No question of replacing Siddaramaiah: Digvijay

All India Congress Committee (AICC) General Secretary in charge of party affairs in Karnataka Dijvijay Singh on Sunday said the party leadership was not considering changing the chief minister in the State.

“I have been hounded by the issue regarding the demand for a dalit chief minister in the State. Most of the organisations making the demand are from different political affiliations. Hence there is no question of replacing chief minister Siddaramaiah at the moment. He is doing a commendable job and there are no complaints against him,”  Singh told reporters in Bengaluru.

Last week, several dalit organisations had demanded that the Congress leadership prove its commitment to social justice by replacing  Siddaramaiah with KPCC President G Parameshwara. At the same time, Siddaramaiah loyalists including several dalit ministers in the State Cabinet had vociferously defended their leader. They had stated that Siddaramaiah would complete his full term.

Singh who has been in the State for the last three days, said it was common for all communities to have political ambitions.

“The people have given the Congress the mandate in the assembly polls. The Congress Legislature Party elected Siddaramaiah as its leader,” Singh said.

Dalit welfare

Siddaramaiah had launched several programmes for the welfare of dalits and backward classes, Singh said. Promises made in the election manifesto had been delivered. Dalit leaders like former union minister Mallikarjun Kharge had been made leader of the Congress parliamentary party in the Lok Sabha and G Parameshwara headed the KPCC, he pointed out.

Singh appreciated the KPCC chief stating that Parameshwara had played a major role in the party’s victory at the assembly polls.