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Janata Dal (Secular) MLC SL Bhojegowda on Saturday questioned the silence of the top leadership of Congress over the power tussle brewing in the state Congress ranks here in Karnataka for the position of Chief Minister.
Bhojegowda called it an internal matter of the Congress and said it remains to be seen whether the ruling party here in the state has reached an agreement over it. "We have nothing to do with it. We don't know what agreement was reached, why is their high command silent on this?" Bhojegowda told ANI. Earlier, LoP in the Legislative Council, and BJP leader Chalavadi Narayanaswamy, said that the Congress had betrayed the people of the state. "Leadership change is their party problem. It is not connected with the people of Karnataka. People have given the Congress a five-year mandate to rule the state, but they have not given anything to the people... There is no development at all. The farmers are fighting for their problems, and even Dalits have been cheated by the Congress. Nobody is interested in the Congress' internal problem," he said. Amid an escalating power tussle over the Chief Minister's chair, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah met his Deputy DK Shivakumar at his residence for a high-stakes breakfast meeting on Saturday, where the two leaders attempted to cool tempers over plates of traditional idli and sambar.CM Siddaramaiah had invited Shivakumar earlier in order to resolve the ongoing crisis within the party. Legal advisor to CM AS Ponnanna was also present in the meeting. Amid the tussle, Siddaramaiah said there is no change in his stance."The high command has called both of us, so I have invited him (DK Shivakumar) for breakfast, and we will talk there. As I said earlier, I will accept whatever the high command says; there is no change in my stand. Even he (DK Shivakumar) said that whatever the high command says we'll follow that..." Siddaramaiah said. The Congress is likely to discuss the crisis with the central leaders after the party's strategy group meeting ahead of the winter session of Parliament on November 30. Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Friday reiterated that the Congress high command will take any decision regarding the leadership. Even as Karnataka CM Siddaramiah and his Deputy DK Shivakumar held a breakfast meeting to resolve the state's leadership crisis, Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara threw his hat in the ring, claiming that some people even wanted to see him as CM and that it is up to the Congress high command in Delhi to resolve the issues. "Somebody wants DK Shivakumar as chief minister, somebody wants Siddaramaiah to continue, and somebody wants me to be the chief minister, and somebody wants somebody else. So you cannot stop the aspirations of the people. Every time there is a talk about the Chief Minister, whether after the election or somewhere in between, Dalits express their aspirations. There is nothing wrong with it. I don't think it is wrong. It is up to the high command. All these developments are definitely watched by the high command. They take note of these developments, and they'll resolve them," said G Parameshwara. (ANI)
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