Bengaluru: Considered a staunch loyalist of former CM S.M. Krishna, Chikkaballapura MLA D. Sudhakar has a lot of respect for CM Siddaramaiah and says any ‘rift’ between the two leaders is only because of their different backgrounds.
“Mr Krishna is a soft and sophisiticated politician. Siddaramaiah comes from a rural background and is known for his straight and rustic approach. Mr Krishna did play a significant role in getting Siddaramaiah to join the Congress, so he might be expecting some courtesies. Siddaramaiah is not someone to show courtesies for the sake of political favours which is the reason why both leaders have maintained a healthy distance though they respect each other a lot,” says Mr Sudhakar.
The Congress MLA feels the Chief Minister should be backed to the hilt while carrying out the reshuffle of his Cabinet.
On the question of a Dalit CM, he says there is no rule that only a Dalit can improve the lot of the community. Legends like Basavanna, Ram Manohar Lohia and Gandhiji were not Dalits. “Siddaramaiah is a strong voice representing the Dalits, he became their icon through the Ahinda movement. He took a revolutionary step to allot grants in his budget based on population for the sake of social justice,” explains the legislator.
He dismisses suggestions that the high command has lost confidence in the Chief Minister and has been rejecting candidates suggested by him for the Rajya Sabha and Council polls.
“The high command knows that a weak Siddaramaiah would only lead to a weak party,” he asserts. Describing the Chief Minister as one of the “main pillars of the state Congress,” Mr Sudhakar explains the support of Janata Dal (Secular) rebels during the recent Rajya Sabha polls saying,“ Some in that party have more faith in our CM than their own leaders.”
On charges that Mr Siddaramaiah is a casteist, he says this is far from the truth as important ministries like Energy, Agriculture, Education, and Irrigation are under Veerashaiva and Vokkaliga ministers.
