Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Thursday issued a stern warning to party leaders and legislators against speaking on a change of guard in the state, asserting that such remarks were only hurting the Congress.
“Where is the discussion on power sharing? It's me who is saying this. Nothing of that sort should be discussed. There should be no question on this. Whatever Siddaramaiah has said is final. After his statement, no one should discuss it. People who are speaking on it are damaging the party. Those speaking on his or my behalf are damaging the party and are indulging in anti-party activity. This is what is have to say,” Shivakumar said, according to PTI.
The controversy flared after Kunigal MLA HD Ranganath, a relative of Shivakumar, and former Mandya MP LR Shivarame Gowda claimed that the deputy chief minister would soon replace Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. Gowda even declared that the change would come in November.
Reacting sharply, Shivakumar said, “No one is permitted to speak on power sharing, including Kunigal MLA H D Ranganath. I have asked Congress state working president GC Chandrashekhar to issue notice.”
He pointed out that Siddaramaiah had already laid the issue to rest. “I will be chief minister for full five-year term,” the CM had said on Wednesday, while making it clear that he would “toe the party line.”
Reinforcing that stance, Shivakumar added, “He (Siddaramaiah) has said that he will listen to the high command. We will obey the high command. We are the disciplined soldiers of our party. For us party is important, not the individual. Siddaramaiah has said he is not important but the party. We will obey what the party says. That's what we should do.”
When asked about the BJP’s comments on Congress’s internal leadership matters, Shivakumar responded with sarcasm. “Let the saffron party discuss its own revolution. I will give them (BJP leaders) needle and thread. Let them stitch the torn portion in the part," he said.
On the issue of BJP leaders appearing in RSS uniforms, the Deputy CM brushed it aside. “Let them do whatever they want. It may be of interest to you, but I don't need it. We think only about the freedom of the nation.”
Shivakumar also took aim at the BJP’s interpretation of secularism, invoking Mahatma Gandhi’s prayer hymn. “Can they (BJP) say Allah? Can they repeat what Gandhi had said?”
Turning to Karnataka’s state anthem, he stressed its inclusive nature. “There is a line 'Hindu Christ Musalmana, Parsi Sikh Jainara Udyana', which the BJP leaders avoid. Our state is a garden of peace. They (BJP) can avoid in their heart but we have put these words in the foundation of this country. They can neither avoid it nor remove it. They have to live with it.”
By reiterating his support for the chief minister and warning colleagues not to speak out of turn, Shivakumar sought to quash the speculation over power-sharing.
With inputs from PTI
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