Retaliating against HD Kumaraswamy, the former chief minister of Karnataka and leader of the JD(S), who had said that he would be willing to assist Deputy Chief Minister Shivakumar if he wanted to run for chief minister, the Congressman remarked that he is not in a haste to take over.
We ran for office in the state with a group leadership. We must provide sound government. I have no rush to become CM. Not even the party leadership has been the target of my demands. said Shivakumar.
In addition, he said that he obeys the orders of the party’s high headquarters and reiterated his loyalty to the current chief minister, Siddaramaiah.
“This is our commitment; we are adhering to the directives issued by the high command. Siddaramaiah is our leader,” he said.
In the midst of rumors of factionalism within the governing Congress and a competition between incumbent Siddarammaiah and his deputy DK Shivkumar for the position of chief minister, Kumaraswamy on Saturday made fun of Shivakumar by stating that he is prepared to guarantee the backing of “19 JD(S) MLAs” if he want to take the helm.
The JD(S) leader told reporters on Saturday in Bengaluru, “Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar can count on the support of our 19 MLAs if he wants to be CM.”
Following claims by many state-based Congress leaders that a number of JD(S) MLAs were open to switching parties, Kumaraswamy made his remarks.
The JD(S) leader took a jab at the Siddaramaiah administration by stating he was unsure of the number of Congress politicians who were vying for the position of chief minister.
“I’m not sure how many members of the Congress are aspiring chief ministers given the current state of the party. This government may even be referred to as a TCM or DCM government. The JD(S) said, “TCM stands for temporary CM, while DCM stands for duplicate CM.
Earlier in the day, Shivakumar refuted all the claims that surfaced about dissatisfaction inside the Karnataka Congress and said that the BJP is experiencing dissatisfaction as a result of which they are unable to choose their leaders.
Speaking further, he questioned the media about any state or nation in which, even after six months, the opposition leader had not been chosen.
“Where is our party’s unhappiness? The BJP cannot choose its leaders as there is dissatisfaction inside the party. Have you seen any state or nation where, after the passage of five or six months from the establishment of the administration, the Leader of the Opposition remains unelected? DK Shivakumar said.
Congressman and Karnataka minister Priyank Kharge denied on Saturday that there was factionalism among the ranks of the governing party, arguing that everyone’s tasks and responsibilities were well-defined.
Instead, Kharge took aim at the BJP, saying that they were having trouble “figuring out how to set their house in order” as to why the party had taken so long to choose a state president.
There isn’t a single group in the Congress. In our party, every function and responsibility is quite clear. The chief minister is Siddaramaiah; the deputy chief minister is DK Shivakumar. The high command will decide when it is appropriate to make a decision about the CM’s replacement, Kharge told ANI.
Earlier on Friday, BJP leader and former Karnataka minister KS Eshwarappa requested that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah step down, citing disagreements among his cabinet colleagues over his continued tenure.
Congress MLAs have considerable differences in views. On a single cabinet position, two separate choices cannot be made. Karnataka voted against this kind of administration. I demand that the Chief Medical Officer and his deputy quit. The BJP leader said that new elections have to be conducted after dissolving the Assembly.