“As of now, there is no question of leadership change and it seems Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will complete his term,” Minister Satish Jarkiholi said in Hukkeri of Belagavi district on Tuesday.
Responding to the former Minister K.N. Rajannas statement that removing Mr. Siddaramaiah can adversely affect the Congress, he said that such issues can be considered only when the party is faced with the question of leadership change.
“As of now, there is no such question. Mr. Siddaramaiah will continue as Chief Minister and go on to complete his term,” the Minister said.
“By emerging as the longest serving Chief Minister of Karnataka, Mr. Siddaramaiah has surpassed the record of late D. Devraj Urs. It is a matter of pride for the party, us and him. He has fought hard to bring the party to power. He has now achieved this rare feat and we congratulate him for it. In this term of two-and-a-half years, he has led the State in a disciplined manner and launched several welfare and development schemes and programmes. We all think it will be good if he completes his term,” he said.
“Several times in the past, I have said that he should complete his five-year term. He has also said the same. He announced this during the Winter Session. He will present the State Budget in the first week of February,” the Minister said.
To a query, he said that there is some confusion about the issue of change of leadership. “But such things are common in a political party. It is nothing new. What is important is that Mr. Siddaramaiah has given effective governance,” he said.
About the criticism by some Opposition leaders against the Chief Minister’s record, he said that the BJP will not understand it, as it never let any of its Chief Ministers complete their terms.
“It removed B.S. Yediyurappa twice, before he could complete his term. Why should they talk about the longer tenure of leaders of other parties?” he said.
