DK Shivakumar will be CM after two-and-half years, says Mandya MLA Ravi Ganiga

DAVANAGERE: Mandya Congress MLA Ravikumar Ganiga has stirred controversy with his comments that Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar will become the Chief Minister after two-and-half years. “There is no doubt about it”, the MLA said. This comes amid KPCC president D K Shivakumar’s warning to party leaders not to make statements in public, bringing the party’s internal factionalism to the fore.

MLA Ravi further said Shivakumar has worked hard for the party, and there is no confusion about it. “The opposition parties are spreading rumours. There is no such agreement made between the CM and the Congress high command”, he claimed.

“I don’t know what the high command talked about, but D K Shivakumar will be the CM and state party president too. There is no confusion about this. It is up to the high command to select the CM”, he added.

Referring to Siddaramaiah, the MLA said he is doing a good job in his first term as Chief Minister. “Everything will be decided when the time comes. We are all  united, there is no separate group in Congress and all 136 MLAs belong to one group”, added.

Speaking about the opposition, the MLA said that whoever brought down the Congress-JD(S) coalition government has started operations again. “They get ready in the morning and go to a Congress MLA’s house. We have all the evidence and we will release related videos and audios soon. The BJP will arrange a special flight for them to meet Amit Shah. The BJP lures MLAs by promising them Rs 50 crore”, he claimed.

“The BJP team has already met four Congress leaders. Santosh, who was Yediyurappa’s PA, is part of it and had met Congress leaders at Goldfinch Hotel. Our legislators have shared this information with us. The team is offering Rs 50 crore to the MLAs to switch sides and also promised to send them to Delhi in a special fight to meet Amit Shah. Our MLAs will not fall for such lures. The operation has started in four directions. BJP leaders are coming themselves to meet Congress leaders, we have not called them. We don’t need another MLA”, he said.

Reacting to BJP MLA Munirathna’s statement that Congress will collapse from Belagavi itself, Ravi Ganiga said Munirathna produces films and hence he delivers such dialogues.