Siddaramaiah will be replaced by Shivakumar or Kharge by Nov. or Dec., says Vishwanath
Speaking to reporters here on Saturday, Mr. Vishwanath said Mr. Siddaramaiah was on his way out, and there was no doubt about it.
He responded to the statements of Mysuru district in-charge Minister H.C. Mahadevappa who stated that not only was the CM chair stable or safe but so was the person sitting on it.
The State government's decision to conduct a fresh caste census came under criticism, and Mr. Vishwanath said that over ₹180 crore had been spent on the Kantharaj and Jaiprakash Hegde report but to no avail.
He questioned the government's claim that the new survey would be completed in three months, and said that teachers were not free and hence it could not be conducted. The backward class communities feel cheated, he added.
Mr. Vishwanath accused Mr. Siddaramaiah of making scapegoats of others for his follies and cited the recent stampede in Bengaluru. Though many senior officials advised against the IPL victory parade, the Chief Minister ignored their advice and went ahead with the event, said Mr. Vishwanath.
The MLC questioned the need for Mr. Siddaramaiah to have so many 'advisors', and said the State exchequer was being squandered. There were no norms for the guarantee schemes, and they were being implemented without any yardstick, he said.
More than ₹90,000 crore had been spent but there was nothing to show by way of development in the State, he added.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
25 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Toll rate hike a blow to daily commuters, says Cong
AICC general secretary in-charge of Karnataka, Randeep Singh Surjewala, on Tuesday, alleged that the Narendra Modi-led government had given yet another blow to daily commuters and working-class citizens by increasing toll rates on the Hosur Road corridor, connecting Bengaluru and Tamil Nadu. He said as per the new rates, the toll for cars at the Electronics City Flyover has increased from ₹60 to ₹65 (8.33% hike), while at the Attibele toll plaza, the rate has gone from ₹35 to ₹40 (14.29% increase). Additionally, the monthly pass for cars at Electronics City has been raised from ₹1,795 to ₹1,885, and at Attibele, from ₹1,080 to ₹1,130 — a steep hike of ₹90 and ₹50 respectively, the Congress leader said. He pointed out that BELT (Bangalore Elevated Tollway Limited), a private company operating under a concession agreement with NHAI, has once again hiked toll rates on Bengaluru's elevated expressway, proving that in Karnataka, even public roads are at the mercy of private profit. 'While the BJP-led Centre watches silently, the burden keeps falling on the backs of ordinary commuters. This is not infrastructure development, it's organised, authorised extortion,' he alleged. He accused the Modi-led Central government of favouring private toll operators at the cost of ordinary citizens and demanded an immediate rollback. He also urged immediate rollback of the ₹50 LPG cylinder hike and ₹2/litre fuel excise hike. 'If Karnataka's BJP-JD(S) MPs and MLAs can't raise their voice against Delhi's loot, they should raise their hands and resign,' Mr Surjewala said.
India Gazette
an hour ago
- India Gazette
Surjewala's talks with MLAs are limited to party organisation, not about leadership change: Karnataka Dy CM Shivakumar clarifies
Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], July 1 (ANI): Amid mounting speculations of possible change in state leadership, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Tuesday clarified that the dicussions held during the recently concluded meeting of Congress General Secretary Randeep Surjewala with party MLAs were not about cabinet reshuffle, but instead it was concerned with organisational aspects of the party. 'AICC general secretaries are meeting to discuss party organisation issues and accept requests from MLAs, but there is no discussion about changing the CM or expanding the cabinet,' Shivakumar, who is also the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president, said. While responding to media queries at the KPCC office, Shivakumar said that the meeting was held in context of the organisation of the party since its chief Mallikarjun Kharge has declared this year as the year of organisation. He said that Congress was concerned with giving responsibility to district and block presidents to keep organised. 'No one should worry about this meeting. We are changing district and block Congress presidents across the country, and this meeting is being held in the context of the organisation. AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge has declared this year 'the year of organisation'. Therefore, he has asked the district Congress presidents to fill their energy. Kharge, Rahul Gandhi and the general secretary have called all the district Congress presidents, and a meeting has been held in New Delhi. In this way, all the responsibilities have been given from the construction of the Congress office to the organisation of the party. In Bengaluru, the responsibility of the constituencies where there are no MLAs has been given to each MLA,' Surjewala added. 'Randeep Singh Surjewala has come to provide guidance on organisation, and his suggestions are being accepted. He is trying to bring discipline in the party amidst the statements of some MLAs. Apart from this, there is no discussion about leadership change or cabinet expansion. None of us is in a hurry now. 2028 is very important to us. That is what is important,' he clarified. As Congress MLA Ramanagara MLA Iqbal Hussain openly backs DK Shivkumar for the Chief Minister post, the Deputy CM expressed disappointment over MLAs speaking before the media and asked them to extend support to Siddaramaiah. 'I will give him a notice myself. No one needs to say that I will become the CM. No one can speak in front of the media. No one should speak in front of the media on this issue, be it Iqbal Hussain, BR Patil, or Balakrishna. Siddaramaiah is the Chief Minister; we should all strengthen his hand,' he said. Speaking on the allegations of lack of funds for development works and that of corruption by party MLAs, including Raju Kage and BR Patil, Shivakumar said that the Karnataka government has allocated grants of Rs 1 lakh crore in the budget for the same. 'The state government has allocated a Rs 1 lakh crore grant in the budget for development works. Rs 54,000 crore is being spent on the guarantee scheme. Rs 19,000 crore is being spent on providing electricity to farmers. Priority has been given to other development schemes, including social welfare schemes. Isn't this for the development of the people and the sector? The welfare schemes being implemented in our state are not being implemented in any other state.' (ANI)
India.com
2 hours ago
- India.com
Can Congress Afford To Upset DK Shivakumar? Karnataka Power Equations Explained Amid Buzz Over Siddaramaiahs Removal
Karnataka Congress Rift: The infighting within the Karnataka Congress - happening since the 2023 assembly election victory - has intensified with more MLAs backing leadership change, though the party high command has remained firm behind Siddaramaiah. On the other hand, those supporting DK Shivakumar for the top post have come out in the open, calling for a leadership change in the state. What Is Happening? The development has gained significance as AICC General Secretary and Karnataka in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala is holding one-on-one meetings with party MLAs for the second consecutive day in Bengaluru. Iqbal Hussain, MLA from Ramanagara and a close associate of Deputy CM Shivakumar, openly stated that there is a need for a change in leadership in the state. Hussain also claimed that over 100 MLAs out of 137 Congress legislators in the state are in favour of making Shivakumar the Chief Minister. He said that without a change at the top, Congress cannot win a majority in the 2028 Assembly polls. HC Balakrishna, MLA from Magadi and Shivakumar's supporter, echoed similar views, stating that Shivakumar is likely to become the Chief Minister. 'Shivakumar has contributed to the opportunity should be given to him as well," Balakrishna said. Shivakumar later sent a message of peace to the MLAs. "This is about bringing discipline. Apart from that, there is no issue of leadership change. The matter has not come up at all. None of us is concerned. Our focus is the 2028 Karnataka state Assembly elections," Shivakumar stated. He added, 'Siddaramaiah is the CM, and we need to strengthen both his leadership and the government,' Shivakumar emphasised. DK Shivakumar Vs Siddaramaiah The power tussle between DK Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah, often seen as a cold war, resurfaces, often leaving the party high command irked. Karnataka has around 5.4 crore voters, and notably, both top leaders - DKS and Siddaramaiah - hail from prominent castes. DKS hails from the Vokkaliga community, whose estimated population is 61.58 lakh. Congress has 21 MLAs from the Vokkaliga community, including Shivakumar. On the other hand, Siddaramaiah hails from the Kuruba Gowda community, whose population is estimated to be around 43.72 lakh, the fourth largest community in the State after Muslims, Veerashaiva-Lingayats, and Vokkaligas. For Congress, both these castes are important and given the JDS' alliance with the BJP and the saffron party's strong support base in Vokkaligas, the ruling party cannot afford to upset either. It has to tread cautiously and thus, the right approach seems a change in leadership post next election, if the party retains power.
