Leadership row: CM will clarify at right time, says DKS loyalist

Bengaluru Amid persistent speculation over a possible leadership change in the Karnataka Congress, party MLA H.D. Ranganath, considered close to Deputy Chief Minister D. K. Shivakumar, on Wednesday said Chief Minister Siddaramaiah would clarify the issue at an appropriate time and would not go back on his word.

Responding in Bengaluru to Shivakumar’s recent statement that Siddaramaiah would address the people of the state on the leadership question at the right time, Ranganath said the Chief Minister has a long record of standing by his commitments. “Our Chief Minister, in the past 50 to 60 years of political history, has not gone back on his words. If there is any power-sharing agreement, he will convey it to the people of the state. Party workers are expecting clarity, and the people are also awaiting a response,” he said.

Ranganath added that in the coming days, Siddaramaiah would hold discussions with the party high command and respond to all questions regarding the leadership issue. “We believe he will not go back on any promise. At the appropriate time, he himself will answer the people of the state. If there is any pact regarding power sharing, he will clarify it. In this background, we are maintaining restraint,” he said. Reacting to a recent remark by Minister H.C. Mahadevappa, who reportedly indirectly compared MLAs loyal to Shivakumar to “tails of dogs,” Ranganath said such comments were unexpected from a senior leader. He said the minister’s stature demanded dignified language and that the media should seek clarification from Mahadevappa himself regarding the comparison.

Ranganath sarcastically pointed out that the Congress had won 80 seats in 2018 and said Mahadevappa had played a significant role in the party’s victory in the 2023 Assembly elections. “If he is confident of leading the party to victory again, we are ready to stand behind him,” he said.