'Siddaramaiah Is Like Fire; Touch Him, You’ll Get Burnt': Minister On Leadership Change Buzz

Similarly, downplaying talks about changing the state Congress President for now, he maintained that everyone would abide by the party high command's decision.

There was stiff competition between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar for the Chief Minister's post after the declaration of Assembly election results in May 2023

Source : File Photo

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is like fire, no one can touch him or his chair, B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan, a minister in his cabinet, said on Wednesday. He made this statement while rejecting speculations about a leadership change in the state. Similarly, downplaying talks about changing the state Congress President for now, he maintained that everyone would abide by the party high command's decision.

"The CM chair is not vacant now; even the President (Karnataka Congress) post is not empty. D K Shivakumar is occupying the President's post, and Siddaramaiah is occupying the Chief Minister's post. Only if it is vacant can discussions happen," Khan, who is considered close to Siddaramaiah, said in response to a question.

Speaking to reporters, he said, "Can anyone touch Siddaramaiah's chair? It's like fire. If you touch fire, your hands will get burnt. Siddaramaiah is like fire." When pointed to statements from within the ruling Congress on the CM change issue, Khan further said, "Let anyone say anything—the Chief Minister's chair is not vacant now. And Siddaramaiah is like fire; if anyone tries to touch him, they will get burnt. We call him Tagaru (male sheep). So, it is impossible (to change him)." There has been speculation in the state's political circles, especially within the ruling Congress party, about a Chief Minister change later this year under a "rotational chief minister" or "power-sharing" formula.

Shivakumar, who is also the Deputy Chief Minister, is a strong Chief Ministerial aspirant and has made no secret of his ambition to become the CM.

However, noting that Congress is a high-command party, Khan made it clear that everyone in the party would abide by the high command's decision.

"If the CM and party president are to be changed, we may share our opinion, but ultimately, it will be decided by the party high command," he said.

Asked about the demand for a Dalit CM from within the party, the minister said that every community—Dalits, STs, minorities, Lingayats, and Vokkaligas—having aspirations for the CM post is natural.

There was stiff competition between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar for the Chief Minister's post after the declaration of Assembly election results in May 2023, and the Congress had managed to convince the latter to become the Deputy Chief Minister.

There were some reports at the time that a compromise had been reached based on a "rotational chief minister formula," according to which Shivakumar would become CM after two and a half years, but this has not been officially confirmed by the party.

Some within the party have been insisting on changing the KPCC president, suggesting that Shivakumar should not hold two positions—Deputy CM and party president—in keeping with the party’s "one man, one post" policy.

Shivakumar, who has completed four years as president of the KPCC, is currently on an extension in the post.

(This report has been published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. Apart from the headline, no editing has been done in the copy by ABP Live.)