If Kharge becomes CM, ready to work under him: DKS

Shyam Sundar Vattam | NT

Bengaluru: Indirectly expressing his unhappiness over Leader of Opposition in the State Le gislative Assembly Siddaramaiah’s wish to become the next chief minister for the second term, KPCC President D.K.Shivakumar fired a fresh salvo saying that he is ready to work if AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge becomes the CM.

Through this statement, it looks as though Shivakumar was allusively inviting Kharge to enter the State politics in order to prevent Siddaramaiah from becoming the next CM in case the Congress Party crosses the magic 113 seats in the coming Assembly elections to form the government on its own. Kharge has been one of the most senior Congress leaders and he missed the chances of becoming the CM in the 2008 Assembly polls.

Subsequently, he went to Lok Sabha and went on to become Union Minister in Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s Cabinet, and worked as Opposition leader in Lok Sabha between 2014 and 2019. However, he lost in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls but got nominated to the Rajya Sabha where he is currently working as the Congress Party leader.

With Siddaramaiah openly expressing his desire to become the CM for the second term, Shivakumar was reportedly dragging Kharge’s name for the CM’s post to make the SC voters take up this as the poll demand. Shivakumar knows well that he did not have the chance to become the CM as long as Siddaramaiah was in the race.

Recently, the Opposition Leaders kicked up a row by saying that Shivakumar did not have the chance of becoming the CM which has hurt the ‘Kanakapura Bande’ (boulder of Kanakapura). Two days ago, Shivakumar shocked everyone by saying that he was opting out of the CM’s race only to bring Kharge for the CM’s post.

Except for the followers of Siddaramaiah, a majority of the Congress leaders want Kharge to work as the CM because of his rich contributions to state politics for over five decades. Shivakumar said “Kharge is our leader and AICC president. He is 20 years older than me and we must respect to his seniority, and sacrifice. In case Kharge is ready to become the CM, I am ready to work with him.

Kharge is an asset to our state and country and we respect his decision. He has sacrificed many things in the past. He resigned from the post of CLP leader at midnight. A block President has now become the AICC President and this is possible only in the Congress Party