Karnataka: Vokkaliga seer openly urges CM Siddaramaiah to step down in favour of Deputy CM DK Shivakumar
Bengaluru: A Vokkaliga seer has urged Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah to step down in favour of his deputy DK Shivakumar amid a tug of war within the ruling Congress in the state, media reported.
The call from the seer comes in the midst of a growing demand inside the Siddaramaiah cabinet to appoint three more Deputy Chief Ministers from the Veerashaiva-Lingayat, the SC-ST, and the minority communities.
Vishwa Vokkaliga Mahasamsthana Math seer Kumara Chandrashekaranatha Swamiji voiced strong support for DK Shivakumar during the Kempegowda Jayanti event in Bengaluru, held to celebrate the birth anniversary of the city's founder. The request was made in the presence of both Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar on stage.
Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, who is also the state Congress President, belongs to the Vokkaliga community, a dominant group in the southern parts of the state.
"Everyone has become Chief Minister and has enjoyed power. But our DK 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 DK Shivakumar in the future and bless him," Chandrashekaranatha Swamiji wwas quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
Addressing the gathering, he said: "Only if Siddaramaiah makes up his mind, can this happen. Else it won't. So with 'namakaras', I request Siddaramaiah to make DK Shivakumar the Chief Minister."
However, Siddaramaiah politely dodged the request, saying that the decision lies with the Congress high command.
In his response, DK Shivakumar said he was travelling to Delhi along with Siddaramaiah to discuss development projects pending Centre’s approval with elected Lok Sabha MPs.
DK Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah fiercely competed to get the Chief Minister’s post, but, ultimately, the Congress high command managed to persuade DK Shivakumar to become the Deputy CM.
As DK Shivakumar has not hidden his ambition to helm the state, a section of Congress feels that Siddaramaiah’s camp has been pressing for three more deputy CMs to keep DK Shivakumar in check.
Talks surrounding DK Shivakumar’s ascent to the post of Karnataka CM have intensified after two-and-a-half years of Congress rule in the state.
Leaders in DK Shivakumar's camp are increasingly voicing their support for him. On Wednesday, Channagiri Congress MLA Basavaraju V Shivaganga publicly urged the party to appoint DK Shivakumar as the Chief Minister.
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