It is Siddaramaiah Cabinet, Not Shivakumar’s, says Karnataka BJP chief Vijayendra

Mandya: BJP state president B Y Vijayendra on Thursday said the list of ministers of Chief Minister D K Shivakumar-led Congress government makes it obvious that it has an imprint of Siddaramaiah. Predicting the "fall" of the Congress government in the state, the Shikaripura MLA said the BJP is ready for the assembly polls.

"D K Shivakumar has fulfilled his long-cherished dream by becoming the Chief Minister of the state. When one looks at the list of ministers, it becomes obvious that this is not Shivakumar's cabinet but of previous Chief Minister Siddaramaiah," Vijayendra told reporters in the district headquarters town of Mandya.

He added that before demitting office, Siddaramaiah accepted the Karnataka Backward Classes Commission report, throwing a challenge before the new Chief Minister to decide what to do next with it.

According to the BJP leader, Shivakumar will spend the next two years only to adjust himself to take everyone along.

He stated that there would not be any developmental activities in the next two years following the economic burden on the government due to the guarantees.

Noting that there are major challenges before the Chief Minister, he said, "One thing which is quite obvious is that there is no honeymoon period for Shivakumar."

Doubting the longevity of the Congress government, he said, the BJP is always battle-ready for the next assembly election to bring the party to power."

Leader of the Opposition in Karnataka Assembly R Ashoka said the Shivakumar government will be run by the remote control of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and the previous Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.

Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, he said that the change of CM in the state is like changing the poster of an old movie. Only the name on the board in front of the Chief Minister's residence has changed, but the problems of the people remain the same.

"Although there was an expectation that the state would get new ministers, no new faces have appeared. Siddaramaiah's son Yathindra has become a minister, but apart from that, there is nothing new," Ashoka observed.

He also flayed the government for not inducting any woman in the government.