Mangalore, February 7: In the midst of internal strife within the Karnataka Congress, Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar made a significant statement. He emphasized that whatever the party decides, he must adhere to it.
When asked about the public’s aspirations for a new Chief Minister, Shivakumar remarked, “People have dreams, legislators have dreams, and you (the media) have dreams too. We must listen to the party.”
In response to inquiries about Home Minister G. Parameshwara’s potential candidacy for Chief Minister, he acknowledged, “Supporters have their own aspirations. I cannot deny this, and there is nothing wrong with it.”
The Leadership Struggle in Karnataka resurfaced when Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s son and Congress MLC Yathindra Siddaramaiah claimed that the central leadership of Congress had not accepted demands for a leadership change, asserting that his father would remain Chief Minister for the full five-year term.
Yathindra made these comments while speaking to reporters in Mysore on Friday. His statement was perceived as a response to Congress legislator Shivaganga Basavaraj, a staunch supporter of Shivakumar, who had urged the party leadership to clarify the leadership issue in the state.
Reacting to Yathindra’s comments about the stability of leadership and his father’s full term, Deputy Chief Minister and state Congress President D.K. Shivakumar stated, “The CM’s son is our leader, and whatever he says, I will accept.”
Shivakumar added, “He is indeed our leader. Whatever he says, I will respectfully accept. Since he has made a statement as if he is the leader, let us consider him as such.”
Regarding the recent increase in metro fares, D.K. Shivakumar clarified that a separate committee is responsible for fare decisions, and the state government was not consulted on the recent fare hike. He stated, “There is a separate committee chaired by a secretary from the central government for metro fare decisions. Our opinion was not sought on the fare increase.”
He mentioned that he would discuss the matter upon returning to Bengaluru, adding, “We do not wish to cause any inconvenience to the public. I will review the financial situation.”
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DCH/
