The cancellation of the dinner meeting organised by state Home Minister G. Parameshwara for the SC-ST MLAs, MPs and Ministers has left all of them miffed. Sources on Wednesday confirmed that Deputy Chief Minister and State Congress President D.K. Shivakumar got the meeting cancelled through the party high command.
Shivakumar, who was on a foreign tour, returned a few days ago and was in New Delhi on Tuesday. With this decision he has asserted himself, thereby sending a message to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his camp in the Congress.
The state Home Minister’s dinner meeting was going to be held on Wednesday at a private hotel. This dinner meet was to be held days after CM Siddaramaiah held a meeting of 34 MLAs and seven ministers. The meeting, on January 2, was held when Dy CM Shivakumar was out of the country.
The development had triggered speculation that the meeting was organised to corner Shivakumar, who is making preparations to assume the CM post sooner, sources said.
Shivakumar had complained to the high command about the encouragement for dinner meetings and parties by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and got them to act, sources stated.
However, Minister for Cooperation K.N. Rajanna sharply reacted to the development and stated on Wednesday, “Why Dy CM Shivakumar should be sad about the dinner party. Has anyone got the property of Shivakumar in his name? The dinner meeting is not cancelled, it is only postponed,” Minister Rajanna stated.
Minister Rajanna had vehemently demanded the creation of more Dy CM posts and Dalit CM for the state. He is a close confidante of CM Siddaramaiah.
The Minister for PWD, Satish Jarkiholi said, “In politics, setbacks and progress are common. Today one might have marched ahead, but one day we will also move ahead. These should not be a cause of worry for us. If we gather for dinner, others should not get concerned. Why there should be any concern?”
Minister Jarkiholi is also a close confidante of CM Siddaramaiah. He has also batted for more Dy CM posts for the state and a Dalit CM.
Reacting to these developments, mining baron and MLA Janardhana Reddy stated that despite CM Siddaramaiah holding dinner meets, Dy CM Shivakumar is not going to keep quiet. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has to fight to save his chair and at the same time, he has to face an investigation by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). Shivakumar is pressuring the high command to bring down Siddaramaiah and make him the CM. Fearing the development, CM Siddaramaiah and his associates are organising dinner meets to blackmail the Congress party,” he added.
D.K. Suresh, brother of Dy CM Shivakumar reacting to the news of the appointment of a new state Congress Chief, the post held by his brother, stated that CM Siddaramaiah could also become the state Congress Chief.
(With inputs from IANS)
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