Mysuru, Nov 7 (IANS) Commenting on the internal fight within the Congress government in Karnataka, Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel H. D. Kumaraswamy said on Friday that he knows Chief Minister Siddaramaiah well and there will not be any leadership change in the state.

He made the statememt while speaking to the media in Mysuru before the start of the District Development Coordination and Monitoring Committee (DISHA) meeting.

When asked about the Congress’s internal leadership change and talk of a “November revolution”, Union Minister Kumaraswamy said: “In November, there will be neither a revolution nor a vomit. I know Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s nature very well. I understood it even when he was in our party. So, there will be no change,” he remarked.

Responding to a query about Deputy Chief Minister and State Congress President D.K. Shivakumar’s statement that he talks to god, Kumaraswamy said: “We don’t know what god tells D.K. Shivakumar. That is between him and God.”

When asked about D.K. Shivakumar’s claim that the Congress will return to power in 2028, Kumaraswamy replied: “I know what happened to those who earlier claimed they would rule for 10 or 20 years. Who knows what will happen in 2028?”

Asked about Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s announcement to make Mysuru a ‘Greater Mysuru’, the Union Minister said: “This is just part of the rivalry between Siddaramaiah and D.K. Shivakumar. To counter Shivakumar’s declaration of ‘Greater Bengaluru’, Siddaramaiah announced ‘Greater Mysuru’.

“Neither of these will happen — they are simply wasting time with such political games,” Union Minister Kumaraswamy added.

Talking about the sugarcane crisis, Union Minister Kumaraswamy has levelled serious allegations against the Chief Minister, claiming that he has written to the Prime Minister in an attempt to evade his responsibility in resolving the problems faced by sugarcane farmers.

The Union Minister said, “This (Karnataka) government has no intention of responding to the plight of farmers. It is trying to shift every issue onto the Centre and escape its duties.”

He added that if the Chief Minister truly intended, this was a “very small issue” that could be resolved within minutes.

“But the Chief Minister is politicising everything. He has written to the Prime Minister only to avoid his own responsibility. Tell me, in which state of the country has the Prime Minister ever had to intervene personally to resolve sugarcane farmers’ issues?” he asked.

He said that instead of convening meetings with people’s representatives, the Chief Minister himself could have made a direct decision and held talks with the farmers to end the crisis.

“Instead of doing that, this (Congress) government is busy doing politics,” he added.

The Union Minister said that the Chief Minister (Siddaramaiah) could take a direct and decisive stand in favour of sugarcane farmers but has instead resorted to blaming the Centre.

“It appears that the CM might have succumbed to pressure from local representatives of Belagavi and the sugar lobby. He should resist such pressures and first work in the interest of the farmers,” Union Minister Kumaraswamy added.

Commenting on reports that all party leaders in Belagavi district own sugar factories, Kumaraswamy clarified: “I have seen such reports in a few media outlets. No JD-S leader owns a sugar factory. Only Bandepppa Kashampur once owned one, but he sold it some days ago. So, at present, no one in our party owns any sugar factory,” the Union Minister clarified.

–IANS

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