Senior Congress leader B. Janardhan Poojary has asked Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to step down from his post to make way for G. Parameshwara or other potential leaders. “A change in leadership is necessary for the party to come back to power,” told presspersons here on Monday.
Mr. Poojary said that a survey by a Kannada channel had shown that the party did not stand a good chance to return to power.
Discontent was growing among legislators over the functioning of Mr. Siddaramaiah. There was immediate need to change the Chief Minister.
Mr. Poojary said that Mr. Siddaramaiah should resign from the post and pave way for G. Parameshwara, a Dalit, as Chief Minister. “There are other leaders like S.M. Krishna and D.K. Shivakumar, who are potential chief ministerial candidates. If there is a change in leadership, the Congress can come back to power,” he said.
If Mr. Parameshwara was made Chief Minister, the party would get the credit of selecting a Dalit for the top post.
Mr. Poojary said that Mr. Siddaramaiah should order an investigation into the allegation by activist S.R. Hiremath that the former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda and his family members had encroached upon 200 acres of ‘gomala’ land. He also asked Mr. Gowda to come out clean on this allegation.
Asked whether his tirade against Mr. Siddaramaih would benefit the Bharatiya Janata Party, Mr. Poojary said his concerns had always been to make the government correct mistakes in governance. “As a senior most general secretary of the party, its my responsibility to do this,” he said.
Mr. Poojary refused to comment on the recent Bhavaikya Deepavali organised by Ivan D’Souza, MLC, at the Gokaranatha Bhavan at Kadri.
There is discontent among legislators over the functioning of the Chief Minister, says Poojary
