Siddaramaiah will be CM until Cong high command decides otherwise: Parameshwara
Mysuru (PTI): Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara on Saturday said Siddaramaiah will be the chief minister of the state, until the Congress high command decides otherwise.
He said, according to him the high command has not decided anything on CM change till now.
The senior leader from the Dalit community, also played down the demand from some sections that he should be made the CM, by stating that it is up to the high command to decide.
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Responding to a question while speaking to reporters, he said, "The high command is watching everything, and when they feel there is a need, they will decide. They may be of the opinion that there is no such situation now, hence they have not said anything so far on the issue".
Asked whether Siddaramaiah will be the CM for a full five-year term, he said, "Who made Siddaramaiah the CM? It is the high command, and until the high command says that Siddaramaiah will remain in the post".
"As far as I know, the high command has not decided anything on CM change till now," Parameshwara said, adding that he is also not aware of any such agreement regarding rotational CM, after the 2023 Assembly polls.
"Siddaramaiah was declared as the CM, following the election to choose the leader of the Congress Legislature Party, after the Assembly polls. There was no proposal on any change mid-term. Accordingly, Siddaramaiah is the CM and is preparing for the state budget, which he will present next month," he further said.
These comments have come amid the power struggle between CM Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM D K Shivakumar over the top post once again coming to the fore, with the former's son Yathindra insisting that his father will complete his five year team, with the party high command having given signal in this regard.
The leadership tussle within the ruling party has intensified amid speculation about a possible change of chief minister after the Congress government completed the halfway mark of its five-year term on November 20, 2025.
The speculation has been fuelled by the reported "power-sharing" arrangement between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar at the time of the government formation in 2023.
Responding to a question on Yathindra's statement, Parameshwara said, he might have made the statement based on the information he has.
"Ultimately, whatever the high command decides is final, what I or someone else says doesn't matter. Depending on the situation, if there is need, the high command will tell their decision," he said.
Ruling out any confusion within the ruling party on the leadership issue, he further said, "there was a Congress Legislature Party meeting recently, if there was any confusion, the issue would have been raised, and the question would have been asked to the CM and Deputy CM."
Asked about the demand for the cabinet reshuffle, he said it is left to the discretion of the CM, and after discussion with the high command, he will decide if there is a need to carry out the exercise.
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Bengaluru - Mumbai premium train service will start soon: Ashwini Vaishnaw
Bengaluru (PTI): Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Saturday said that a premium train service from Bengaluru to Mumbai will start soon.
He said Karnataka has received a record Rs 7,748 crore in this year's railway budget -- nine times the allocation during the Congress-led UPA government, and the total railway investment in the state is Rs 52,950 crore.
"Massive investment will cover track creation, station redevelopment, safety, announcements, Bengaluru suburban and many new projects in Karnataka," he told reporters here.
Addressing a press conference here, the minister said that, "very soon, we'll be starting a premium train service from Bengaluru to Mumbai. Tejasvi ji (Bengaluru South MP) had come for that, and many other requests had also come. Many sections are getting doubled, so very soon we'll have many more services."
On the Vande Bharat train from Bengaluru to Mangaluru, he said, "Now, the testing, certifications are going on for electrification. As soon as those processes are completed, we'll share with you the details very soon," he said.
On land acquisition, the minister said the Centre continues to seek the state's support as land is a state subject.
"We continuously pursue the state government for land acquisition in many projects. We believe in cooperative federalism. So we keep requesting the state for land acquisition. I don't want to specify any individual point or project. If needed, I can supply the details, but I don't want to get into the blame game. It's important that we all have the common objective of working for the people and our states," he said.
On the proposed bullet train corridors linking Bengaluru with Chennai and Hyderabad, announced in the Union Budget, Vaishnaw said the project would significantly benefit the region.
"As the finance minister said, it will connect the three large economies of South Indian states. They will become the high-speed diamonds of South India," Vaishnaw said.
A lot of work has already gone in, and a lot of progress has already happened in this regard, he added.
"But now we have to take it to the next level. And if we look at the capability that our industry has acquired, the capability that railway engineers have acquired, it will be a nice journey. Work will move forward very fast," he said.
He said work on the Bengaluru suburban rail has gained progress after a railway officer was appointed Managing Director of K-RIDE.
"Now we have the designs completed. We have the tender documents prepared.
We have got the approvals which are required for designing a complex system, like a suburban system, almost more than half is elevated, so it has to be designed in a proper way, and especially it is along the existing railway line," he said.
Vaishnaw said the design is done and that the progress is very fast now.
Calling the Yesvantpur-Kolar line important, he said the state government had withdrawn their support.
"So we will be requesting the state government to support it, because Bengaluru development is very important. We must double the capacity of Bengaluru. Then only can meet the demand. We must have more and more railway lines for the state."
