RV Deshpande
Mysuru: RV Deshpande, who is Chairman of Administrative Reforms Commission and a senior Congress leader, brushed aside questions about him replacing Siddaramaiah as the Chief Minister of Karnataka, clarifying that no such idea was discussed within the Congress or the High Command in New Delhi.
Addressing reporters in the city on Sunday, Deshpande, who had also headed the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC), said that Siddaramaiah would not only continue as the CM of the state but also remain at the helm for the full term.
The former minister further clarified that no meetings over a possible replacement of Siddaramaiah had been held at the residences of either Home Minister Dr. G Parameshwara or Public Works Minister Satish Jarkiholi. Deshpande said that any meeting that the senior ministers held would have pertained to their respective ministries.
When asked about his aspirations to become the CM of Karnataka, Deshpande said that he would reply to the question only if such an offer was made to him. Earlier, however, when asked if he hoped he would get a portfolio in the next Cabinet reshuffle, the Congress leader said that he had also held the position of a minister several times and now it would be appropriate for him to become the CM. He added that having ambitions was perfectly acceptable but not being desperate.
Although the issue of a replacement of Siddaramaiah has been raised in the backdrop of the CM facing charges of being allocated a site under the Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA) illegally, Deshpande supported Siddaramaiah, saying that there was not a single black mark in the CM’s five-decade-long career in politics. He pointed out that MUDA had allocated sites to Siddaramaiah’s wife Parvathi as compensation for acquiring her land in Mysuru and opined that the allocation by MUDA was not wrong.
