Vokkaliga seer publicly appeals to CM to step down & make way for Shivakumar
Bengaluru (PTI): A Vokkaliga seer on Thursday publicly urged Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to step down and make way for his deputy D K Shivakumar, amid a power tussle within the ruling Congress.
The seer's appeal has come at a time, when there is growing demand within the Siddaramaiah cabinet to have three more Deputy Chief Ministers -- from Veerashaiva-Lingayat, SC/ST and minority communities.
Vishwa Vokkaliga Mahasamastana Math seer Kumara Chandrashekaranatha Swamiji raised the pitch for Shivakumar at the Kempegowda Jayanti event here to commemorate the birth anniversary of Bengaluru's founder, in the presence of both Siddaramaiah and the Deputy Chief Minister on the dais.
Shivakumar, who is also the state Congress President, is a Vokkaliga -- a dominant community in the southern parts of the state. Currently, he is the only Deputy Chief Minister.
"Everyone has become Chief Minister and has enjoyed power, but our D K Shivakumar has not become the Chief Minister. So the request is, Siddaramaiah, who has experienced (the post), should please give up the power to our D K Shivakumar in the future, and bless him good," Chandrashekaranatha Swamiji said.
Addressing the gathering, he said: "only if Siddaramaiah makes up his mind, this can happen, or else it won't happen. So with 'Namakaras', I request Siddaramaiah to make D K Shivakumar the Chief Minister."
Reacting to a question on the seer's appeal, Siddaramaiah, later speaking to reporters, said: "Congress is a high command party....this is a democracy. We will follow whatever the high command says."
Shivakumar said: "things have been said.... We both (him and Siddaramaiah) are travelling to New Delhi to discuss with MPs from the state, regarding the state's projects (pending approval from the Centre)."
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, while Siddaramaiah had sought public support during the Lok Sabha polls so that the Congress wins maximum number of seats in the state, which would strengthen his position.
A section within the Congress is of the opinion that the statement by the Ministers seeking three more Deputy CMs, 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.
Leaders in Shivakumar's camp too seem to have started coming out openly in support of their leader.
Channagiri Congress MLA Basavaraju V Shivaganga on Wednesday urged the party to make Shivakumar the Chief Minister.
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EC-TMC meet ends on bitter note; CEC asks TMC delegation to 'get lost', MP accused of 'shouting'
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New Delhi (PTI): The meeting between a Trinamool Congress delegation and the full bench of the Election Commission on Wednesday culminated on an acrimonious note, with the TMC saying the panel's chief asked them to "get lost" at the end of the seven-minute meeting, while the EC accused them of "shouting".
After the meeting, TMC's Rajya Sabha MP Derek O'Brien told mediapersons that they handed over letters from West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, and also apprised him of specific instances of poll officials having links with the BJP.
"Then he said, 'Get lost'. We have done eight to nine meetings with the Election Commission. Apart from the CEC, none of the other election commissioners spoke," O'Brien said.
"While we were walking out, one of my colleagues congratulated Gyanesh Kumar for being the only CEC to have notices moved in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha for his removal," O'Brien MP said.
Meanwhile, sources in the Election Commission said the poll panel chief gave a "straight talk" to TMC leaders.
They accused O'Brien of shouting at the election commissioners and alleged that he asked the CEC not to speak.
The EC sources further said the elections in West Bengal would be "fear-free, violence-free, intimidation-free, and inducement-free."
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