Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah gags ministers from more deputy CM talk

BENGALURU: To quell discord within the state Congress unit, chief minister Siddaramaiah has banned his council of ministers from publicly discussing the appointment of additional deputy chief ministers.
The directive comes amid vociferous demands from a section of ministers for at least three more deputy CMs under the guise of ‘honouring’ various castes and communities for their support to Congress in the Lok Sabha and assembly elections.
Siddaramaiah personally intervened on Thursday, cautioning cooperation minister KN Rajanna, a vocal advocate for more deputy CMs, against making further public statements on the issue. He emphasised that such discourse could potentially tarnish both the govt’s image and the party’s reputation.
Although Rajanna has been the most vocal of those pressing for more deputy CMs and the ouster of DK Shivakumar — currently the lone deputy CM — as party president, others including public works minister Satish Jarkiholi have suggested making members of Veerashaiva-Lingayat, SC and ST, and minority communities deputy CMs.
This is not the first time such restrictions have been imposed. A similar order was issued last Nov by AICC general secretary Randeep Surjewala.
Shivakumar on Thursday dismissed the demand and urged colleagues to approach the party’s high command directly rather than via the media. “Whoever wants more deputy CMs should speak with the high command and get their demand fulfilled,” Shivakumar said.
He also responded to Rajanna’s aspirations to be Congress state chief, saying, “I wish him luck. Let him approach anyone he wants and find a solution to his problem.”
Rajanna had said he had only put his hand up for the KPCC president post because the high command had said Shivakumar would continue until Lok Sabha elections and that he was only reminded party brass of this. Meanwhile Jarkiholi too, without taking names, had suggested Shivakumar must go following less than spectacular results for Karnataka Congress in the Lok Sabha elections.
A section within Congress believes Siddaramaiah himself is behind calls for more deputy CMs and it is part of a plan to keep Shivakumar in check, amid talk that he might seek the CM post after two-and-half years of the govt’s tenure. They say Siddaramaiah has got his loyalists to make this demands to counter Shivakumar’s influence both in govt and the party.
But those loyal to Shivakumar too have been coming out into the open in support of the deputy CM.
Channagiri Congress MLA Basavaraju V Shivaganga on Wednesday urged the party to make Shivakumar the chief minister, pointing out that he took over the KPCC reins when Congress was in the dumps.