Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah reasserted on Wednesday that he would continue in office for the next five years, according to PTI. His assertion comes at a time of continued internal bickering within the party ruling Congress over sharing power with Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar.
Defending himself against dissenting BJP legislators in the House, Siddaramaiah ruled out any lack of confidence in his leadership. "We will not go. We will come again. You cannot win (election). There is no second view about it," he insisted as BJP members raised objections over Congress workers being appointed as heads of guarantee implementation committees.
Responding to Leader of the Opposition R Ashoka's criticism, who had accused Congress of taking a perilous precedent by letting party workers decide on government welfare schemes, Siddaramaiah denied the charge outright. He referred to BJP's recent losses in Assembly bypolls in Channapatna, Shiggaon, and Sandur, saying, "You people had questioned us earlier before Assembly election as to whether we have strength and guts. You have seen the fate of your question. We will come back to power again, and I will be there (as the next chief minister)."
His statement comes at a time when a number of Congress leaders, such as Veerappa Moily and MLA Basavaraju Shivaganga, have come out in support of Shivakumar's aspiration to the Chief Minister's post. Moily recently claimed, "Nobody can prevent him from becoming Chief Minister. The history has already been written. Either today or tomorrow, it will be done—it's just a matter of time." Shivaganga went one step ahead, stating, "Write it down and preserve it. If you wish, I will write it in blood and hand it over to you. He will assume office in December 2025."
The leadership tussle has been going on since May 2023, when the Congress high command appointed Siddaramaiah ahead of Shivakumar as CM despite vociferous lobbying. Then there were reports of a power-sharing formula in which Shivakumar would take over after 2.5 years, though it was never announced formally.
Adding to the unrest, Karnataka BJP President BY Vijayendra recently stated that internal battles in Congress were intensifying. "Next few days are very crucial for the ruling Congress government. The race for the CM seat is getting bigger day by day," he said, accusing senior ministers of openly criticizing Shivakumar while others favored Siddaramaiah's continuation in office.
BJP lawmakers have, in the meanwhile, been protesting in the Assembly for the last two days over Congress' move to appoint party workers as guarantee implementation committee chairpersons at various levels. These committees are in charge of five key welfare programs launched by the government.
BJP leaders have blamed Congress for undermining the authority of legislators by giving non-elected party workers the power to control district administration. They reacted with the submission of a memorandum to Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot, demanding the committees be dissolved.
Brushing aside the BJP's protests, Siddaramaiah pointed out that the practice of appointing party workers to government institutions was not new. "It has been the tradition right from the start to provide opportunities to party workers in governance. The BJP also did the same when it was in power," he said.
After taking a dig at the opposition, he further said, "Is it not abuse of power when the party workers are appointed as chairpersons of boards and corporations? Who pays them? You have appointed in Maharashtra RSS workers as personal assistants to all the ministers."
In the midst of the power tussle, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge recently asked both Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar to put aside their differences and focus on the development of the state. Speaking at an event in Kalaburagi, he said, "I appreciate Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar. Both of you should proceed and think more about the development of the state. If we forget development, certainly people won't like us."
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