Koppal (Karnataka), Nov 25 (IANS) Amid rising unease within the ruling Congress, six-time MLA and Economic Advisor to Chief Minister, Basavaraj Rayareddy, on Tuesday strongly ruled out any power-sharing pact in Karnataka and said that CM Siddaramaiah will remain Chief Minister for the full five-year term.

Rayareddy stressed that he would actively question any attempt to replace the incumbent Chief Minister.

Speaking to reporters, Basavaraj Rayareddy publicly challenged the premise of any private agreement, asking, “If agreements are made between themselves over power sharing, is it to be treated like a contract?”

He emphasised that Deputy Chief Minister and state Congress president D.K. Shivakumar has not yet formally staked a claim to the top post.

Clarifying the procedural requirements, he said, “If any changes have to be made, they must be done in the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting. If they tell us that changes are required, I will question why these changes are necessary. If they say that a promise was made earlier, I will further question why it was not communicated before.”

He said that private understandings between individuals cannot be treated as formal agreements. There is no discord between Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister Shivakumar, he remarked, and alleged that a deliberate attempt is being made to unsettle the Congress-led government.

“As far as I know, Siddaramaiah will remain CM for five years. That is what I foresee,” Rayareddy said.

The CM’s economic advisor noted that Siddaramaiah took oath as Chief Minister on May 20, 2023, after securing majority support in the Congress Legislature Party meeting. If he was elected with the backing of most members, he asked, why should there now be discussions about replacing him?

“They say discussions have taken place, but were we ever informed about them? At no point have we stated that Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar would share the chief minister’s post on a half-term basis. As things stand, Siddaramaiah is the chief minister for five years. Shivakumar has also expressed his wish to become the chief minister. He might have supported his close associates during ticket distribution, and it is natural for them to take his name and demand the post,” Rayareddy said.

He added that there are no factions within Congress and no separate groups backing Siddaramaiah or Shivakumar. All members belong to the Congress, he stressed. It is normal for any leader to aspire to become the chief minister or minister.

“They are not aware of any proposal suggesting that Siddaramaiah should step down now that the government has completed two and a half years,” he stated.

“Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has the backing of all Lingayat MLAs and the community. Has anyone from the Lingayat community demanded his removal? All prominent seers of the community blessed him recently. Siddaramaiah is a socialist and follows the teachings of Basavanna. He upholds Basavanna’s ideals more than any other Lingayat leader. For this reason, all Lingayats, including myself, support him,” he said.

–IANS

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