Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's name figuring in the AICC Backward Class Advisory Committee has kicked up a row over leadership change in the State, which is drawing reactions from both within Congress and from the opposition party.
At this juncture, a statement made by Swamy Veera Shivacharya, seer of powerful Rambhapuri Lingayat Mutt that `Shivakumar should be made Chief Minister as per the original power transfer agreement' has created a flutter among Siddaramaiah camp, which is hinting at a Lingayat - Vokkaliga combination working against the Chief Minister.
While the political circle are debating over the issue, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has suddenly decided to visit Delhi on Wednesday, stating that he would be meeting Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, requesting for an Air Force Show during inauguration of Dasara. Siddaramaiah would be staying in Delhi on Wednesday and meet Rahul Gandhi, who would be returning from abroad on Tuesday. Meanwhile, even Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar will be visiting Delhi on Tuesday and Wednesday, but has cited the reasons as meeting Union Environment and Water Resource Ministers over developmental issues of the State.
Soon after the name of Siddaramaiah figured in the AICC Backward Class Advisory Committee, the opposition party leaders like R Ashok, Prahlad Joshi reacted stating that the Congress was setting the stage for the exit of Siddaramaiah from state politics. Meanwhile, K N Rajanna, Cooperative Minister and close associate of Siddaramaiah, who had earlier said that there would be `revolution in the state between Sept-Oct' reiterated his earlier statement and asked the media to wait and watch the developments.
Visibly upset, Siddaramaiah said that he was not consulted before adding his name to the AICC Backward Class Advisory Committee. ``I was not aware of it and I was asked to coordinate hosting of the first meeting here (Karnataka). I will talk to the High Command. I can not say no to the party work,'' he added.
Meanwhile, the Chief Minister's Office denied that Siddaramaiah had been appointed as the Chairman of the Committee. ``Since Siddaramaiah is a tall backward class leader, it was mentioned that the Committee had been formed under his leadership. Otherwise, Siddaramaiah is one of the 24 members of the Committee and not the office bearer,'' the CMO clarified.
But what created another flutter was the statement made by seer of Rambhapuri Mutt. Swamy Veera Shivacharya clearly said that the Congress should stand by its earlier agreement of power sharing and make D K Shivakumar Chief Minister.
Though D K Shivakumar is a Vokkaliga, he has received support from a powerful Lingayat Mutt. Rambhapuri Mutt is one of top three powerful Lingayat Mutts in Karnataka, with a huge Lingayat followers. His statement could be a signalling that the Lingayat and Vokkaligas are ready to work together if there is a leadership change.
D K Shivakumar, who was on the spot, chose to choose his words carefully before reacting. ``He said that seer and others have faith in me and have expressed their view. I work as per the directions of the party. Our President Mallikarjun Kharge has asked us not to speak anything in public. The future would be decided by the party high command.''
Soon after this statement came out. Siddaramaiah followers started working out a strategy to counter this development. Since Siddaramaiah shares a good equation with Rahul Gandhi, he has decided to meet him this time, since during his last visit, Rahul Gandhi had not returned from his trip abroad.
