Lingayat should become CM, Deputy CM will not suffice: Shamanur Shivashankarappa

BENGALURU: Following a proposal made by CM Siddaramaiah’s loyalist and Cooperation minister K N Rajanna’s proposal of having three more Deputy CMs in the Congress government in Karnataka, ambitions are now sprouting in many of the CM aspirants in the Congress.

Senior leader Shamanur Shivashankarappa has has now said that Lingayats should become CM and a Deputy CM post is not enough. The statement has now created a storm in the Congress.

Shivashankarappa launched a strong attack against the Congress government saying, “Under the Siddaramaiah government, Lingayats are being cornered and are not getting proper status. Lingayat officers are not getting important posts also”. With this, he expressed his displeasure over Siddaramaiah’s government directly.

“When Nijalingappa and J H Patel were CMs, everyone was fine. Now no one is bothered about us and our community people are worried. Some important posts in the government have not been given to the people of our community. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is rolling out the mat for his own community”, Shivashankarappa taunted the CM.

“I spoke the truth while speaking on the stage at the Veerashaiva Mahasabha programme in Bengaluru. Many people are not given important posts. I have not told any minister about this. What will we do with a Deputy CM post? If it is to happen, it should be CM. Our proposal will be there for the post of CM”, he added.

Some Congress leaders had earlier said that the Deputy CM post should be given to the Lingayat community. But Shivashankarappa has demanded the post of CM itself for the Lingayat community.