Siddaramaiah will be replaced by Shivakumar or Kharge by Nov. or Dec., says Vishwanath

MLC A.H. Vishwanath predicts leadership change in Karnataka, criticizes Siddaramaiah's governance and expenditure decisions.

MLC A.H. Vishwanath said there will be a change of guard in the State in November or December, and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will be replaced by either Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar or All India Congress Committee (AICC) president Mallikarjun Kharge.

Speaking to reporters here on Saturday, Mr. Vishwanath said Mr. Siddaramaiah was on his way out, and there was no doubt about it.

He responded to the statements of Mysuru district in-charge Minister H.C. Mahadevappa who stated that not only was the CM chair stable or safe but so was the person sitting on it.

The State government’s decision to conduct a fresh caste census came under criticism, and Mr. Vishwanath said that over ₹180 crore had been spent on the Kantharaj and Jaiprakash Hegde report but to no avail.

He questioned the government’s claim that the new survey would be completed in three months, and said that teachers were not free and hence it could not be conducted. The backward class communities feel cheated, he added.

Mr. Vishwanath accused Mr. Siddaramaiah of making scapegoats of others for his follies and cited the recent stampede in Bengaluru. Though many senior officials advised against the IPL victory parade, the Chief Minister ignored their advice and went ahead with the event, said Mr. Vishwanath.

The MLC questioned the need for Mr. Siddaramaiah to have so many ‘advisors’, and said the State exchequer was being squandered. There were no norms for the guarantee schemes, and they were being implemented without any yardstick, he said.