Bengaluru/New Delhi, May 13 (DHNS): Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will complete three years in office on Friday. He may not have got the thumbs up from the Opposition parties or the people for his performance, but is confident of continuing as chief minister for the next two years.
Not just completing his five-year term, Siddaramaiah is also sure that he would lead the Congress party in the next assembly election in 2018.
In an interaction with the media in Delhi on the eve of completing three years in the hot seat, Siddaramaiah said he supported the demand for a Dalit chief minister in Karnataka but that did not mean that he would be replaced as rumoured.
Being greeted on completion of 3 years
In New Delhi with union minister Nitin Gadkari
The chief minister recently got a survey done by a government department on his pet Bhagya schemes targeted at the poor. He has organised an interactive programme with select beneficiaries of these schemes, in Bengaluru on Friday.
Through the survey, he tried to get a pat on his back. But the BJP and the JD(S) are not likely to spare him as they have a long list of corruption and nepotism charges against the Congress.
Asked how he felt about his administration, he said, “I am satisfied with my performance as I gave corruption-free administration. My government launched several welfare programmes like Anna Bhagya, Ksheera Bhagya and a scheme for farmers."
Complaint against me a rumour
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has said that his task is to ensure that the Congress party continues in power after the next Assembly elections in 2018.
He had no answer to a question whether he would be a claimant for the chief minister post in 2018 too.
He dismissed the media’s question in this regard as a hypothetical one. Siddaramaiah, after his two-day visit to New Delhi, interacted with the media on Thursday where he said he would come back to the capital again to discuss about the Cabinet reshuffle with the party high command.
When reporters sought his reaction to complaints against him by a section of the party leaders, he said, “It is just rumour. There may be some people not happy because they did not got any post, but I will speak to them”.
He said, “The long-pending Cabinet reshuffle will take place by the end of this month. While retaining some existing ministers, I will induct several new faces.”
Dismissing charges that his family members are indulging in corrupt practices, he said, "These are baseless allegations. Opposition parties made allegations against my son Dr Yatindra just because a company where he was director got laboratory contract in the government hospital. The company had bagged the contract through tender system.”
On the complaint that he is surrounded by only Kuruba community people, Siddarmaiah said, “There is no truth in it.”
“None of my community legislators have been appointed as ministers in my Cabinet. Then where is the question that I am helping my community leaders?” he asked.