Although the Congress dismissed speculations of a leadership change in Karnataka and termed the recent party rally in Delhi as “routine”, speculation about Chief Minister Siddaramaiah stepping down continues to gain steam. Adding to the furore, his predecessor and BJP leader Basavaraj Bommai on Wednesday said Siddaramaiah had been “compromised” and accused the Congress leader of rising through the ranks using “manipulation”.
“Siddaramaiah has been compromised. He has manipulated his way,” Bommai said in an interview to ANI, raising doubts on whether the Congress was telling the truth about the leadership crisis in Karnataka.
Basavaraj Bommai was the chief minister of Karnataka before Siddaramaiah, when the BJP was in power in the southern state. He took over from BS Yediyurappa in 2021, and resigned after the BJP lost the 2023 Assembly elections to the Congress.
“Who’s going to buy what Congress says?”
When asked about the Congress’ denial of any division within the leadership in Karnataka, Bommai said: “Congress has never told the truth to the people. Who will buy what they say? I don’t think there will be a smooth transfer of power, if that happens.”
On Tuesday, senior Congress leaders, including Mallikarjun Kharge and KC Venugopal, met Siddaramaiah and his deputy DK Shivakumar in Delhi, creating buzz that the Prime Minister might step down soon. However, Venugopal later told the media that the meeting focused only on the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections.
Reacting to this assertion, Bommai said: “Why will the debate on Rajya Sabha seats take 7-8 hours? Everyone knows that. Many ministers and MLAs were in Delhi, so why are they coming unnecessarily?” The BJP leader also said that he does not expect a smooth transition of power in Karnataka.
Read also: Rajya Sabha likely to move from Siddaramaiah, but Shivakumar may not be Speaker: What’s next for Karnataka?
He also accused Siddaramaiah of exploiting the “well-oiled machinery” of his party to remain prominent and become chief minister twice.
Inside the Inner Rift in Karnataka
The Congress high command is making efforts to convince Siddaramaiah to step down from the role of chief minister and move to Rajya Sabha membership, given how four seats, including that of party chief Mallikarjun Kharge, are headed to the polls from Karnataka next month. Additionally, as reported earlier by HT, Siddaramaiah’s son Yatindra has also been offered an offer of a ministerial berth.
However, Siddaramaiah is still not convinced to hand over power to his deputy DK Shivakumar. However, Karg told Siddaramaiah that he would not take that decision, people familiar with the matter told HT.
According to news agency PTI, Siddaramaiah sought time to meet state governor Thawchand Gehlot on Thursday, May 28. Moreover, state Home Minister G Parameshwara also said that the “confusion” may disappear by tomorrow.
