‘136 players in favour of DK Shivakumar’: MLA Ravikumar Gowda Ganiga bats for change of power

MANDYA: Congress MLA Ravikumar Gowda Ganiga, while throwing his weight behind DK Shivakumar for the Chief Minister’s post, claimed that all 136 Congress leaders are in favour of DK Shivakumar and expressed firm confidence that no one can stop Shivakumar from becoming the Chief Minister.

The Mandya MLA stated that DK Shivakumar should become the Karnataka Chief Minister and expressed confidence that the transition will happen soon. “DK Shivakumar should become CM, it will happen soon, there is no second word on it even today, there is no change”, said Ravikumar.

“No one can stop DK from becoming the CM. D K Shivakumar has been in politics for 40 years. He has the political strategy and intelligence to win the game. He is silently moving the coin, which means he will win the game. Politics is the game. 136 players are in favor of DK. The answer will come very soon. Why are we going to BJP? DK will become the CM from our party”, added Ravikumar.

These remarks came as the Deputy Chief Minister held high-level meetings with Congress leaders at the AICC in New Delhi. After the AICC meeting, Shivakumar said that discussions focused on political matters, but declined to disclose details of the meetings.

“I don’t think I need to disclose whom I met inside 10 Janpath. We are not ready to talk about politics in the streets. We have met our high command and discussed what has to be discussed. Once I came here, we met and spoke about many things; I don’t need to disclose that. We came here to discuss political things, not just to breathe air”, Shivakumar had told reporters.

However, Karnataka Congress MLA Iqbal Hussain said that at least 80 party MLAs had given Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar’s name for the CM post to the high command. Hussain had also slammed Congress MLC Yathindra Siddaramaiah for giving statements in favour of his father and CM Siddaramaiah, and asked him to “act with discipline.”

“We have left it for the high command. 80-90 MLAs have requested the high command to give a chance to DK Shivakumar (for the CM post). We are a disciplined party, and we have to behave decently. We don’t like him (Yathindra Siddaramaiah) speaking in favour of his father again and again and embarrassing the high command… Every father loves son, and son loves father, but in politics, we have to act with discipline. Provoking others with such statements shouldn’t happen”, Hussain said.

“We all have in our hearts that D K Shivakumar be given a chance. Everyone is wishing for it, but we shouldn’t create any confusion by statements that’s why everyone is quiet, and some are speaking between them, I’m clearly saying with an open heart as I said from the first day that DK Shivakumar must be given a chance in this tenure itself, this is my wish,” he added.

The leadership tussle within the Karnataka Congress began in November last year, when the government reached the halfway mark of its five-year term. Along with CM Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM DK Shivakumar, Home Minister G Parameshwara is also in the fray for the top post. (ANI)