No one bigger than party, leadership decision rests with Rahul Gandhi: CM Siddaramaiah

MYSURU: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday sought to put to rest speculation over a possible leadership change in the state Congress unit, asserting that the decision rests with senior party leadership and reiterating that “no one is bigger than the party.”

In a post on X and while responding to questions from media representatives in Mysuru, Siddaramaiah said he fully endorsed AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge’s view on party discipline.

“I fully agree with the statement by AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge that no one is bigger than the party. It is simply not possible for anyone to be bigger than the party,” he said.

Addressing repeated queries about leadership changes, the Chief Minister emphasised that the party’s high command would make the final call.

ಪಕ್ಷಕ್ಕಿಂತ ಯಾರು ದೊಡ್ಡವರಲ್ಲ ಎಂಬ ಎಐಸಿಸಿ ಅಧ್ಯಕ್ಷರಾದ ಮಲ್ಲಿಕಾರ್ಜುನ ಖರ್ಗೆ ಅವರ ಹೇಳಿಕೆಗೆ ನನ್ನ‌ ಪೂರ್ಣ ಸಹಮತವಿದೆ. ಯಾರು ಪಕ್ಷಕ್ಕಿಂತ ದೊಡ್ಡವರಾಗಲು ಸಾಧ್ಯವೇ ಇಲ್ಲ.

ನಾಯಕತ್ವ ಬದಲಾವಣೆ ವಿಚಾರವನ್ನು ರಾಹುಲ್ ಗಾಂಧಿಯವರು ತೀರ್ಮಾನಿಸಬೇಕು. ಅವರು ಏನು ತೀರ್ಮಾನಿಸುತ್ತಾರೋ ಅದಕ್ಕೆ ನಾವು ಬದ್ಧ.
ನಾನು ಈ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಪಕ್ಷದ ವರಿಷ್ಠರ ಬಳಿ…

— Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) December 22, 2025

“The decision on the leadership change should be made by Rahul Gandhi. We are committed to whatever he decides,” Siddaramaiah said, adding that he had discussed the issue with the party’s senior leaders. I have spoken to the party’s senior leaders about this, and they have said that we will decide on this matter. We are all committed to their decision,” he added.

Siddaramaiah also criticised what he termed as excessive media focus on the issue, saying the matter had already been addressed. “It is the media that is discussing the leadership change excessively. What is the need to ask so many questions? Even after it was stated in the Legislative Assembly, there is no need to discuss it again,” he said.

Responding to questions about appointments at Apex Bank, the Chief Minister said previous governments had also made such decisions. “It was the SM Krishna government that made KN Rajanna the president of the Apex Bank. It doesn’t matter who did it when they were in power—I did it, they did it. That is not the question at all,” Siddaramaiah said. He further clarified, “SM Krishna was the Chief Minister at that time, and his government did it.” (ANI)