged that Muslims continued to be subjected to attacks.
"Now, a situation has arisen where even Christmas could not be celebrated peacefully. Christians are being targeted. The entire country is a witness to what is happening in Manipur. The BJP's plan of action is that a state of insecurity for minorities should spread like a wildfire across the country," he told PTI in an interview.
That was why it first enacted the CAA, and the next was an amendment to the Waqf law, and now it is "desperate" to amend the FCRA, he alleged, and lashed out at AIADMK chief Edappadi K Palaniswami.
"Palaniswami, who supports all these three amendments and has formed an alliance with the BJP, does not have any concern for the welfare of minorities. However, the DMK is always firm in its commitment to ensure that India must always be a secular state; that people belonging to all religions must be equally respected and that the Constitutional safeguards conferred on minorities must be upheld. If any of these is threatened, the DMK will be the first party to raise its voice against it," he said.
Denying that the BJP made the minorities feel insecure, BJP state vice president M Chakravarthy said the chief minister was making the allegation due to the "fear that the Christian and Dalit votes would go to Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam led by actor-politician Vijay."
He was depicting the BJP as a bogeyman in an attempt to create unnecessary apprehension among the minorities, the BJP leader told PTI.
On FCRA, Chakravarthy asked, "What's wrong with ensuring accountability in the use of funds?"
