November revolution? Speculations rife over CM Siddaramaiah’s closed-door meeting with Dalit ministers

Amid the speculations of Cabinet rejig and change of chief minister, three senior Dalit ministers - G Parameshwara, Satish Jarkiholi and H C Mahadevappa - held a closed-door meeting with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah Thursday late night.

Speaking to reporters on Friday, Mahadevappa said, “Thursday late night meeting with the CM was nothing political. For now, Siddaramaiah will continue as chief minister. Everything is left to the high command’s discretion.

When asked about his closed-door meeting with G Parameshwara and Satish Jarkiholi, Mahadevappa said, “It was a casual, non-political meeting. There’s no need to read too much into Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s banquet for his Cabinet colleagues scheduled for October 13. It is neither a farewell nor a welcome meet...,” he said.

With the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government reaching halfway mark in November, the leadership change talks have started gaining steam to ‘November revolution’ referred to by a section of ruling party leaders including veteran leader K N Rajanna.

Replying to a query on this, Home Minister G Parameshwara, an aspirant for the CM post, said, “Who said there will be a November revolution? I don’t know...”

Speculations are rife about the change of guard in the state when the Congress government reaches the halfway mark of its five-year term in November, which is being referred to by some as “November revolution”.

Reacting to the developments, Kannada and Culture Minister Shivaraj Tangadagi said, “What is special about the dinner meeting called by the chief minister? There are many aspirants for ministerial berths in the party. The CM and the high command will decide on the cabinet reshuffle. Everyone, including the CM, has to abide by the decision.”

Iqbal Hussain bats for DKS

Meanwhile, D K Shivakumar’s loyalists continue to publicly back their leader. Despite warnings from the high command not to make any public comment on leadership change, Iqbal Hussain, Ramanagara Congress MLA, continued to bat for Shivakumar to become the CM.

“Shivakumar will become the chief minister. It’s my personal opinion. I have informed the high command... I have said it in the past and that’s my stand even today. The high command will ultimately make a decision,” he told reporters in Koppal.