Siddaramaiah on Thursday announced that the Congress Legislature Party meeting and the party high command would decide Karnataka’s next Chief Minister following his resignation.
Addressing a press conference alongside Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar and Home Minister G Parameshwara, Siddaramaiah clarified that he resigned voluntarily and not under pressure from the party leadership. He revealed that the Congress high command had offered him a Rajya Sabha role and a position in national politics.
Siddaramaiah politely declined and expressed his desire to continue serving Karnataka. He stated that the people elected him for five years and affirmed his commitment to state politics.
Shivakumar avoided commenting on speculation regarding the next Chief Minister and simply greeted the media with folded hands during the interaction.
Siddaramaiah thanked Cabinet colleagues and party leaders for supporting him during both his tenures. He described his political journey as transparent and stated that public trust remained the foundation of democratic success.
Reflecting on his rural upbringing, Siddaramaiah said he never imagined becoming a legislator, Minister, Chief Minister, or Leader of Opposition. He credited the ideologies of BR Ambedkar, Mahatma Gandhi, Buddha, and Basavanna for shaping his political philosophy centred on equality and social justice.
Defending the Congress government’s guarantee schemes, Siddaramaiah stated that Karnataka spent nearly Rs 1.40 lakh crore on welfare initiatives while maintaining economic stability. He said Karnataka ranked first in per capita income and second in GST collections nationally.
Siddaramaiah further claimed Karnataka’s projected GSDP growth of 8.1 per cent exceeded the national GDP growth projection of 7.4 per cent. He also blamed the Centre and the previous BJP government for revenue shortfalls and pending fund allocations.
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