Will continue as chief minister for five years: Siddaramaiah dismisses reports of CM-change

HOSAPETE: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday asserted that he would hold the office for a full five years.

The clarification came in the wake of speculation within a section of the ruling Congress about a change in leadership after two-and-half years of this government’s tenure.

“Who has made the confusing statement? If someone useless speaks, why do you give importance to it” Siddaramaiah told reporters here, when he was asked about repeated confusing statements from those within the party about CM change.

Asked to give clarity on whether he would head the government for a full five years, he said, “For five years our government will be there…I’m the chief minister, I will continue.” On the speculation about having three more deputy chief ministers, he said, “Who said? All this is decided by the high command. Congress is not a regional party, it’s a national party. Nothing can be decided without discussing with the high command. Neither me as the chief minister or MLAs can change the government. We have the high command; they will decide.” Ever since this government came to power, there have been claims and counter claims within the party about the chief minister being changed, saying Siddaramaiah may have to make way for Deputy Chief Minister and state Congress President D K Shivakumar after two-and-half years of this dispensation.

Siddaramaiah was sworn in as chief minister on May 20 this year after the Congress posted a landslide victory ousting the BJP from power.

There was stiff competition between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar for the chief minister’s post after the assembly election results came out in May this year. The Congress party managed to convince the latter to accept the post of deputy chief minister.

There were some reports at the time that a compromise had been reached, according to which Shivakumar would become CM after two-and-half years, but this has not been officially confirmed by the party.

Claiming that BJP was attempting an ‘Operation Kamala/Lotus’ but won’t be successful, Siddaramaiah said his party would run a stable government for a full five years.

“People of the state have given us victory by giving us 136 seats in the elections held in May. We will run a stable government for five years. BJP is in disillusionment. They can’t stay without power. As they have been once successful with ‘Operation Kamala’, they are trying to do it once again, but they will not succeed,” he said.

‘Operation Kamala’ (Operation Lotus), a term coined by opposition parties, refers to an alleged attempt of the BJP to engineer defection of opposition legislators to install its own government and to ensure its stability.

Responding to a question on BJP MLA and former Minister Ramesh Jarkiholi predicting the collapse of the Congress government in the state, Siddaramaiah said, “He doesn’t have any other work. After losing, they (BJP) don’t have any work, so they are speaking whatever they want.”