Siddaramaiah’s Ambition Has Political Windmills Spinning

Former Karnataka CM said he will become the Chief Minister once again.

Bengaluru: Former chief minister Siddaramaiah has set political windmills spinning on the mother of all fuels. At a meeting in Hassan district, the fiefdom of his arch rival H D Deve Gowda, he said he will once again become the Chief Minister of Karnataka.

Coming from a man who had declared the recent elections as his last, his comments have stirred the proverbial hornet’s nest.

At the meeting on Friday, he categorically said he will have another stint as CM; as an after-thought and postscript, he said “With the blessings of the people.”

Siddaramaiah said all his political opponents united to ensure he didn’t become the CM after the May assembly polls. “But there’s a kaal chakra (wheel of time). Those who are on top will have to come down and those below will go up,” he added.

And he added “Politics is like flowing water, not stagnant. A change has to happen. I think I will come back. I’m not someone who sits back after any setback,” he said, throwing broad hints.

Earlier, Siddaramaiah was heard talking to an anonymous person on JD(S)-Congress coalition government in a video had gone viral. Siddaramaiah was seen saying pretty much the same thing: “What? Five years? (On longevity of HDK govt)… Let us see what happens after the Parliament election. They (the alliance) will continue till the Parliament election. Will have to see what developments take place after that.”

For past few days, political circles here have been abuzz with the next moves of the former CM. Siddaramaiah has the support of nearly 25 MLAs in the present Kumaraswamy government. Of these, 17 are his hardcore supporters. Rumour has it that 17 Congress MLAs could quit HDK govt soon after it completes 100 days.

It is also a known fact that Siddaramaiah and opposition leader BS Yeddyurappa, both former CMs of Karnataka, have been in ‘planning mode’ through backstage channels. Siddaramaiah is a self-confessed atheist. So how will he join hands with the BJP?

There are two reasons: Siddaramaiah hates Kumaraswamy; two, he wants to teach a lesson to the Congress high command for ignoring him before and after forming the government.

Sources say it is Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar who is in touch with Siddaramaiah on behalf of the BJP.

Insiders in the Vidhana Soudha power-broking corridors say Siddaramaiah will force his trusted MLAs in the Congress to resign and reduce the HDK government to a minority; this could then pave the way for the BJP to form the government as it has 104 MLAs in the 224-member Assembly. The Cong-JD(S) combine currently has 112 MLAs; the halfway mark is 111 as two seats are vacant.

Once this is done, Siddaramaiah might quit the Congress after Lok Sabha elections.

These plans have the tacit support of the top brass of the BJP which is worried over the coming together of Congress and a large number of regional parties under the banner of `Mahagathbandan’  ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.

Breaking the alliance between the Congress and the JD(S) will set off alarm bells for other regional outfits aligned with the Congress and weaken the grand coalition.

The plan is to topple the government may be executed when Siddaramaiah flies to Europe with members of his family, including MLA son Dr Rakesh, and his grandchildren in the first week of September.

After the recent assembly elections, Siddaramaiah had said it would be his last poll. He planned to remain active in politics and be a guide to the younger generation.