Siddaramaiah beside him, Vokkaliga seer bats for DK Shivakumar as Chief Minister
Siddaramaiah beside him, Vokkaliga seer bats for DK Shivakumar as Chief Minister
A power tussle in Karnataka Congress seems to be brewing again after a Vokkaliga seer stirred the pot by requesting Siddaramaiah to step aside and let DK Shivakumar take over as the state's Chief Minister.
During a Kempegowda Jayanti event that was attended by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, seer Chandrashekar Swamiji said Siddaramaiah should make way for Shivakumar in the future.
"Everyone has become Chief Minister and enjoyed power. Our DK Shivakumar hasn't become Chief Minister yet. Siddaramaiah has already been in power. In the future, Siddaramaiah should hand over power to Shivakumar. I again request Siddaramaiah, please make DK Shivakumar the Chief Minister," the seer of Vishwa Vokkaliga Mahasamastana Mutt said.
The seer later told TV channels that Shivakumar "deserved the Chief Minister's post" as he had a crucial hand in organising the Congress ahead of the 2023 Assembly election.
DK Shivakumar is an influential leader of the Vokkaliga community, which comprises 15% of the total population in Karnataka.
Reacting to the seer's remarks, Siddaramaiah said the final call rests with the Congress high command. "I will do according to what the party high command says," the Chief Minister said.
It's no secret that Shivakumar has been eyeing the top post ever since the Congress defeated the BJP and formed a government in Karnataka in May last year.
The BJP latched on to the issue to take a swipe at the Congress. "There is a power struggle going on in the Congress party. There is no governance," said BJP MLA Ashwath Narayan.
BJP MLA and state general secretary Sunil Kumar Karkala said the Congress leaders were fighting for power at a time when the state was reeling under a price hike of essentials.
"The pure greed of the Congress party and ministers have derailed development works in Karnataka. Now it's time for Siddaramaiah vs DK Shivakumar. Let Congress MLAs once for all tell the public who they want as CM? Karnataka needs a stable government," Karkala tweeted.