Parameshwara signals CM ambition as Karnataka leadership debate heats up

Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara on Sunday (November 23) indicated that he, too, could be in the running for the chief minister’s post if there is a change in leadership in the state, amid calls for a “Dalit CM.”

However, seeking to downplay reports of confusion within the party, he noted that no one from the Congress high command has made any statement on the issue so far, nor has it been discussed in the Congress Legislature Party.

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The senior Congress leader further said that AICC chief Mallikarjun Kharge will decide on leadership change, if there is a need, after discussing with top party leader Rahul Gandhi, who is currently abroad.

Parmeshwara addresses CM speculation

There has been speculation about a possible change of chief minister now that the Congress government crossed the halfway mark of its five-year term on November 20, a phase some are referring to as the “November revolution.” The buzz stems from an alleged “power-sharing” pact between Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar in 2023.

"I'm always in the race; it is not a big issue. I was the Pradesh Congress Committee President in 2013; we brought the Congress government to power (in the 2013 Assembly polls). I never claimed credit for it solely. I lost in that poll. Had I won, what would have happened, I don't know," Parameshwara said in response to a question whether he was in the CM race.

Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, he said, "I was in the race then, naturally, as there is a convention in the Congress party where the PCC president is often given a chance (to become CM), but it is not followed in some situations...." Asked if he will ask the high command to consider him in case there is a leadership change, Parameshwara said, "Let that situation come, such a situation has not come." On his name doing the rounds as a probable CM candidate, amid "fight" for the top post between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar, he termed it as media creation.

Dalit leadership questions surface

When questioned if there was a demand for a “Dalit CM” in case of a leadership change, citing repeated meetings of ministers from the SC/ST community involving him, HC Mahadevappa, Satish Jarkiholi and others, Parameshwara replied, "There is demand for a Dalit to become CM for long." "Will it happen, just because we meet?" he asked.

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Stating that they have met several times on issues relating to the community like internal reservation among SCs, he said, "Should we not discuss our issues. Some of us, like-minded people, meet and discuss things." Making a Dalit the CM has been a hotly debated matter within Congress, on and off, for a long time now, and senior party leaders from the community like Parameshwara and Mahadevappa have spoken on the subject in the past.

To a question on confusion within the Congress over power sharing, with CM Siddaramaiah meeting party chief Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday, the minister merely said that the question should be asked to the party chief. He also clarified that he has no plans to meet Kharge for now.

He said Siddaramaiah was chosen as the chief minister at the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting after the 2023 Assembly polls, in the presence of AICC observers, and nothing was said about a 2.5-year term for the CM then.

(With agency inputs)