Karnataka Congress leader G Parameshwara – speaking a day after Siddaramaiah was named chief minister and DK Shivakumar his deputy – declared himself pleased that ‘the entire exercise has been settled amicably’ and called on his party colleagues to work together to implement the five pre-poll promises made to the people of the state.
“I am happy the entire exercise has been settled amicably… Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar have been assigned CM and deputy CM positions. I am sure they will take everyone together so our manifesto will be implemented in total,” he told reporters.
Asked about his ambitions, he said: “Mine is not an individual question. Mine is not so important compared to the party position. The party is supreme… they have settled the matter. Everything is nice… it was a good settlement. In the future, we all work together.”
Earlier this week Parameshwara, a former deputy chief minister, emerged an unlikely alternative as the Congress negotiated a stand-off between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar – each of whom wanted to be chief minister – following the big win in the Karnataka election.
On Tuesday he said senior Congress leaders were ‘aware of (my) record and services’ and that he did not feel the need to ‘campaign’. “If the high command decides and asks me to run the government, I am ready to take up the responsibility. I have faith…” he said.
Parameshwara followed that with a swipe at the front-runners for the top job in the state, declaring he had ‘certain principles’ when asked about newly-elected Karnataka Congress MLAs arriving in Delhi to campaign for their respective faction leader’s CM chances. “I can also take 50 legislators and do the shouting but, for me, the discipline of the party is important…”
With neither side willing to budge, discussions over naming outgoing CM Basavaraj Bommai’s successor dragged on five days, inviting criticism from the Bharatiya Janata Party. Shivakumar rejected at least two offers – including one that gave him the deputy’s post and six portfolios of his choice – before talks late Wednesday with Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi persuaded him to relent, accept a No 2 post and let the Congress to name Siddaramaiah chief minister.
The Congress was expected to also announce a power-sharing deal but instead only said: “Power sharing means sharing power with the people of Karnataka… that is all.”
Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar will be sworn in as chief minister and deputy chief minister in Bengaluru on Saturday with an unspecified number of ministers. The Congress romped to a big win in last week’s election, claiming 135 of the state’s 224 Assembly seats.
