Will serve full year term: CM Siddaramaiah amid leadership change speculation
Bengaluru (The Uttam Hindu): Amid demands from some Congress MLAs for a change in leadership in Karnataka, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday said that he will serve a full five-year term.
Speaking to the media at Nandi Hills in Chikkaballapura district, ahead of the cabinet meeting, Siddaramaiah, when asked whether he would remain Chief Minister for the full term, responded, "Yes, I will be the Chief Minister for the full five years."
"Why do you (media) have doubts about this? It is always the BJP and JD(S) that make such statements. B. Y. Vijayendra and R. Ashoka are BJP leaders. Their statements don't make any difference. The media must verify the facts," Siddaramaiah remarked.
"In a democracy, every MLA of the ruling party has the right to aspire to become a minister. We currently have 142 MLAs, but only 34 have been inducted into the cabinet. As per constitutional provisions, only 15 per cent of the total MLAs can be appointed as ministers," he clarified.
"Our government is united. I have already addressed this matter in Mysuru. Our government is rock solid. We will complete the five-year term," Siddaramaiah asserted.
Claiming that the BJP and JD(S) are "daydreaming" about the collapse of the Congress-led government in Karnataka, Siddaramaiah said: "They did nothing while in power. Deputy CM D. K. Shivakumar rightly questioned them for evidence of development work carried out during their tenure."
"They have made no significant contributions in sectors like irrigation, PWD, education, health and others. Union Minister H. D. Kumaraswamy was the Chief Minister during the coalition government, and the BJP ruled for four years in Karnataka. What have they done? They are simply misleading the people," Siddaramaiah added.
Referring to the public turnout at a recent event to celebrate the completion of two years in power in the state, he said, "About three lakh people gathered in Hospet amid heavy rain to mark the completion of two years. Do people come in such large numbers without reason?"
When asked about allegations that the survey of oppressed communities regarding internal reservation was not being conducted properly, Siddaramaiah stated, "There are 101 sub-castes within Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe communities. A door-to-door survey is underway, and people can also provide information online. However, in cities like Bengaluru, there seems to be a social stigma preventing people from identifying themselves as belonging to these categories, and hence online provision is made."
Regarding the special cabinet meeting at Nandi Hills, Siddaramaiah said, "Today's meeting is focused on the Bengaluru Revenue Division. Earlier, similar cabinet meetings were held for the Belagavi and Mysuru revenue divisions. Soon, a meeting will be held for the Bijapur Revenue Division.