‘No regrets’: Siddaramaiah to remain active in Karnataka politics

BENGALURU: mysore chief government minister Siddaramaiah on th said that he had declined an offer up to displace to the Rajya Sabha and would remain in state politics, hours after submitting his resignation to the Governor’s office at Raj Bhavan in Bengaluru, indicating that the Congress show is not over in Karnataka.“They have asked me to go to Rajya Sabha. I have politely told them no, saying I want to remain in state politics and I am not interested in national politics,” Siddaramaiah told reporters at a farewell press conference after stepping down from office.The outgoing chief minister said he would continue in public life and complete his remaining term as an MLA. “I have two more years as an MLA. I will serve my people. I will continue in active politics,” he said.When asked about succession, Siddaramaiah declined to name a preferred candidate. “Whoever the high command and CLP chooses will be the CM of the state,” he said while seated next to DK Shivakumar.But, his decision to remain active in Karnataka politics could have some heartburn to Shivakumar and will keep the factionalism within the Cabinet and the party alive. The party high command suggestion him to take Rajya Sabha nomination was to make running government easier for Shivakumar.Journalist and political analyst Sugata Srinivasaraju said Siddaramaiah’s immediate priority would be securing the political future of his family and close associates. “It was always known that he was never interested in national politics, largely because of language issues. While he will continue to occupy the front benches of the treasury, his role in preparing for the 2028 elections is likely to be limited,” he said.A day before the resignation, the outgoing CM accepted the Caste Census report aimed at increasing reservation for Other Backward Classes in proportion to their population. The report, whose findings are yet not revealed, may upset the dominant Lingayat and Vokkaliga communities. D K Shivakumar is a Vokkaliga.On the caste census, Srinivasaraju said Siddaramaiah had opportunities to accept the report both in 2015 and during his current tenure. “The perception that accepting the report was a parting gift to the AHINDA community does not hold water,” he said.During the nearly hour-long interaction with media, Siddaramaiah repeatedly returned to the themes that have shaped his political identity over four decades in public life: the Constitution, social justice and welfare politics.“I believe the Constitution is our Dharma and voters our deities,” he said. “I believe all castes, religions and communities should live as one.”Siddaramaiah defended his government’s guarantee schemes and rejected allegations that welfare spending had weakened the state’s finances.“There were misinformation campaigns against me, including by the prime minister of the country saying our treasury will be empty and there won’t be any money for welfare schemes,” he said. “But after we launched the five guarantee schemes, Karnataka is number one in per capita income and number two in GST collection.”Responding to allegations about debt, Siddaramaiah said Karnataka remained within fiscal limits. “Fiscal deficit should be under 3%. We are at 2.95%. Debt should be 25% of GSDP. We are at 24.94%,” he said.He said the state’s revenue deficit was linked to the previous BJP government and lower than expected allocations from the Finance Commission. “The purchasing power of people’s lives has improved because of the guarantee schemes,” he added.The outgoing chief minister said he had no regrets about his political career and insisted he had never compromised his principles. “I never believed in making a fortune for myself,” he said. “Only those with people power can come to power. It is people who bring us to power.”Recalling his rise from rural Karnataka, Siddaramaiah described his political journey as unlikely. “I came from a village. I never thought I’d become an MLA, minister or chief minister,” he said. “My entry to politics is accidental. Nobody in my family was in politics.”He thanked Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge for supporting him after he joined the party following his expulsion from the Janata Dal (Secular). “Sonia Gandhi invited me to the Congress party in 2008 when I was expelled from JD(S) for mobilising under the AHINDA banner,” he said.