Raipur : Former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Bhupesh Baghel on Friday asserted that the party strictly follows the directives of its central leadership to counter the BJP leaders' claims that Siddaramaiah's resignation as the Karnataka CM showcases internal conflict within the party.
Speaking to reporters, Baghel reinforced the culture of discipline within the party and accused the BJP of spreading "hatred and lies". "No member of Congress will question the decision of the High Command. The BJP's only job is to spread hatred and lies. Ever since I became Chief Minister, they have constantly asked if I would resign. My only answer to them has been that I will resign the very moment the High Command asks me to. My job is simply to fulfil whatever responsibility the party bestows upon me," he said.
His assertion comes amid a significant leadership transition in Karnataka with Siddaramaiah stepping down from the CM post following directions from the Congress high command, and Deputy CM DK Shivakumar likely to take over, as per reports. During a press conference after tendering his resignation, Siddaramaiah stressed that despite his resignation, the Congress party continues to enjoy a clear majority in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly with the backing of independent legislators.
Reacting harshly to the development, Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson NV Subhash alleged that the Congress party had failed in governance and accused it of internal power struggles. He said, "This is nothing but the failure of the Congress Party... the Congress Party has cheated the people of Karnataka because they have given a lot of promises, false hopes for development, but for many years."
He further alleged that leadership tussles within the Congress had destabilised governance in the state. "There is only one person who is eyeing the Chief Minister post, that is DK Shivakumar and he wants to dethrone CM Siddaramaiah with the help of Rahul Gandhi for opening an ATM account. Now DK Shivakumar will make the Gandhi family richer in the next two years," he added.
BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla also criticised the Congress leadership, claiming Siddaramaiah appeared "sorrowful" during his resignation and alleging contradictions in the party's stand on representation. "Today, Siddaramaiah has resigned with such a sorrowful heart that sadness was visible on his face. Money had overshadowed popularity. People are saying this... Rahul Gandhi was lecturing about the caste census for a long time. Now, when I look at the list of Congress chief ministers, I don't see anyone from the OBC community. Here, our Prime Minister is from the OBC community, and we have chief ministers from every community too," he told news agency.
Meanwhile, Outgoing Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah arrived earlier today to meet Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi in the national capital, a day after tendering his resignation from the post. Siddaramaiah is accompanied by Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar and Karnataka Congress in-charge Randeep Surjewala during the meeting, where discussions will be held on the formation of the next government in the state.