Sidda queers pitch, open to Dalit CM
■ ‘Admits’ Congress will fall short of majority
Virtually admitting that the Congress may fall short of a majority in the Assembly polls and maybe ruling himself out of the race in such a situation, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday said it was fine if the party decides to have a Dalit chief minister.
His statement has fuelled speculation that veteran leader Mallikarjun Kharge or KPCC president Dr G. Parameshwar could be the CM choice if the Congress falls short of the required numbers and is forced to strike a pact with the JD(S) to form a coalition government.
This comment is also in sharp contrast to the stance taken by Siddaramaiah throughout the poll campaign that he would become CM again though the final decision is left to the Congress high command.
“If the high command wants to make a Dalit the CM, I have no problem with that. I will ask them to go ahead. I am not against anybody. But MLAs have to give their opinion and the high command has to agree. It can’t happen forcefully, if that happens, they can’t run the government. I have completed five years today.”
Virtually admitting that the Congress may fall short of a majority in the Assembly polls and maybe ruling himself out of the race in such a situation, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday said it was fine if the party decides to have a Dalit chief minister.
“There was no dissident activity. Former CMs Devraj Urs, Veerendra Patil, S. Bangarappa and Veerappa Moily all had some dissatisfied MLAs. But for the first time, there was no dissatisfied MLA during my tenure though one or two may have made statements against me. By and large, I was able to secure the co-operation of the high command, all ministers, MLAs and MPs. I have served people honestly. People liked my work, there was no anti-incumbency in the state,” he said.
Siddaramaiah’s comment came in the context of conflicting reports of a hung Assembly after the May 15 poll results with some exit polls predicting a fractured verdict-a situation in which the JD(S) of Mr Deve Gowda could play kingmaker and extract its price for extending support or tying up with the Congress or BJP.
On his prospects in Badami and Chamundeswari - the two seats he is contesting from, he said, “I will surely win in both seats. I will get a good majority in Badami. In Chamundeswari we may not get the expected lead but we will get a lead still. G.T. Devegowda (JDS candidate) has spent a lot of money, I don’t know from where he got it. Nobody can win only with money and not unless he enjoys people’s love. The byelection in Chamundeswari in 2006 was the toughest, this one was not so tough.”