Shivakumar: No one questioning Siddaramaiah’s tenure, denies reports of Delhi visits
Bengaluru: Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister and State Congress President D.K. Shivakumar said that no one has said that Siddaramaiah will not continue as the Chief Minister.
He was responding to questions from the media near his residence in Sadashivanagar on Thursday night following the visit of his loyal ministers and MLAs visiting Delhi.
When asked about Siddaramaiah’s statement in Chamarajanagar that he would remain Chief Minister for all five years, he said, “Very happy. The party has given him the responsibility of the Chief Minister’s post. All of us are working together.”
When asked about ministers, MLAs, and MLCs visiting Delhi and discussions surrounding it, he said, “I have no information about this. No one has asked me. I don’t know anything about it.”
Regarding the visit of the Members of the Legislative Council (MLCs) and meeting with them, he said, “Party members have requested that the posts of Chairman and Deputy Chairman of the Legislative Council should be given to Congress this time. This should have been done earlier.
In the Upper House, the numbers of the opposition and ours are currently equal. We have won the Gayatri case in court. We need to obtain the order from there. Once that happens, our numbers will increase, the members have said.”
When asked about discussions on power-sharing emerging on the very day the government completed two and a half years, he said, “I haven’t stepped out of my house because I’m unwell. I haven’t even taken a bath.”
Earlier, sources also claimed that the faction loyal to Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar has reached Delhi and begun exerting visible pressure on party leadership seeking a leadership change.