Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)

Bengaluru, May 17: The issue of who should have been the chief minister (CM) of Karnataka, had come to the fore with former CM Siddaramaiah showing inclination to become chief minister again, and CM, Kumaraswamy, propping up the name of Kharge. Now Siddaramaiah has hit back at Kumaraswamy by suggesting Revanna's name to head the government.

The talk of making Siddaramaiah chief minister again had received instant backing by Siddaramaiah's supporters and several Congress leaders. Kumaraswamy and Deve Gowda took up the issue with the Congress leadership and succeeded in making Siddaramaiah say that he does not intend to become CM immediately. During the campaigning for by-poll in Kundagol and Chincholi assembly constituencies, Kumaraswamy said that Mallikarjun Kharge should have become CM of Karnataka long back. Siddaramaiah has now hit back at Kumaraswamy by commenting that his brother and PWD minister, H D Revanna, is also eligible to become the CM.

Siddaramaiah and Kumaraswamy - File photo

"H D Kumaraswamy is right in saying that Mallikarjun Kharge deserves to be the CM. I believe that Kharge deserves much higher post. Congress and JD(S) have several persons who are capable to become CM. Revanna is one among them. For everything to happen, an opportune time has to come," he said in a tweet. In reply, Kumaraswamy said he had referred to Kharge to express a feeling he had deep within, out of the decades of political experience, and as he genuinely felt that Kharge deserved to be CM. He said that giving political hue to his statement and analyzing it by making it to mean something else is not right. "I do not have the ulterior attitude of getting political mileage through such statements. We should not forget that Kharge has a personality that transcends parties and castes," he stated in his tweet.

Many have expressed the feeling that Siddaramaiah has got a hint that if Kumaraswamy is forced to quit his post in favour of the Congress, JD(S) would be batting for Parameshwara to replace him. To stalemate this development, Siddaramaiah has been employing political tactics, they believe. At the same time, Parameshwara has said that there are several leaders who are capable enough to become the CM and that the issue is irrelevant now.

Housing minister, MTB Nagaraj, said he wants to know whether Kumaraswamy is ready to sacrifice his seat in favour of Kharge. He also said that if all the legislators decide on making Siddaramaiah the next chief minister, no one can stop it. He added that Kumaraswamy has no say in such a scenario.