BENGALURU: Amid talks about infighting within the Karnataka Congress unit regarding power-sharing, D.K. Suresh, former Congress MP and younger brother of Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, on Saturday, said that he still wishes for his brother to become the CM. He said this while speaking to the media in Bengaluru.
Asked about his previous statement that “making his brother the Chief Minister” was his wish, he replied: “Even now, I say that I have that wish. I have not hidden my desire. But the time for that must come.” “Right now, Siddaramaiah is in the CM’s post. One cannot just pull him down and replace him with someone else. How is that possible? When Siddaramaiah is in that position, we must consider his honour and dignity, and the trust people have in him. The party will decide all of this.”
When asked whether he had faith that the party would make his brother Shivakumar Chief Minister, he said, “D.K. Shivakumar himself is a person of faith. Everyone must live with faith. Can one live without faith? Everyone must trust one another in life.” To a question if making Shivakumar the Deputy Chief Minister was “sufficient”, he responded: “That is for the party to decide. Shivakumar believes in the party. Right now, Siddaramaiah is the Chief Minister. There is no point in discussing the CM position at this moment. I don’t know whether that time will come or not. How can I say anything about it?”
Asked about reports that Shivakumar “asserted his rights” before the high command leaders in Delhi, he responded: “I have no information about that. Just because Shivakumar has gone to Delhi, there is no need to read too much into it. He is the party president and visits Delhi every month, sometimes every 15 days. Whether he holds the president’s position or not, he maintains continuous interaction with high command leaders.
“Even when he travels to Delhi for official or personal work, he has a habit of meeting high command leaders. Therefore, there is no need to interpret his visit differently. Apart from ensuring good governance and strengthening the party organisation, Shivakumar has no other agenda. Now that he is the Deputy Chief Minister, the question of asserting his rights does not arise.”
Talking about the discussions triggered by his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his participation in an event attended by Union Minister Amit Shah, Suresh said: “When Shivakumar met the Prime Minister and attended the Isha Foundation event, he had informed the high command. He did not go secretly; he publicly announced his visit. Sadhguru personally came to our house and invited him, and he accepted the invitation and attended the event.”
He further stated, Shivakumar has always been devoted to God. He was named Shivakumar because he was born as a result of a vow made to Lord Shiva. “Our father never started his daily work without visiting a Shiva temple. Whenever we get the opportunity, both Shivakumar and I visit Shiva temples,” he added.
“For the past 35 years, Shivakumar has been continuously visiting religious centres across the state and the country. Nowadays, because of the media, his temple visits are getting publicity. He visits Kollur, Kukke Subramanya, and Dharmasthala temples two or three times a year. Apart from these, he also visits Sringeri Mutt, temples in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and North India. There is nothing unusual about this. As a Hindu, he is following his culture and traditions, he clarified.
Suresh further said that this country is not limited to just Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh. “All states have equal rights. The Central government must provide our state with a fair share of tax revenue,” he added.
