Minister Priyank Says Talks Of Mallikarjun Kharge As Karnataka CM 'Irrelevant'

Bengaluru : With a section of Congress leaders pitching AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge for the chief minister post amid a "leadership tussle" in Karnataka, his son and Minister Priyank Kharge on Wednesday dismissed such calls as "irrelevant".

The "internal power tussle" in the ruling party has intensified following speculations of a change in the chief minister after the Congress government completed the halfway mark of its five-year term on November 20.

The debate comes against the backdrop of an alleged "power-sharing" arrangement between CM Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM D K Shivakumar in 2023.

"Whenever elections happen here (in Karnataka), he is in the race to become the CM, and whenever Parliamentary elections happen, he is in the race to become the PM. Such discussions are irrelevant now," Priyank told reporters in response to a question about leaders pitching for Mallikarjun Kharge as CM.

He further said, "Mr Kharge has spoken on this matter earlier. There is no need to discuss and drag this subject on for long."

According to party sources, Mallikarjun Kharge, a Dalit stalwart, has lost the chance to become chief minister thrice 1999 to S M Krishna, 2004 to Dharam Singh, and 2013 to Siddaramaiah.

Minister Shivananda Patil had described Mallikarjun Kharge as the "most eligible person" for the CM post. "I had committed a mistake once by not voting for him. I accept it today," he said.

State Home Minister G Parameshwara told reporters in Vijayapura on Wednesday that if the party high command decides, everyone would accept Kharge as the CM.

Reacting to demands from some Dalit organisations for a Dalit CM, Priyank said, "There is nothing wrong in any community demanding the CM post for a leader from their community, whether it is backward classes, upper classes, minorities, or Dalits. There is nothing wrong. But for everything, there will be time and situation."

The issue of a Dalit chief minister has been debated within Congress for a long time, with senior Dalit leaders, including Parameshwara and Mahadevappa, speaking on the matter in the past.

Some prominent Dalit leaders are reportedly planning to push for a "Dalit CM" before the high command in the event of a change in the state leadership.